Chris Stiles | The Robesonian
                                St. Pauls’ Kemarion Baldwin (23) runs past Clinton’s Jakwan Wilson (24) during Tuesday’s game in St. Pauls. Baldwin rushed for a school-record 402 yards and six touchdowns.

Chris Stiles | The Robesonian

St. Pauls’ Kemarion Baldwin (23) runs past Clinton’s Jakwan Wilson (24) during Tuesday’s game in St. Pauls. Baldwin rushed for a school-record 402 yards and six touchdowns.

<p>Chris Stiles | The Robesonian</p>
                                <p>St. Pauls’ Jamarcus Smith (left) and Tayshaun Murphy (22) celebrate with Kemarion Baldwin (23) after one of Baldwin’s six touchdown runs during Tuesday’s game against Clinton.</p>

Chris Stiles | The Robesonian

St. Pauls’ Jamarcus Smith (left) and Tayshaun Murphy (22) celebrate with Kemarion Baldwin (23) after one of Baldwin’s six touchdown runs during Tuesday’s game against Clinton.

ST. PAULS — The St. Pauls defense struggled through some of the second half in Tuesday’s showdown against Clinton, and by early in the fourth quarter had given up the lead.

But the Bulldogs had the best player on the field on their side, running back Kemarion Baldwin, and from that point he only enhanced his career night — enough to not only come back and win, but to make a statement.

Baldwin rushed 29 times for a school-record 402 yards and six touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat the Dark Horses 56-38.

“We were just the better team tonight,” Baldwin said. “Our coach, coming into this game, he told us not to try to be the best team in the state, but be the best team in G.S. Kinlaw Stadium. We had to bring that dogfight.”

Five of Baldwin’s touchdowns and 224 of his rushing yards came in the second half; three of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Athletic Conference) scored 22 unanswered points to earn the victory and take the lead in the Southeastern Athletic Conference.

“The kid’s next level, man; he’s a Power 5 guy,” St. Pauls coach Mike Setzer said. “(Offensive coordinator Eric Murphy) talked about closing the game, finishing games and putting people on your back, and he did all that tonight. I thought that he ran when he was tired, and ran really good, so I was really appreciative to see him sacrifice for his team.”

After Clinton (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern) took a 38-34 lead with 9:11 to go on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Blake Smith to Jakwan Wilson, the Bulldogs drove methodically down the field to provide the answer on the 11th play of the ensuing drive, with a 5-yard Baldwin touchdown run. Eddrick James ran in the two-point try to give the Bulldogs a 42-38 lead with 4:29 remaining.

Clinton turned the ball over on downs at the 32-yard line a minute later, and two plays later Baldwin scored on a 15-yard run. James ran in the conversion again, giving St. Pauls a 50-38 lead with 2:51 to go.

“We just had to finish,” Baldwin said. “The defense was struggling a little bit, but we knew what we had to do to finish the game. If it was throw the ball 50 times, run the ball — whatever we had to do to win the game, that’s all that matters.”

The Bulldogs defense, which had forced one stop in the second half, made a big play moments later when Martev Gunter intercepted a Dark Horses pass.

“They scored, we kept going back and forth, back and forth, so I felt like I had to get the pick to make them push themselves,” Gunter said. “Once you’re down two touchdowns, you’re going to go down a little bit, fourth quarter, so once I took the pick from them they put themselves down and I just knew it was our game from there.”

It initially looked as though Gunter had run the interception back for a touchdown, but he was ruled to have stepped out at the 32-yard line. On the next play, Baldwin scored on a 32-yard run to make it 56-38 with 2:15 to play.

The Bulldogs have been intentional about the theme of “Big 32” all season, honoring former running back Marqueise Coleman, who died on July 29. The symbolism of the final touchdown coming on a 32-yard run by Coleman’s protege, as Baldwin capped off a career night in the team’s biggest game since Coleman’s death, was not lost on the Bulldogs, who gathered after the game around the No. 32 painted on the field to reflect.

“His spirit carries with me all the time,” Baldwin said. “He’s on my wrist every game. He was a real-life big brother to me. … I’m just blessed to even be compared to him, me and him’s name in the same sentence.”

“I think (Coleman) might have picked up KB a little bit, I don’t know,” Setzer said. “When you’re such a good person, your spirit’s going to stick around for a while, and he’s so special to these kids and this program, and our community, so what better way to continue to find ways to pay homage to such a great guy.”

In addition to Baldwin, James rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown on just four carries, in addition to the two fourth-quarter conversions. The Bulldogs rushed for 511 yards in total.

“All that goes to my O-line,” Baldwin said. “They played a heck of a game. They played outstanding. They’re physical; they’re getting back to their old ways. They just did a heck of a job today.”

Smith passed for 154 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown for Clinton.

St. Pauls led 14-8 after the first quarter after a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mikail Breeden to Javier Ortiz and James’ 43-yard touchdown run; Wilson scored on a 6-yard run for the Dark Horses.

Two long Clinton drives in the second quarter resulted in zero points, with a turnover on downs and a fumble recovered by the Bulldogs’ Ortiz. In the Bulldogs’ drive in between, Baldwin scored his first touchdown on an 8-yard run, which gave St. Pauls a 20-8 halftime lead.

Smith ran for an 11-yard score and Baldwin answered with a 55-yard touchdown run to make it 26-16 early in the third. A long Clinton drive culminated in a 13-yard Smith-to-Wilson touchdown pass with 28 seconds left in the third, which after a Wilson conversion run brought the Dark Horses to a 26-24 margin. Baldwin took the next play from scrimmage 76 yards to stretch the lead back out to 10, after a Breeden two-point run, at 34-24 at the end of the third.

Clinton scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 52-yard pass from Smith to Alexander Evans, and after Smith’s conversion run got back within two at 34-32. The Dark Horses then recovered an onside kick, leading to their go-ahead score.

St. Pauls, who defeated Clinton for the first time in six all-time meetings, hosts East Bladen Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @StilesOnSports.