BAKER — Every indication points to another blowout win for Baker School's football team when the Gators host North Bay Haven on Friday.
Baker (5-0) has won 16 straight regular season games and is coming off a 48-6 win over Freeport.
The Buccaneers, who enter the game with a 1-3 record, have allowed more than 46 points a game in their three losses.
Gator Coach Matt Brunson concedes Baker should have the upper hand, but he does so while showing proper respect to this week’s opponent.
“I don’t know about a running clock (which starts when a team is up by 35 points in the second half),” Brunson said. “They are down on players a little bit, but they have a couple of athletes.
“They’ve lost some games, so coming over here will make it tough on them.”
North Bay Haven runs a spread offense with different backfield combinations, Brunson said.
“We will have to cover the whole field and hope we can put some pressure on the passer,” he said. “They throw it very similar to the attack of Rocky Bayou.”
The Buccaneers run a defense similar to that of Freeport.
“They are a 3-3 slant and blitz and come-at-you team,” Brunson said. “A lot of times, if you can block down and kick out, you can make some holes in that thing. This will be the second week in a row working on it so it should be in our favor.”
If the game does come down to a battle of the lines, Brunson believes the Gators will have a considerable edge.
“I definitely think we are more physical than North Bay Haven,” Brunson said. “The rate that these Baker kids work in the weight room year round is tremendous. Nobody is going to be as strong as we are.
“We take pride in that – in playing with pad level, punch and feet after contact, kind of like we played last week against Freeport plays to our strengths, definitely.”
Starting center Bubba Ellis is expected to return to the lineup Friday after missing last week’s game with a concussion. Jared Long also is expected back Friday.
Brunson said he hopes to get some other players back down the stretch of the season.
“We’ve been down four or five starters,” he said. “Hopefully, as we get some guys back and healthy, we will start hitting our stride.
“We don’t have a district (game) this week, but we have a big one next week in Jay, which will be our second district game. And then we finish up with Northview on Halloween. So I think we will play our best football at a good time.”
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: High school football, North Bay Haven at Baker
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Baker School, Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Brunson: No team can beat the Gators' strength