Baldwin sharp in shutout of Uniondale
Baldwin running back Treyvon Mask runs up field in a game against Uniondale on Saturday. (Sept. 8, 2012) Credit: Steven Ryan
The first play of the game provided some foreshadowing for how the rest of the day would go for Baldwin. Treyvon Mask caught the opening kickoff at his own 10-yard line and was untouched and so far ahead of the pack he never looked back to see if a Uniondale defender was in pursuit en route to a 90-yard return for a touchdown.
That summed up the day as Baldwin was never challenged in a 40-0 home win over Uniondale Saturday in the Nassau I season opener for both teams.
"I saw the hole open up," Mask said. "The guys did a good job blocking. I knew the game was going to go well for us after that."
Jovaun Tomlinson rushed for 77 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, and Travais Hylton caught two passes for 77 yards including a 74-yard score. Lucas Krucher had five tackles and three sacks, and Johnathon Robinson had seven tackles and recovered two fumbles to lead the Baldwin defense.
As good as things went for Baldwin Saturday, two Bruins suffered injuries in Friday's practice. Robinson and Krucher helped fill the void on defense.
"Krucher always does well," Baldwin coach Steve Carroll said, "but he ran a lot of plays on the quarterback when he was sweeping outside. When they came to his side, he stepped up. Robinson is a tough kid. He's very aggressive. He does everything well. He picked up . . . and did his own job."
The Baldwin defense held standout Uniondale running back William Stanback in check and didn't allow him to get in space to use his speed.
"I was ecstatic," Carroll said. "He's probably the best running back on the Island and our kids managed to lock him up and do a good job. He's a phenomenal football player. We spent the whole week trying to stop him."
Said Mask: "We made sure he didn't get outside. We made sure he couldn't do any of his cutbacks."
Robinson recovered two fumbled in the first quarter. The second one came with Uniondale starting at the Baldwin 38-yard line. It set up a 74-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Warner to Hylton with 4:32 left in the first quarter to give the Bruins a 14-0 lead.
"Those type of turnovers help a lot," Robinson said. "Everyone gets riled up. The offense gets the ball in good position."
Tomlinson scored on a 10-yard run with 7:27 left in the first half and added a 23-yard touchdown run to push the Bruins' lead to 27-0 with 1:15 left in the second quarter.
"It was a good way to open the season," Tomlinson said. "We had a good defense last year and added a few more good players. It shows how good we are. We were short-handed and still played well."
