Q & A with Baldwin High's Jesse Hicks

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Q&A with Baldwin High's Jesse Hicks by David Brent Martin, The Union-Recorder

The expression on Baldwin High head football coach Jesse Hick's face says it all - and represents a man who is not only serious about building winners on the football field, but who is also firmly committed to molding his young Braves into real life champions for the long haul.

Hicks cares tremendously about x's and o's, but his greatest passion is making sure his young student athletes succeed in the classroom and, then ultimately, life.

The Braves will be knocking pads with Wilkinson County Aug. 21 in Irwington, and one could truly get the sense that ‘football was in the air' as soon as coach Hicks eloquently flowed into his first prime-time Q&A session with The U-R.

UR: With all the success and expectations this year do you think the Braves are fully focused on getting to Atlanta this year?

JH: That's got to be the ultimate goal, and you have to have long and short term goals. The short term is to win the first game, and then you want to take it to the Dome in the long term. There is no doubting our focus. We say "state" when we break - and as a staff and program we aim to build better men, but the ultimate goal is to win the state championship.

UR: How are you feeling about your senior leadership going into the new season?

JH: I think it's excellent. It's a cycle like everything else in life. Bennie Milline and John Willis are both seniors going on four years now - and they've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Hopefully, they can come in and pass something down to these younger kids. We feel real good about these guys passing the torch on to somebody else.

UR: How much production are you anticipating from your ground game, especially from your starter Tay Edwards?

JH: Javonte Edwards had a great junior year. He's only gotten bigger faster and stronger each and every day. He has a combination of everything - has great speed and power. And we're hoping to give him 18 to 20 touches a game. We're really excited about him.

UR: Were there any fundamental changes to Baldwin's strength and conditioning program this year?

JH: We always look at things at the end of the year and go into summer workouts wanting to modify things. Ryan Maraziti, our strength and conditioning coach, is always coming up with new and exciting things. He does a good job of getting our workouts together from start to finish and is a good reason why our kids are the athletes they are. You see the change in these kids. But nothing has changed in the area of hard work.

UR: How much has your sensational sophomore quarterback Roshaun Milline developed since last season?

JH: As a freshman last year, you wanted to find out what he could do and what he was comfortable with. Most freshman quarterbacks don't start, but he started every game last season and helped lead us to the region title. If you thought he was good last year - he's three times better this year. He's got a lot of confidence and he's got one of the better attitudes you'll ever find in a sophomore - and your attitude decides how far you will go. And for him to be a sophomore, you can't find many kids that do the things he does at his age. He's our signal caller for the next three years, and I think he's only the second sophomore to be a captain here during my tenure.

UR: How do you feel about Baldwin's critical special teams? 

JH: We've got three excellent kickers. Coach Baker does a great job with special teams. Tyler Reeves is a senior and has been real good for our program. Sophomore Will Ruark and young Tyler Goforth are also good when they put their foot into the football. We feel really good about these guys and their abilities and their strong legs.

UR: What's the biggest thrill you get out of coaching the game of football?

JH: It really has nothing to do with the games. It has more to do with the relationship with the children. You have the opportunity to affect their lives at a young age and make them somebody's father, husband or neighbor some day. There's no better feeling than to be able to help somebody.