Tenacious Southeast Raleigh falls 64-44 to South Florence (S.C.)

Southeast Raleigh left Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium and the Carolinas Kick Off Clash with another high-scoring loss – this one, 64-44 to South Florence (S.C.) – but more importantly a new sense the determination of its young defense.

The Bulldogs (0-2) rallied from a 51-24 deficit to get within 51-44 late in the fourth quarter before falling to the Bruins (1-1).

“You’re never happy after a loss, but I’m thrilled beyond belief with the way our guys kept battling after getting behind again,” said Southeast Raleigh coach Michael Thibodeau. “So far this year, we’ve played two very good opponents in two very different environments and battled the entire game.”

Turning Point

Up by just seven points, South Florence converted on a fourth-and-5 from the Southeast 23 when quarterback Lindsey Robinson threw his seventh TD pass of the night, a quick slant that Hykeem White turned into a win-saving touchdown.

Southeast had reeled off the four straight touchdowns (a 41-yard pass from Dylan Parham to Malik Ford, a 15-yard run by Jerry Holmes, a 2-yard run by Parham and a 14-yard pass from Parham to Ford) before the Bruins stopped the run with White’s score.

They Said It

“We got behind last week and battled, we did the same thing to an even larger degree this week,” Thibodeau said. “Last year’s team would have folded in both situations.”

Three Who Mattered

Robinson, QB South Florence: He threw for 449 yards and the seven TDs on 23-of-35 attempts.

David Vereen, WR South Florence: Caught six passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.

Malik Ford, WR Southeast Raleigh: Did it all with the ball in his hands, catching 12 balls for 168 yards and two scores, rushing for 73 yards on five carries.

By the Numbers

228: Combined total points scored in Southeast’s first two games this season. Greenville Conley took a 65-55 win last week; South Florence won, 64-44 Saturday night.

“We’ve got nine new defensive starters this season and we went with a completely different scheme from last week,” Thibodeau said. “We were in the same situation with our offense last year, nine new starters and by conference time we started to really come around as a unit.”

247: Penalty yards assessed against South Florence on the night. Southeast Raleigh had 105 yards worth of flags.

220: Passing yardage by Parham, an N.C. State commit who went 18-for-36 with three TDs and three interceptions.

130: Rushing yards by the Bulldogs’ Holmes, who led all ball carriers on the night.

4: Jersey number of Southeast Raleigh junior safety Preston Bowditch who took a shot in the throat area and was transported to a local hospital. He was moving and talking before leaving the field on a backboard.

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Tenacious Southeast Raleigh falls 64-44 to South Florence (S.C.)."