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Twin brothers on Beechwood football team expect final season together to be something special


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Twin brothers Duncan and Dayton Baugh said they’ve been playing football together since they were 5 years old. In a few weeks, they’ll begin their final season as teammates, and they expect it to be a memorable one.

The Baugh brothers will both be two-way starters on the Beechwood High School football team that’s going for its third consecutive Class 1A state championship trophy this year.

Twin brothers Duncan, left, and Dayton Baugh will both be two-way starters on the Beechwood football team this season.

On offense, Duncan will be at left guard and Dayton will be at right tackle on a veteran front line that’s considered the Tigers’ main strength coming into the 2018 season that begins Aug. 17.

The twins will be lining up next to returning senior starters Noah Fisher, John Willis and Adam Derry, who has accepted a scholarship from Middle Tennessee State.

“You win games up front and the attitude we have is if we lose it’s our fault,” Duncan said. “We’re putting it on our shoulders. One of our coaches said we’re all good, but we just have to come together. We did that last year and it was great. We’re starting to do it now, but we’re not there yet.”

Last year, Beechwood’s offensive unit averaged 326 yards per game. Several starters in skill positions graduated, including the quarterback, leading rusher and top pass receiver, but their replacements could be just as effective moving the ball if the linemen do their job.

“Our offensive line coach, Bob Burnett, said there’s been lot of great offensive lines at Beechwood and this one has a chance to be the best,” Duncan said. “We want to do that. We want to leave a footprint and be the best line we’ve ever had.”

On defense, the twins will be playing side-by-side once again. Dayton was a tackle and Duncan was an defensive end on last year’s team that shut out Raceland, 41-0, in the state final.

Beechwood’s defensive line coach happens to be their father, Ryan Baugh, who has watched them come up through the program.

“Our dad said he’s been looking forward to this (season) for years, and here it is,” Dayton said. “He knows we’re going to be pretty good, and I like that.”

Dayton, who’s listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds on college recruiting websites, has received Division I scholarship offers from Army and Austin Peay. He hasn’t made a commitment, but one of them definitely appeals to him.

“I just wanted to be in the military since I was little,” he said. “Once I was in my freshman year and started showing I was pretty good at football, I figured, ‘Let’s try to do both (in college).”

Duncan decided not to play football in college. This will be the last season he shares with his twin brother, but neither of them wants to dwell on that.

“We’re not really thinking about it now,” Duncan said. “That’s something you do at the end of the year. But these guys (on the team) are all my brothers. I’ve been playing football with a lot of them since the sixth and seventh grade so we’re all pretty close.”


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