Southern shocks No. 2 Arundel, 30-19

Southern’s football team had a lot at stake going into the game with visiting, No. 2 Arundel on Friday night.  The Bulldogs needed a win to guarantee itself a playoff spot in the Class 2A Regional.

The only thing standing in the way was the Wildcats, who averaged 44 points per game in nine wins.  Unranked Southern handled it’s business, gave Arundel its first loss of the season and wrapped up a fourth place finish in the region.

The Wildcats were playing for the second straight week without starting quarterback Nick Rosati, who is out with an illness.  His replacement, Jack Gordon had a rough outing. He threw for 290 yards on 20-of-46 passing but tossed four interceptions in the contest.

Bulldogs’ defensive back Andrew Harris picked off Gordon twice and returned the second one 36-yards for a touchdown. Running back Davonte Burke ran for 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns.  Dylan Rawlings added 137 yards on the ground for Southern (8-2 overall and in Anne Arundel County).

Trailing 14-7 midway through the second quarter, Gordon threw an eight-yard score to Tyler Washington but the point after failed, leaving the Bulldogs with a 14-13 lead at the half.

Late in the third, Arundel (9-1, 9-1) running back Joe Blackwell scored from four-yards out and after a failed two-point conversion, the Wildcats held a slim 19-14 lead heading into the fourth.

Burke scored his second touchdown on a 30-yard run just eight seconds into the final quarter.  Rawlings added the two-point conversion and Harris iced the game, returning an interception for a score.