Monday, Aug. 23, 2010

Holly Springs surprises Southeast Raleigh

Blocked extra-point costs Bulldogs in 28-27 loss.

It was a wild debut for David Riggs' first game for Holly Springs. But it was also a winning one.

The Golden Hawks blocked a potential tying extra point by Southeast Raleigh with 3:21 to go, then held off a final Bulldogs drive for a 28-27 win.

"It's great for these kids and the coaching staff. They picked up right where they left off last year, and I think they lost a lot of [seniors] and didn't return a whole lot," Riggs said. "It was a great first ballgame."

The first four drives of the second half each lasted 10 plays or more, and each went for scores. Holly Springs went up 20-14 after a blocked extra point followed a Markez Davis 4-yard touchdown run.

Southeast answered with a 10-play drive that ended with a 5-yard run by Darrius Forrest to take a 21-20 lead.

The Hawks' next drive went 82 yards in 13 plays, capped by K.J. Herndon's 3-yard run. Quarterback Mike Roach completed the two-point conversion to Marc Jones to give the Hawks a 28-21 lead.

The Bulldogs' next drive ended when quarterback David Washington found C.J. Moore with a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. But Southeast's extra point was blocked.

"It keeps getting better and better," Jones said. "It was crazy. I couldn't believe it."

The Bulldogs recovered an onside kick to give themselves another chance but came up short.

"We got outplayed and outcoached," Southeast coach Daniel Finn said. "They played harder and they coached harder."

Holly Springs' Von Williams intercepted two passes, his first coming on the second play of the game to give his team a first-and-goal just inside the 10-yard line. On the next play, John Leslie took a sweep right for a touchdown just 30 seconds into the game.

The Hawks made it 14-0 late in the quarter as Jones finished a three-play, 57-yard drive with a 9-yard run.

The Bulldogs rallied in the second quarter, getting an 18-yard touchdown run by C.J. Okwara and a 2-yard quarterback sneak from Washington to tie the score at 14 heading into halftime.

Southeast struggled with penalties, committing four on a 21-play drive that ended on Williams' second interception. The Bulldogs racked up 11 penalties in all.