East Wake football rallies past Southeast Raleigh
Southeast Raleigh wrested East Wake’s tenuous grasp of Friday’s proceedings away from the Warriors for all of 70 seconds before it was snatched it right back from the Bulldogs.
Tripp Harrington’s 16-yard touchdown run with 4:36 remaining gave the Warriors a grueling 28-24 win over the Bulldogs.
Malik Ford’s 55-yard touchdown reception gave Southeast Raleigh a 24-21 lead with 5:46 to play. But the Warriors came out and covered 66 yards in 1:10 to regain the lead.
“I was preaching on the sideline we still had time,” said East Wake coach John Poulnott. “Because of our offense, we’re able to score quickly.”
They said it
“Our first six games, we’ve been getting killed on defense. We needed to win first down, and get off the field.” East Wake DE/LB Jake Ellington said. Though the Warriors allowed 374 yards of offense to the Bulldogs, they also forced five turnovers on downs and held Southeast quarterback Dylan Parham to 13 of 32 passing.
Turning point
Three times in the second quarter, Southeast Raleigh started offensive possessions in East Wake territory. All three times, the Warriors forced a turnover on downs, including in the closing seconds of the first half.
Three who mattered
Tripp Harrington, East Wake: Harrington had 300 yards of total offense from 143 yards rushing and 137 yards passing. His 77-yard first-quarter TD got the Warriors going and his 16-yard TD with 4:36 to play gave the Warriors the lead for good.
Jake Ellington, East Wake: Though Ellington didn’t sack Parham, he hounded the Southeast QB all night, including a near interception of a screen pass in the first half. And he was the first of a slew of Warrior defenders to stuff a Bulldogs fourth-down run to seal the win.
Malik Ford, Southeast Raleigh: Caught six passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. His touchdown receptions were from 67, 12 and 55 yards.
By the numbers
30: Carries by Southeast Raleigh running back Lee Holmes, who rushed for 143 yards.
4: Combined touchdown plays of 49 yards or more.
3: Successful two-point conversions by Southeast Raleigh. Holmes ran in twice, Parham once.
This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 10:39 PM with the headline "East Wake football rallies past Southeast Raleigh."