SEL loses heartbreaker to visiting Carthage
By By Austin Bishop / EMG regional sports director
Sept. 25, 2004
The agony was obvious.
When Drew Harper's desperation heave to the end zone was picked off by a Carthage defender as time ran out, Southeast Lauderdale Tigers could be found on their knees with their heads in their hands along the sidelines and on the field.
Southeast twice rallied from behind in the second half, but in the end, a 4-yard scoring run by Jerry Triplett with 2:55 left in the game powered visiting Carthage to a key 22-19 Division 5-3A win on Friday night.
"We did play very hard, but have just go to find ways to get into the end zone more often when we get into the red zone," said first-year Southeast Lauderdale head coach Ty Trahan, who saw his Tigers fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in division play with the loss.
"Our defense just didn't hold them there at the end, but I saw a lot of good things as well," he said. "We are just going to have to keep working."
Southeast took a 19-14 lead with 5:47 to play in the game when senior wideout Chris Gordon caught a bullet from Harper on a hook over the middle, then hit a seam between a pair of Carthage defenders to race 45 yards for the touchdown. SEL went for two, but the pass fell incomplete.
Carthage marched down the field on its ensuing possession, moving the ball 63 yards on seven plays and setting up Triplett's drive. The biggest play of the drive was a 25-yard pass completion from Josh Luckett to Antonio Ricks to give Carthage first-and-goal at the 4.
Southeast showed a balanced offense throughout the game, rushing for 302 yards and passing for 186 more for a whopping total of 488.
The Tigers displayed a three-pronged rushing attack, led by sophomore Aaron Larkin, who bobbed and weaved his way to 128 yards on 17 carries. Brandon Larkin had 11 carries for 71 yards, while Tyler McMullen picked up 64 yards on nine attempts.
Harper hit on 10-of-22 passes for 186 yards, while Gordon had six catches for 97 yards.
The first of Harper's two interceptions led to Carthage's first touchdown of the game.
It appeared the first half was going to end scoreless, after both teams missed short field goal attempts in the opening quarter of the game.
But with Southeast Lauderdale on the move, Carthage's Cedric Ball stepped in front of a Harper pass at the CHS 33-yard line and raced 66 yards before Harper made a heroic tackle to stop him at the 1-yard line.
Triplett barreled over on the next play to give Carthage the lead with 24 seconds to go in the half. The kick made it 7-0.
Southeast Lauderdale took the second half kickoff and marched 68 yard on eight plays with Rodney Walk scoring on a 12-yard end-around with 9:11 left in the first quarter. Harper's kick tied the game at 7-7.
SEL took its first lead of the game with 11:18 to play when Gordon scored on an end around from eight yards out. The touchdown was set up by a 30-yard punt return by Gordon. The extra point attempt was blocked, leaving Southeast with a 13-7 advantage.
Two possessions later, Carthage recovered a Southeast fumble at the SEL 33 yard line. After being pushed back five yards by a penalty, Luckett hit Ricks with a 38-yard scoring pass. The kick put the winners up 14-13 with 8:59 to play in the game.
Next up for Southeast Lauderdale is a Division 5-3A home game against in-county rival West Lauderdale.
