ROCKINGHAM — Junior wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin has been named the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tires & Service.
Baldwin’s second career selection, and first this season, comes in the wake of a career performance by the wideout. His role as the Raiders’ leading receiver saw Baldwin set up several scores in Richmond’s 35-32 over Myers Park High School, which sent the Raiders to their first regional championship since 2008.
Athletic Profile
Age: 16
Birthday: March 1, 2003
Year: Junior
Fall Sport: Football
Position: Wide Receiver
Years on Varsity: 2 Years
Height & Weight: 6-1, 180 pounds
Experience: 7 Years
“MOVING THE CHAINS” WITH JAKOLBE BALDWIN
Although he didn’t score a touchdown in the Raiders’ third-round win, Baldwin recorded career highs in receptions and receiving yards. The 6-1, 180-pounder proved to be junior quarterback Caleb Hood’s biggest target, hauling in six receptions for 124 yards. It was just the second time in his career he went over the century mark in a game, having done so with 108 yards against Scotland High School in the regular-season finale.
Beating his career-high reception mark by one catch (he caught five passes against Lumberton and Wake Forest as a sophomore), Baldwin accounted for over 60 percent of Hood’s 203 passing yards in the win. His longest haul of the night was a 31-yard reception, and he averaged 20.67 yards per catch.
All five of Richmond’s touchdowns would come via the ground game, seeing Hood cross the goal line four times and senior tailback Jaheim Covington scoring the other. But it was Baldwin’s hands that set up several of the touchdowns, starting with two crucial catches on a second-quarter drive that helped erase a 14-point deficit.
On an eight-play, 76-yard drive that made it a 21-13 ball game, Baldwin snatched two passes on the drive, including the 31-yarder. That catch and run over the middle saw him tackled at the one-yard line, which set up Covington’s touchdown.
A 28-yard catch by Baldwin again moved the chains for Richmond in the fourth quarter and gave the Raiders first-and-goal from the two-yard line. Hood would score a play later to make it a 28-24 Richmond lead.
To help seal the deal, Baldwin caught a 22-yard pass on the Raiders’ next scoring drive, the one that put them in the lead for good. With the clock winding, Hood connected with Baldwin for 26 more yards on the team’s final drive of the game to pick up a first down and help milk the clock.
Raider Video Chats: Jakolbe Baldwin, Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week
In his video, Baldwin talks about his career-high receiving yards, Richmond’s win over Myers Park in the third round and what fans can expect against Vance this week.
Click photo for video.
