BERLIN- Perhaps it was the storm-delayed Homecoming or the odd prospect of playing on a Monday night, but Stephen Decatur’s varsity football team came out a little flat against visiting North Caroline and fell to the Bulldogs, 48-13.
For the Seahawks, who started the season with a 3-0 mark, it was the second straight defeat to a Bayside North opponent. Last week, Decatur fell to Kent Island, 14-3, in a well-played defensive struggle. This week, the Seahawks got all they could handle and then some from North Caroline’s David Bailey, who torched them for five touchdowns.
The game had been set for last Friday, which was Homecoming for Decatur. However, Mother Nature had other plans as the Nor’easter lingered over the area with strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. When the skies cleared on Monday, the Seahawks appeared to be primed to bounce back from their first loss of the season, but North Caroline showed the continuing gap between the Bayside North and Bayside South.
North Caroline scored on its first possession, but Decatur was driving on its ensuing possession. However, an interception in the end zone killed the drive and proved to be an early momentum changer. Four plays later, North Caroline scored on a touchdown by Bailey, and instead of driving for a potential tying score, the Seahawks found themselves down by two touchdowns.
Another North Caroline score in the second quarter put the Bulldogs ahead, 21-0. The Seahawks bounced back with an acrobatic 27-yard touchdown catch by Tyree Henry to cut the lead to 21-7. With the Seahawks back in the game, the Homecoming crowd was re-energized, but North Caroline quickly dampened the enthusiasm. The Bulldogs scored two more touchdowns in the second, including a 44-yard TD run by Bailey with seven seconds left to take a 35-7 lead into halftime.
In the third, Bailey capped off his remarkable performance with an 88-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Before he was finished, Bailey rushed for two touchdowns, caught two TD passes and had a pick-six for a fifth. Decatur didn’t have an answer and fell behind 48-7 with just three minutes left in the game.
Decatur got back on the scoreboard late with a 51-yard touchdown run by Dryden Brous to close out the game at 48-13. It doesn’t get any easier for Decatur, whose record now stands at 3-2. The Seahawks face Kent County on the road on Friday, followed by Queen Anne’s at home next Friday. Decatur closes out with three games against Bayside South opponents including Parkside, Bennett and county rival Snow Hill.