Baldwin football making waves at 7-on-7s, big man camps

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 22, 2018 | 4:09 PM

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Baldwin kicked off its summer camp schedule with a winning performance.

The Fighting Highlanders corralled first place June 13 at the Washington & Jefferson 7-on-7 football camp, rolling through the competition undefeated in the Big School Division.

“We also finished in the top four at the Toledo 7 on 7,” Baldwin coach Loran Cooley said. “Some of our offensive and defensive linemen competed at Toledo in the Big Man Challenge. They performed very well in testing and individual battles.”

Toledo sponsored a one-day 7-on-7 passing and big man camp. The big man camp was designed for offensive and defensive line skill instruction with an emphasis on technique and fundamentals.

Cooley, a state trooper, is in his second year with Baldwin. He was an assistant coach at Gateway, Plum and Clairton.

“We are having a great summer,” Cooley said. “However, it's just football in shorts right now. We will see where we are when we put on the pads.”

Among the camp participants at W&J were Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park, as well as squads from Ohio and West Virginia.

“There were some great teams and great competition all around, but this event only fueled our motivation for the upcoming season,” Baldwin quarterback Mason Stahl said. “We're a special group of players this year who've been coming into our own.”

Stahl, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior, was named MVP at the quarterback position at the recent 2/10th High School Football Showcase at Baldwin Stadium.

Three other Baldwin players earned MVP laurels at the showcase.

Lucas Strayer, a 6-foot, 170-pound sophomore, was MVP at linebacker. Two seniors, Lucas Perfetti (6-0, 275) and Jaquon Parker (6-0, 235), were chosen as top offensive and defensive linemen, respectively.

“I thought we played very well,” said Angelo Priore, a junior running back. “Our quarterback, Mason Stahl, had an amazing day, and our two wide receivers, Naseer Penn and Jarren Kelly, made a lot of plays.”

The showcase event was held for athletes from the 2019, '20, '21 and '22 classes. Position-specific drills took place, and college coaches were on hand to watch.

The camp's purpose was to assist underclassmen in getting an early jump in their recruiting process, providing players' information and video footage to colleges.

Representatives from Central Michigan, Duquesne, Westminster and Cal (Pa.) were in attendance.

Baldwin was slated to compete June 21-22 at the 7-on-7 football camp and Big Man Challenge at West Virginia.

There were 15 juniors, 16 sophomores and 20 freshmen on the 2017 squad at Baldwin, which will compete in WPIAL Class 5A in 2018.

Conference opponents are Bethel Park, Chartiers Valley, Moon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair, West Allegheny and Woodland Hills.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.