BERLIN- After overcoming an early deficit, Stephen Decatur’s varsity football team came all the way back against Parkside before falling to the Rams, 35-28.
Parkside took a 7-0 lead with about five minutes remaining in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run. Decatur answered with a touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Meekins to R.J. Hayman to tie the game at 7-7. Parkside then went on two long touchdown drives to extend its lead to 21-7, but the Seahawks answered on another touchdown pass from Meekins to Hayman and the Rams led 21-14 at the half.
Parkside scored again to extend its lead to 27-14 at the end of the third quarter. Decatur’s Dryden Brous then broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 27-21 early in the fourth. With about nine minutes left in the fourth, Parkside faced a third-and-two deep in its own end when Decatur’s Ed Konnak made an outstanding play to temporarily swing the momentum.
Konnak deflected a Parkside pass near the line of scrimmage, then caught the ball and fell into the end zone to give Decatur its first lead of the game at 28-27. Parkside responded with a long drive culminating in a touchdown with about four minutes left to retake the lead at 35-28.
Decatur was not quite done, however. The Seahawks got the ball back with 1:47 remaining on its own 35-yard line. Behind Meekins’ passing, the Seahawks drove all the way to the Parkside 15-yard line with 33 seconds remaining, but a turnover sealed the deal and the Rams hung on for the 35-28 win.
With the loss, the Seahawks fell to 1-8 on the season, which hasn’t been nearly as bad as the record indicates. Toss out a 21-0 loss to Cambridge-South Dorchester and a 40-12 loss to Wicomico, Decatur’s average margin of defeat in the other six losses is just over seven points, and in two contests, the Seahawks lost by just one point.
Their only win thus far was a 31-26 victory over North Caroline back on October 14. The Seahawks finish the season at home tonight in the traditional season finale against county rival Snow Hill. The Eagles are 2-7 on the season.