Eustace Runningback....wow

[kaorder1999]

Read this on another board....

Shawn Baldwin, RB, Eustace, 35-carries, 226-yards, 5-TD's (1, 48, 17, 5, 1), 2-2XP's, during the same week his mother passed away, and same day of her funeral, in a 44-42 loss to Edgewood.

[icu812]

Edgewood edges emotional Eustace

Hours after his mother’s funeral, Baldwin rushes for 212 yards, 5 TDs in 44-42 loss

By Jayson Larson Editor

EUSTACE — A game that begged for a storybook ending nearly got one.

A blocked field goal with no time left on the clock Friday night set into motion a pair of significant events at Bulldog Stadium.

First, it sealed the Edgewood Bulldogs’ 44-42 victory and snuffed a come-from-behind victory by Eustace.

But it also made a dizzying day strangely come full circle.

Mere hours before Friday night’s game, the Eustace Bulldogs gathered as a team. But they left their shoulder pads and helmets at the field house and equipped themselves only with their hearts on their sleeves as they mourned the death of teammate Shawn Baldwin’s mother.

Mae Louise Lowder Baldwin died Tuesday after a lengthy illness. She was only 40 years old. Her services were held at 2 p.m. Friday, just hours before Eustace’s scheduled kickoff against Edgewood.

Eustace head coach Doug Wendel said players’ emotions ran the gamut at the funeral. Some sat quietly, humbled by the weight of death. Others clung to no such restraint and “let it all out,” as Wendel put it.

Eight hours later, the scenery had changed but the feelings were much the same. As Eustace players found themselves once again gathered together, some were stunned at how the final moments on the field had transpired, and some once again allowed tears to fall, even if they were a bit more guarded about showing it.

And what of a grieving Baldwin? He showed up to the field at 7 p.m., as pregame warmups were coming to a close. Then he put together the game of a lifetime, rushing for 212 yards and five touchdowns.

“I just wanted to do all this for my mom,” he said in a hushed tone after the game, moments after accepting hugs and words of encouragement from a trio of Edgewood coaches.

“Three games in a row, we left it all out on the field,” Wendel said moments later. “I don’t care what the scoreboard said, especially with what they’ve been through. We’ve got a bunch of winners here.”

Throughout the game, Eustace (1-2) and Edgewood (2-1) — led by standout quarterback Weston Jameson — traded blows. Fittingly, Baldwin got Eustace on the board first with a one-yard plunge five minutes into the game.

Jameson, who had a hand in six touchdowns, answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Rose. Jameson followed a 482-yard, seven-touchdown performance last week by going 19 of 24 for 318 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for two touchdowns.

And so the see-saw game went. Baldwin scores from 49 yards out, Jameson hits Clay Haltom on a 53-yard touchdown pass. Then Jameson runs it into the end zone, and Baldwin responds with two more touchdowns of his own — the second of which gave Eustace a 28-22 lead heading into halftime.

Overshadowed by this one-on-one heavyweight fight was Trevan Johnson, who finished with 144 rushing yards, and the performance of the Eustace offensive line: Ben Caswell, Ryan Compton, Josh Lopez, Nick Dunlap and Owen Babcock. Together, the crew paved the way for a 430-yard rushing attack.

The final, determining blows were struck within the final three minutes. With the game tied at 36, Baldwin tallied his fifth touchdown of the night, from one-yard out, to give Eustace a 42-36 lead. The two-point conversion try failed.

A little less than two minutes later, Jameson marched Edgewood 58 yards in just five plays, capped by his 11-yard touchdown pass to Rose. Consequently, Rose and a teammate ran a route to the same spot on the field, and he still found a way to make a leaping catch at the pylon with a Eustace defender bearing down on him.

That tied the game. Jameson’s successful two-point pass to Rogers put Edgewood ahead for good and set up the dramatic final seconds.

A Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have penned a better script.

Except this wasn’t Hollywood or make-believe. For Eustace, it was heavy and painful and real.

And as it so happens, the bunch from Eustace gave the performance of a lifetime.

[JR2004]

Really don't know what to say other than to echo KA and say WOW and to also pray for the young man and his family.

[Mustangpride09]

That shows a whole lot of heart right there.

[charlesrixey]

Originally posted by Mustangpride09
That shows a whole lot of heart right there.

yes it does