St. Pauls rallies past Midway

Extenuating circumstances forced an unusual Tuesday night football game between the Midway Raiders and the St. Pauls Bulldogs this past week, one that resulted in another shootout at Tommy Sloan Stadium.

With the Bulldogs falling victim to a long COVID pause, they are now faced with a series of Tuesday/Friday matchups to try to get their season up to speed. Their return to the field for the first time in nearly three weeks kicked off on Tuesday night when St. Pauls traveled to Midway, squaring off against the Raiders in Southeastern Athletic Conference play.

The Bulldogs had to shake off some rust in the early going, but they ultimately were able to run away with the win in shootout fashion, winning 64-41.

Midway took the opening possession and relied on their ground game to get the first points of the game. Trey Gregory was the workhorse on this drive as the Raiders marched the field and scored first, converting fourth and goal at the 3-yard line into a touchdown on an option from Wyatt Holland to Gregory. Midway’s PAT was fumbled, but with 5:52 on the clock in the first quarter, the Raiders led 6-0.

This new Midway lead was brief. Very brief. Their kickoff to St. Pauls was a short one and the Bulldogs returned it all the way down to the Raiders 24-yard line. One play later, Kemarion Baldwin broke through the middle and ran it in for a touchdown. They converted a 2-point try and with just 25 seconds gone off the clock, St. Pauls led 8-6.

The next Midway drive stalled out on fourth down at the Bulldogs 21-yard line and that’s where the visitors set up shop. This was a penalty-laden drive that saw a long touchdown run get called back and put St. Pauls facing long yardage to convert the first down. With the game moving into the second quarter, the Bulldogs were unable to convert third and 12 and were forced to punt it away. This was a more fruitful drive for the Raiders, who took the ball at midfield and began their march. Holland tossed the ball around a little more on this drive and, utilizing a solid blend of pass and run, the Raiders marched down into the red zone. With 6:58 left in the half, Holland called his own number and ran the ball in for a touchdown to put Midway back on top. The Raiders also converted the 2-point conversion, pushing the lead back to six points at 14-8.

Things were looking really good for Midway when they thwarted the next Bulldogs possession. Cameron Cousar picked off a St. Pauls pass attempt and Midway was in back on the field looking to build their lead. This effort was converted when broke through the defense on a 63-yard touchdown run with 4:54 showing on the clock. The Raiders’ extra point attempt was blocked, but they now led by two scores at 20-8.

St. Pauls, though, appeared to have awoken. The immediately answered the Raiders surge when Baldwin broke free of some tackles and rolled to his left into wide-open field. He took what should have been a run for no gain 47 yards into the end zone and ignite the Bulldogs faithful. They also converted the 2-point try and with 3:56 left in the half, the score was 20-16 Midway.

Perhaps the ultimate turning point of the game came on the ensuing Midway drive. The Raiders had the ball 3rd-and-short near midfield, but a false start penalty back them up into third and a little longer. The third down play didn’t net many yards for the Midway offense and the Raiders opted to punt. This punt yielded one final score for the Bulldogs, who cashed in on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 25.9 left in the half to take the lead. The 2-point conversion was once again successful on a run up the middle, and at the half, St. Pauls was out front at 24-20.

The second half was a back-and-forth offensive display. St. Pauls scored first to extend their lead out to 32-20, but Gregory continued to put on a show for Midway with another touchdown to make it 32-27.

Right back came St. Pauls though, who continued to add points by way of touchdowns and 2-point conversions. They made it 40-27 then got a stop and scored again to make it 48-27. The teams continued this exchange all the way down to the final score of 64-41 as Midway’s offense just couldn’t keep pace.

After the game, Midway head coach Cory Barnes credited St. Pauls offensive athleticism, complementing the plethora of offensive weapons at their disposal. He was proud of his team’s effort, but acknowledged that there was room for improvement up front. He also credited Gregory and Holland for their play, saying he couldn’t ask much more from his offense.

Statistically for Midway, Gregory had 35 carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns. Holland completed 14 of 19 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown. Receiving, Casey Culbreth had eight completions for 91 yards and Gregory had one touchdown reception.

The Raiders are now 4-3 overall and 1-2 in league play. They have West Bladen coming up on Friday, during which Midway will celebrate homecoming. Game time is 7 p.m.