Baldwin orchestrated two fourth-quarter touchdown drives last Saturday but it wasn’t enough to give longtime head coach Steve Carroll a victory in his final home game at the helm.
Freeport recovered a late on-side kick to hold off the Bruins, 20-12, for its first win of the campaign following three straight defeats and a one-week hiatus due to an opponent’s quarantine situation. Freshman quarterback D’Angelo Gordon rushed for two touchdowns, including a 32-yard scramble on the first snap of the fourth quarter, and junior Donte Lloyd provided an insurance score with 5:11 remaining to lead the Red Devils.
“The kids played their butts off and that’s all I can ask,” said Carroll, who after 34 seasons as the team’s head coach will retire following this Saturday’s season finale at Hempstead. “It’s such a young team and the smallest roster I’ve ever had,” he added. “We have 27 kids when we’re usually at least in the 40s. We have six who never put on a uniform before this season. They’ve all worked hard.”
Carroll, who has a record of 165-120-4 as Baldwin’s head coach, including 24 playoff victories, guided the Bruins to the Nassau Conference I championship in 2005. He said he decided during the first week of March this season would be his last. “It’s time,” he said. “It’s been a tremendous ride.”
Baldwin Athletic Director Ed Ramirez said Carroll informed him of the decision about a month ago. “Coach Carroll has been nothing but class on and off the field here for well over 30 years,” Ramirez said. “He’s been a mentor for a lot of these young men and even for myself he’s always been a person I could go to for advice.”