ELIZABETHTOWN — St. Pauls interim coach Mike Setzer has stressed the importance of finishing games since his team collapsed in the second half of a loss to Three Rivers Conference-leading South Columbus two weeks ago. On Friday, a similar narrative resurfaced as St. Pauls blew a 10-point halftime lead and eventually lost to East Bladen 35-24.
“I think we have to find something deep inside us to play four quarters,” Setzer said after watching his Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2 TRC) drop back to .500 in the conference.
For two quarters, it looked as if Setzer’s squad had complete control and was well on its way to getting the first signature win of the season. The first play of the game was a kickoff return by Bulldogs receiver Kalvin Carpenter that gave them an early 7-0 edge.
Running back Marqueise Coleman had another dominant performance and added to his county-leading rushing total, finishing with 191 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs took a 17-7 lead when Coleman punched in his first of two touchdowns from 1 yard out.
The Bulldogs’ defense came out with an inspired effort to match the hot start of the offense. They kept the Eagles (5-1, 4-0 TRC) offense off the scoreboard the entire first half. The only score from the home team in the half came off a pick-six from cornerback Shy Pone in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The signature play for the defense came on a third and goal with just under a minute left in the half. The Bulldogs swarmed Eagles quarterback Zach Meares and threw him back for a loss, forcing a long fourth down. The ensuing field goal was no good and kept the lead at 17-7.
But after the elongated halftime due to homecoming, the visiting team lost its momentum on defense. The majority of the Eagles’ 318 yards rushing yards came in the final two quarters where they consistently plowed through open holes for big chunks of yards. Setzer said this was the most disappointing stretch of the game.
“We shouldn’t have gave up that much yards. I’m not surprised to hear 300 [yards rushing], but it hurts,” Setzer said about his group’s inability to stop the run.
Eagles running back Eric Chancy led the team with 185 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second half. Lawson Hester provided a good complement for Chancy and chipped in one touchdown. Chancy’s 9-yard score with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter made the score 35-24 and shut the door for good, securing East Bladen’s perfect conference record.
The Bulldogs will look to rebound from the loss when they complete the Bladen County tour next week at West Bladen.
