Baylor Takes Down MBA For The D2-Class AAA Title

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2>It took 49 years to bring that "Gold Ball" back to campus but it's happening as the Red Raiders became State Champs after a comeback win over a previous unbeaten Big Red team. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams met earlier in the season where MBA won the game but Baylor did not back down and kept things close to the very end. It was a classic contest and when I saw these two were going to square off again but for a championship, I knew we could receive another all-timer.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's how the game started as MBA stopped the Red Raiders opening possession then proceeded to take the ball right down the field and score on their first offensive drive. That was accomplished by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102308' first='Marcel' last='Reed']</strong>, who spun out of pressure then zipped a pass to the back of the end zone where the receiver hauled in the pass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baylor would come right back with a nice scoring drive that ended with a wide open pass from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='323145' first='Whit' last='Muschamp'] </strong>to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185574' first='Louis' last='Vincent'] </strong>and pull the game back even.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well the MBA offense wasn't having any that as almost immediately upon receiving the ball, Reed threw another good pass with this one to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='273380' first='Claiborne' last='Richards']</strong>, who raced down the sidelines for the score.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was quickly turning into a shootout and that's what we got for the remainder of the 1st half. After the Big Red scored another touchdown to take a 21-7 lead, it started to look like MBA was about to take complete control but the Red Raiders didn't put their heads down as Muschamp found junior receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='148873' first='Amari' last='Jefferson'] </strong>and the two-sport athlete turned on the burners and out ran the defenders into the end zone.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RaiderReCap/status/1598480449168351232?s=20u0026t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RaiderReCap/status/1598480449168351232?s=20&amp;t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baylor would tie the game back up at 21-21 with an outstanding, elusive run from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='200429' first='Caleb' last='Hampton']</strong> and after that, you knew the Red Raiders weren't going down without a fight.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MBA did re-take the lead but Baylor would answer back yet again to make the score 28-24 headed into halftime. The first period provided big plays, hard hitting and physical game play throughout and it was expected to remain the same way in the second half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming out of the locker room, MBA had to ball but was forced to punt and the exact same happened with Baylor on their drive. That would turn out to be the story for the entire 3rd quarter until a big pass play from a pair of Red Raider juniors.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right as the quarter was coming to a close, Muschamp lofted a pass down the sidelines for Jefferson to make a play and he did just that, hauling in the pass then bursting through the tackler to find paydirt.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That score from Jefferson would put Baylor in the lead for the first time of the night and they would extend that on their next drive. After forcing the Big Red to punt, Muschamp led his offense on another strong drive that was capped off with a big run from Hampton, pushing the Red Raiders lead out to 38-28.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/TheJeffCate/status/1598503035008851970?s=20u0026t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TheJeffCate/status/1598503035008851970?s=20&amp;t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All was looking good for the team from Chattanooga but they needed to hang on because Reed and his Big Red wasn't going to lie down quietly.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The future Ole Miss Rebel led his offense down the field on a nice drive that was finished off with a nice design, fake run-pass delivered by Reed to sophomore tight end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='258675' first='Blake' last='Ragsdale'] </strong>to bring the contest back to within a one score game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trailing by four points, the Big Red defense had to stop Baylor, receive the ball back for a hope at reclaiming the lead but after a pair of rushing 1st down's by Hampton, it was all but sealed up for the Red Raiders victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baylor would go on to take the 38-34 win over MBA and put a “Gold Ball” in their trophy case for the 1st time since 1973. This was a well earned victory for the Red Raiders and a tremendous season for them as they had a small rough patch in the middle of the year but bounced back to become the 2022 D2-Class AAA State Champions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/RaiderReCap/status/1598513002801639424?s=20u0026t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/RaiderReCap/status/1598513002801639424?s=20&amp;t=RY1lLsQhHk7G99ESMuJQDg </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player of the Game/MVP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(RB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='200429' first='Caleb' last='Hampton'] </strong>- Baylor</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- It was a collective effort by several on the Red Raiders offense but it was Hampton who came up big in the clutch with several big runs, including two touchdown runs. Producing 172 yards on the ground, Hampton was tough to handle for the MBA defense and by game's end, the Big Red had a hard time bringing him down.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":444338,"width":343,"height":388,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/champton-906x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-444338" width="343" height="388"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Baylor (34) [player_tooltip player_id='200429' first='Caleb' last='Hampton'] looks for running room. The Chattanooga Christian School Chargers hosted the Baylor School Red Raiders Friday.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Top Performers&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- ‘24 (QB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='323145' first='Whit' last='Muschamp']</strong> - Baylor: If Hampton didn't win MVP honors, it would have been Muschamp. The junior signal caller was tremendous on the night, efficiently running his offense and producing several big plays with both his arm and his legs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (QB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='102308' first='Marcel' last='Reed'] </strong>- MBA: A costly fumble in the 2nd half was the only bad thing about Reed on this night but he was outstanding yet again displaying that college arm and athleticism with his legs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (WR) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='273380' first='Claiborne' last='Richards'] </strong>- MBA: Richards produced a big night for his team and being the dependable receiver for Reed that he has been all season long. He displayed great hands and deceptive speed that more college coaches should be looking into.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (LB) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242093' first='Browning' last='Trainer'] </strong>- MBA: For the entire game, Trainer was everywhere! This senior linebacker for a force from start to finish making plays both against the run and the pass while also taking two kickoffs into positive territory for his team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- ‘24 (WR) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='148873' first='Amari' last='Jefferson']</strong> - Baylor: When the Red Raiders needed a big play to happen, they called Jefferson's number. This 6'2 physical specimen displayed his speed and athletic abilities at several moments throughout the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- (TE's) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='201093' first='Dalton' last='Restelli'] / [player_tooltip player_id='305883' first='Maxence' last='LeBlanc']</strong> - Baylor: These two big and physical pass catchers were difference makers in this championship game as the Big Red defense had no answer for either one of them as they both found open spots in the secondary, hauling in several passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":308563,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/03/drestelli.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-308563"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->