BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity football team lost a classic to Kent County, 39-34, after holding an early lead, falling behind and then making a desperate comeback attempt that fell just short late in the game.
In their fourth straight contest against a tough Bayside North opponent, the Seahawks fell to Kent County, 39-34, last Friday in a game delayed for about an hour and half because of rain and lightning. Back on September 18, the Seahawks beat Easton, 40-9, to improve to 3-0. Since then, Decatur has dropped three straight to Bayside North teams including the loss to Kent County, but the latest setback wasn’t for a loss of effort and late-game drama.
Decatur took an early lead on a 23-yard field goal by John Ford and extended its lead to 9-0 on a screen pass touchdown from Darien McKenzie to Dryden Brous. After a Kent County touchdown cut the lead to 9-7, Brous returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Trojan one-yard line and McKenzie punched it in to extend the lead to 15-7. Brous later added a four-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 22-7.
Kent County then scored five straight touchdowns, led by Stevie Curran, who ran for three scores and threw two TD passes to seemingly pull away, but the Seahawks rallied late. Trailing 39-22, McKenzie hit Tyree Henry on a 27-yard touchdown pass to cut the Trojan lead to 39-28 with just under six minutes left in the game.
Decatur again forced a Kent County punt, an freshmen quarterback Quinn Ebaugh took over for the injured McKenzie with just minutes remaining and the Seahawks trailing by 11. Ebaugh delivered, converting a fourth-and-five to the Kent County 33-yard line. Ebaugh then rolled right and ran into the end zone for a touchdown to cut the Trojan lead to 39-34 with 1:36 remaining.
The Decatur defense dug in and stopped the Trojans again, getting the ball back with around 18 seconds left and trailing by five. A Kent County penalty moved the Seahawks into Trojan territory to the 45-yard line. After a couple of missed pass attempts, Ebaugh launched a long pass down the right side line intended for Henry, but Kent County’s Curran, who had already scored five touchdowns, intercepted the pass to seal the win for the Trojans.
With the loss, Decatur’s record dropped to 3-3 on the season after starting 3-0, but it will get a little harder for the Seahawks before it gets any easier. The Seahawks face Queen Anne’s at home on Thursday in a game played too late to be included in this edition. After that last Bayside North contest, Decatur finishes with three games against Bayside South teams including Parkside, Bennett and Snow Hill in the traditional season-ending contest between the county rivals.