The Baldwin Park football team will likely be dealing with freezing temperatures when it travels to play Big Bear on Friday night in the CIF Southern Section Division 11 quarterfinals.

The weather forecast for the area shows a high of 40 with a low of 18 degrees Friday, and by kickoff at 7 p.m. the temperature is expected to dip into the 30s.

Baldwin Park coach Robert Maxie doesn’t want to talk about weather excuses, and joked that he might show up at the game wearing a tank top.

“Just reminding our guys we don’t need to talk about the cold this week. It’s going to be cold and we’re going to deal with it,” Maxie said. “End of the day we love playing football, we love playing with each other, so rain, snow, cold, that won’t change anything. We’re still playing on a football field.”

One of Baldwin Park’s big advantages this season has been senior quarterback Jake Garcia, who threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 41-28 win over Colton in the first round.

Will the cold weather mean less passing and more grinding it out?

The Braves (6-5) can run the ball, too. Sincere Ellis rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Friday’s win. Ellis stepped in to replace the team’s leading back, Mark Carbajal, who was out for disciplinary reasons but will return this week.

“Nothing changes,” Maxie said. “Jake brought it up himself, he goes to the mountains and snowboards. He loves the cold weather, it won’t change his ability to do what he does. And it won’t change our game plan. We’re going to do what we do. Mentally, we got a lot of tough kids who are going to be ready.”

Big Bear (8-2) will be a test in the trenches for Baldwin Park. The Bears average 358 rushing yards and 42 points a game. Big Bear quarterback Brennan Berge averages only 25 yards passing a game, but he leads the team in rushing with 800 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Bears have three backs with 10 touchdowns or more.

The Braves, though, have played a tougher schedule, having gone up against San Dimas, Northview, and other teams that like to play smashmouth football.

“They’re very good at what they do,” Maxey said of the Bears. “This is the second round of the playoffs, there are no easy games. The team that tackles, blocks and makes plays is going to win the football game. It’s not going to be about the weather, it’s going to be about how we execute.”