End Zone Game of the Week Preview: Peach County vs. Baldwin
The Trojans defeated the Braves 50-20 in the 2022 season opener.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) –The first End Zone Game of the Week for the 2023 high school football season features the Peach County Trojans hosting the Baldwin Braves.
The Baldwin Braves are coming off their worst finish to a season since 2016, going 4-7 while falling in the first round of the GHSA 4A state playoffs. But this offseason, things have taken a turn for the better.
“I’ll be totally honest with you, this has probably been one of the best offseasons we’ve had since I’ve been at Baldwin. I’m talking about my first and second tenure,” said Baldwin head coach Jesse Hicks. “Basically because of what the weight room has been for us. We hired Coach C.B. Cornett, a veteran coach here in the state of Georgia, to run our weight training program in the offseason, and he has done a magnificent job. I am very happy with where our kids are physically, where they are strength-wise, and where they are attitude-wise.”
As for their opponents, the Peach County Trojans are coming off an 8-4 season while falling in the second round of the GHSA 3A state playoffs. But the big story in the offseason was the hiring of former Warner Robins head coach Marquis Westbrook, who has taken over the program for Chad Campbell, who stepped away after 16 seasons at the helm.
“The kids have been really receptive to what we’ve been trying to coach them up on, and they’ve been, you know, got their eyes wide open,” said Peach County head coach Marquis Westbrook. “They’re jockeying for positions. We got some guys in new spots, and they’re really trying their best to do what we’re teaching them to do.”
Westbrook took the Demons to four consecutive GHSA 5A state title games, winning two of them. And now as a Trojan, he has a clean slate and a new type of pressure.
“There is always pressure, especially with the expectations. There’s been a really long tradition of winning here in Peach County, so there’s always pressure from that standpoint,” said Westbrook.
The teams have put in all their offseason work, and coaches have implemented what they can. Now, it’s all down to the guys on the gridiron.
“At this point right now, it’s all about execution and want to. You’re getting ready to play a team like Peach County that’s got a lot of great tradition, but I tell our guys all the time, tradition is good, but it doesn’t win games; players do.”
The Trojans and Braves kick things off at 7:30 p.m. at Trojan Field in Fort Valley on Friday, August 18.
