Baldwin captures fourth straight

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Back in Nassau County’s top football conference following a cup of coffee in Conference II, Baldwin has already matched its win total from last fall with three games remaining.
The Bruins thrilled a packed Homecoming crowd last Saturday afternoon on a picture-perfect day with an impressive 39-12 victory over Port Washington. It was their highest offensive output of 2022 and their third straight game of scoring at least 30 points.
Junior Jadis Chenet scored offensive and defensive touchdowns, senior Anthony Byron scored multiple touchdowns for a fourth consecutive game, and sophomore quarterback Vaughdrea Johnson had rushing and passing scores as head coach Frank Chimienti’s squad improved to 4-1.
“The kids are definitely feeling great and there’s a buzz about football around the school,” Chimienti said. “This was just an incredible day. We had everything going for us. We had a packed house with a lot of student and faculty support, alumni and the Baldwin Bombers youth players.”
The Bruins, who visit East Meadow this Saturday at 2 p.m., led 6-0 after the first quarter on junior Shane Mauldin’s 1-yard touchdown and blew things wide open with three more scores in the second quarter to lead by 26 at halftime.

After Byron (123 yards) made it 12-0 with a 5-yard touchdown run, Chenet made a few magical plays as Baldwin more than doubled its advantage in the blink of an eye. Chenet caught a 15-yard scoring strike from Johnson and then flipped to defense and returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. “Jadis is a very solid two-way starter and today he stuck out,” Chimienti said.
Johnson and Byron added touchdowns in the second half. The Bruins haven’t lost since the opener — 32-20 to two-time defending Nassau Conference I champion Massapequa. “I felt like today would be decided in the fourth quarter,” Chimienti said. “There’s always distractions Homecoming week, but our guys stayed focused and played really hard.”
Byron has reached the end zone 9 times through five games and has more than 500 yards on the ground. He keyed Baldwin’s 36-14 win at Syosset in Week 3 under the Friday night lights with 124 yards and 3 touchdowns. “He’s a freak athlete and doing everything asked of him on both sides of the ball,” Chimienti said.
Johnson has 6 rushing touchdowns and a few passing. “He’s a huge part of our entire offense,” Chimienti said. “He throws a nice ball — it’s just not the biggest piece of our offense. We have four guys who can do damage running it.”
One of those rushing options is senior Cedric Jean-Pierre, a receiver as well who gets some carries on jet sweeps. Jean-Pierre did it all in a 22-0 victory over Uniondale in Week 2 with a touchdown run, an interception and a 43.3-yard average on three punts.
The O-line consisting of Rodney Mills, Moise Ambroise, Darien Ward, Jack Pace and Jake Davidson has been dominant at times. Mills and fellow seniors Kwasi Bonsu, Lincoln DaCosta and Jayson Rivera are the top playmakers on defense. Baldwin held both Uniondale and Plainview to fewer than 100 total yards.