BAKER — With Baker’s 38-0 shutout over the Northview Chiefs, the Gators clinched their fourth-straight district 1-1A championship.
That means Baker’s seniors have only ever experienced winning the district for their entire high-school careers.
Senior defensive end Marc Mesa says the seniors are setting a winning example for the underclassmen. “They know what winning feels like,” he said. “They like that feeling. They know what dedication is.”
Senior defensive tackle and nose guard D’Nick Thomas agreed.
“Keep putting in hard work, you’ll be right where we are now,” he said.
Senior Sidney Walker tells his fellow Gators to “Eat, Gators, eat!” while senior kicker Joshua Springle enjoys the camaraderie he has with his teammates.
“It feels great!” he said. “I love these guys! They’re my brothers.”
Senior wide receiver Josh Ramsey added, “We’re just like a brotherhood. We always work together as a team. That’s just one thing we’ve always done.”
Senior defensive end Chandler Rockwell enjoys being a part of Baker’s winning tradition.
“There’s not anything better than this school to (win their fourth district title) and I’m glad that I was a part of it,” he said. “Senior linebacker Logan Cadenhead credited his defense saying, “Defense wins championships.”
Oakley Kimbrel, while on the sidelines for his senior year, told his fellow Gators who still have a few years to play to “keep fighting for what you want.”
Coach Matt Brunson — already wearing a new district title shirt — enjoyed watching his seniors grow in the past four years, especially against a Northview team that had won the state 1A title the year before they were all freshmen.
“The last four years, in 2013 we beat them when, maybe, they were a little better than us,” said Brunson, pointing to the years on his new shirt. “In 2014 we were even. In 2015 we were a little better than them and this year we put an exclamation point on it.”
Brunson credits his team’s success — past and present — to his senior class.
Those seniors will be expected to continue that success on Senior Night against Liberty County on Nov. 4 as the Gators look to complete their regular season undefeated.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker’s Blackout Shutout