Baldwin City sure knows how to throw a party.
Tons of people?
Check. Da Bash Coordinator Rick Weaver speculated there were about 1,000 people on the track last Friday in addition to a packed Liston Stadium. People poured in to celebrate the annual tailgate fundraiser for the Baldwin High School football team home opener.
Burgers, brats and beverages?<br/>Check. And it was all free after the initial ticket purchase.Check. And it was all free after the initial ticket purchase.
Check. And it was all free after the initial ticket purchase.
Money raised?<br/>Check. Try about $20,000 in its first year alone.Check. Try about $20,000 in its first year alone.
Check. Try about $20,000 in its first year alone.
A victory for the Baldwin City Bulldogs?
Check, sort of. With a 57-26 score line, Da Bash was more of a whoopin’ – a shellacking. As if paying homage to the name of the event, the Bulldogs truly bashed the Spring Hill High School Broncos.
From a talent perspective, the game was over before it started. It only took the Bulldogs two minutes and 30 seconds to confirm the theory, as do-it-all senior Sam Beecher scored so fast it was almost as if he had somewhere else he needed to be.
The team followed his lead and put up three more touchdowns before coach Weaver’s third hot dog and the game’s second quarter.
“Getting a big early lead was definitely our goal,” head coach Mike Berg said. “We gave the freshmen the option to suit up, and we told them we’d do everything we could to get them in the game.”
The goal was achieved and all seven freshmen who dressed saw their first varsity football minutes.
The Broncos did manage to orchestrate a small rally in the second half, but the fat lady began her song when the Bulldogs were up 39 points with a few minutes left before the break.
Beecher, who left Liston Stadium having accounted for five touchdowns, said the players were especially amped up for Da Bash.
“It’s always cool playing in front of a packed crowd,” Beecher said. “Scoring in the first four plays really got our confidence back after that loss to Gardner.”
Da Bash, however, is much more than a football game. Now in its ninth year, Da Bash is a mega-fundraiser that has almost single-handedly gotten the ball rolling for football in Baldwin City – from Pop Warner up to the high school level.
Berg credits Weaver as being instrumental in making Baldwin City a football town.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for coach Weaver,” Berg said. “We went from many years ago not having a junior high football program to having a great program because of him.”
Weaver said he didn’t know the event would take off the way it did, but is pleased with the mini-monster it has become.
“We got a little carried away last year with skydivers and hawking over a thousand purple Bash shirts,” Weaver said.
The football team is not the only school sponsored program that benefits from Da Bash. Any club in the school district, from cheerleading to chess, can sell tickets to the event.
This year, tickets cost $25 and all but $5 went straight back to the organization. Berg said aid from the entire community allows Da Bash to be such a spectacle.
“The reason it’s so affordable for the boosters is because Baker donates all the food,” Berg said. “The tent is rented from the Knights of Columbus and the grill is borrowed – only the essentials are paid for by the boosters. It’s a true community effort.”
The pregame event highlights came from the games and prizes sponsored by various Baldwin City businesses, including Cordoba’s, Taco Bell and several others.
“Lots of people contribute in a variety of ways to make the Bash work,” Weaver said. “It’s been fun being involved with it and hopefully the Bash will continue.”