Sep 6, 2008
Raleigh
Southeast Raleigh was stymied Friday and it wasn’t necessarily by their foe on the other side of the line. To their credit the, Enloe Eagles played a spirited, hard-fought game deserving of victory, but the key player in their 3-0 decision over the Bulldogs was Tropical Storm Hanna and her endless stop-and-go showers supplied by the outer rain bands of the storm.
Enloe’s turf held up quite nicely, though when mixed with about three inches of rain and a slick ball, it was downright rude to the Bulldog rushers as they lost four fumbles that killed scoring opportunities and helped hand the Eagles the win.
Enloe coach Ron Clark doesn’t mind a little atmospheric assistance once in a while and feels fortunate this one went down in the win column.
“I hate we played in this, but I’m glad it’s over,” said a relieved Clark. “The guys wanted to play tonight, I wanted to play tonight, and it just worked out good for us.”
With it too wet to have a consistent passing game going, both teams relied on their vaunted running backs to run the ball off tackle or around end to move the chains. Southeast found success in their sweep plays to workhorse Kevin Howell, who finished with 74 yards on 17 carries.
Enloe didn’t shy away from running up the middle against Southeast’s mammoth defensive line. Junior running backs Josh Senegal and David Highsmith braved the elements and the defense for a combined 90 yards on 30 carries.
The misdirection toss play of the Eagles worked well for their running backs in the sloppy conditions, which was a testament to the offensive line.
“We don’t have the biggest offensive line in the world, but they played with a lot of heart tonight,” Senegal said. “They pulled when they needed to pull and were pushing people out of the way. They even pushed their big 6-foot-6-inch, 380-pound guy (Daniel McCullers) out of the way.”
Both offenses had sustained drives throughout the game, but every time a series would stall on downs or a fumble. Enloe had five fumbles, mostly on snaps or handoffs, but were more fortunate than Southeast, as they only lost one.
“We put the ball on the ground, but we get it back. They put the ball on the ground, and we get it. I think that was the difference,” Clark said.
The Eagles scored the only points they needed late in the second quarter on a 23-yard field goal by quarterback/punter/kicker Matt Jurek. The possession and potential score was set into motion by an interception from Enloe linebacker Taureen Lynch off of a mishandled pass at the Southeast 43-yard line. Following four more runs by Senegal and Highsmith, Jurek legged out the game-winning score.
Jurek also had a good night at his punting position. He kicked six punts for a 35.6 yard average and pinned Southeast at their own 1-yard line with one of them.
The Bulldogs had some eye-opening plays during the game, but were unable to overcome a mistake-prone offense.
Early in the second quarter from their own 12, quarterback Gabe Henderson threw a quick hitch pass to Jamar Satterwhite, and Satterwhite hit fellow wide receiver Keith Tucker in stride for a 57-yard gain. The excitement ended nine yards later after a penalty pushed the drive back and then ended on downs.
To begin the second half, Howell made a 77-yard kickoff return, only to see the ball again turned over on downs at the Enloe 14.
Bulldog defensive back Domonique Fulton had a strong night, with five tackles and a forced fumble, which he ran back 21 yards to begin a drive that eventually ended at the Enloe 3-yard line with a fumble.
“The effort was fine, it was just the mental mistakes, and we got what we deserved,” said Southeast head coach Daniel Finn. “We’re inside the 10- or 15-yard line maybe three or four times and we come away with nothing. I can’t blame the conditions. I blame my preparations, and they played a heck of a game on defense, too.”
Leading the defensive charge for Enloe were junior linebackers Jason Hudson and Josh Jenkins, who had five and six tackles, respectively, and a fumble recovery apiece. Jenkins was exceedingly glad to finally defeat the Bulldogs after a four-year lull, which included a heartbreaking 30-28 loss last year at Southeast.
“I was pysched going into this game and it feels really good to beat them,” Jenkins said. “It was a team effort and we’ve got to thank the coaches for making adjustments throughout the game.”
The Eagles also accomplished the feat of victory without leading rusher Aziel Faison, who was out with a high ankle sprain.
With one more non-conference game to go, Southeast (2-1) will play host to Cary (0-2) next week before hitting the rigors of the Greater Neuse. Enloe (3-0) will remain at home and entertain Durham Riverside (0-2) while the Eagles gradually prepare for their much anticipated Cap 7 debut in three weeks.
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