East Bladen’s football team’s march through the NCHSAA Class 2A Football Play-offs was the top November sports story of 2016.
Fullback Xavia McDowell caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Quinton Bedsole, and East Bladen’s defense held Ayden-Grifton a yard short on fourth down as the Eagles advanced to the third round with a 28-21 overtime victory. East Bladen’s Ethan Hines carried 28 times for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win over the No. 2 seeded Chargers.
In the Eagles opening round 62-42 win over Farmville Central, Ethan Hines rushed for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns and also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Bedsole. Twin brother Eian Hines caught 3 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Bedsole completed 4-7 passes for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ethan Hines rushed for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns in East Bladen’s 28-14 Senior Night victory over Heide Trask. Eian Hines hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from Bedsole for the only touchdown as East Bladen won the ‘Battle for the Bell” 7-0 over West Bladen on Senior Night and Homecoming at West Bladen.
West Bladen junior B. J. Drake rushed for 171 yards and scored on a 54-yard touchdown run in the Knights loss at Pender.
The East Bladen-West Bladen Powder-Puff Football game that was sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organizations from both schools was a huge success. The two teams collected 172 canned food items to deliver to Bladen Crisis and $466 that will go to two families that lost everything from Hurricane Matthew.
West Bladen’s perfect team tennis season came to an end in the second round of the NCHSAA Class 2A play-offs. Bartlett Yancey eliminated West Bladen but the Lady Knights finished with a school-best 17-1 record.
Freshman Gabe Barber fired in the game-winning goal as East Bladen edged Clinton, the No. 1 ranked Class 2A team in the state, 4-3 in a penalty kick shoot-out. The Dark Horses tied the game 2-2 with 2 minutes left in regulation.
After a pair of scoreless overtime periods, Grey Cabellero, Jake Evans, Caleb Hatchell, and Barber scored the Eagle goals in the shootout. Greyson Heustess and Cabellero scored the East Bladen goals in regulation play.
Brooks McGill scored a goal and dished out 2 assists in East Bladen’s 3-1 win over Pender.
Heustess and McGill scored goals in East Bladen’s 2-0 win over North Brunswick in the opening round of the NCHSAA Men’s Soccer Play-offs. Top-seeded First Flight eliminated the Eagles 7-1 in the second round. The Eagles finished with a 15-6-1 record.
West Bladen’s season ended in the first round of the play-offs with a 5-0 loss at First Flight. The Knights finished with an 8-13-1 record.
East Bladen’s Lady Eagles opened their basketball season with a 3-1 record. Shardajah Brown and Ja’Tyra Moore-Peterson scored 13 points each in a 38-34 win over Fairmont. Freshman Patience Ward filled the stat sheet with 13 points, 7 steals and 6 rebounds in a 56-15 win over St. Pauls, and Moore-Peterson rang up 19 points in a 47-38 win over East Columbus.
West Bladen’s boys lost a narrow 46-45 decision to South Brunswick as Sayaun Dent scored 15 points, and John Bowen added 14. Dent banked in the game-winner at the buzzer in a 53-51 win at West Columbus. Dent finished with 23 points as the Knights posted their first win of season.
Laikyn Pait scored 21 points as West Bladen’s girls opened the season with a 39-30 win at Lakewood. Pait tallied 14 points, and Logan Autry added 13 in a 51-22 win at West Columbus that evened the Lady Knights record at 2-2.
Demetrius Wooten poured in 27 points, and Denzel Johnson tossed in 20 but East Bladen’s boys were edged 61-59 by East Columbus.
Elizabethtown clinched the Bladen Five Middle School Conference football championship with a 41-8 victory over Clarkton School of Discovery. The Cougars defeated Tar Heel in their final game to finish with a perfect 6-0 record.
Clarkton School of Discovery defeated Elizabethtown in the championship game of the Bladen Five Middle School Conference Volleyball Tournament. Members of the Lady Blue Devil team that posted a perfect 6-0 record are: Lauren Bowen, Maegan Burney, Katie Evans, Alyssa Futrell, Sara Gargala, Lauren Gooden, Heather Hardin, AnnaGrey Heustess, Khadijah Jones, Lily Lin, Merritt Martin, Sophia Masaid, Tara Rogers, Emma Turbeville and Coach Chris Callihan.
Former East Bladen football stars Farrell and Larrell Murchison led Louisburg College to a 21-20 victory over the Virginia University at Lynchburg that completed an unbeaten 9-0 season for the Hurricanes. Farrell Murchison rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Larrell Murchison anchored the Louisburg defense with 6 solo tackles and 8 total tackles. The 6-4, 277-pound defensive end had one sack for minus 8 yards and 3.5 tackles-for-loss that totaled minus 12 yards.
White Oak native Rahu Purdie fired in 19 points but his Lander Bearcats were defeated in the championship game of their own Bearcat Classic 88-75 by Carson-Newman. Purdie tallied 12 points and 5 assists in an 87-83 win over King, then blistered the nets with 27 points in a 97-92 overtime loss to Fayetteville State.
The Bladen County 14U Boys placed second In the SWAC State Soccer Tournament in Gastonia. The Bladen team beat Mount Holly 10-0, Nash County 3-0 then tied Wilson 2-2 in the championship game but lost the penalty kick shoot-out.
Members of the Bladen All-Stars were: Will Hester, Jackson Bostic, Suleyman Algozy, Joel Johnson, Malcolm Bolden, Jacob Priest, Micah McKoy, Garrett Melvin, Joseph Masaid, Garrett Masaid, Sam Inscoe, Jacob Bryan, Stephen Allen, Dustin Naile and Coach Clint Hester.
The Quakes captured Bladen Recreation’s 5-7 year old soccer championship with an undefeated season. Players were: Noah German, Brody Soles, Niyah Wooten, Easton Bostic, Julianne DeVane, Tyler Eason, Witt Gooden, Walker Clifton, Wilson Clifton, Johnny Adams, Connor Sykes, Christopher McGough, and Andrew Shelton. Coaches were Kyle Bostic, Tim Clifton and Chris Soles.
The Rapids completed an undefeated 6-0 season to win Bladen Recreation’s 8-10 year-old Girls Soccer Championship. Players were: Joelene Merritt, Reese Hester, Jakelina Leal, Heidi Ventura, Gabriela Ventura, Holland Davis, Martha Simmons, Addie Bowen, Lynn Perez, Molly Evans, Campbell McLaurin, Miriam DeVane and Iveonna Ward. Coach was Clint Hester.
The Revolution completed an undefeated 6-0 season to win the Bladen Recreation Department’s 8-10 year-old Boys Soccer Championship. Players were: John Garcia, Karson Shughart, Andrew Osborne, Clayton Moore, Joseph Martinez, Joshua Lennon, Kevyn Delacruz-Labra, Cade Allen, Aiden Russ, Jonah Bryan, Shandell Gonzales, and Noah Beyer. Coaches were Nathan Allen, Joseph Russ, Jeffrey Bryan.
The Ducks won Bladen Recreation’s 10-12 Tackle Football League Championship with a 4-2 record. Players were: Jalen Henry, Kenneth Armstrong, II, Malaki Monroe, C. J. Jones, Sean Highsmith, Anthony McGill, Samaj Dove, Carson Gooden, Weston Lewis, J’marius Smith, Noatt Finigan, Daniel Adams, Travis Swindell, NyQuan Richardson, Masion Brooks, Lafon Monroe and Aniyaes Bethea. Coach was James Shipman.
The Tigers posted a 5-1 record to win Bladen Recreation’s 7-9 Tackle Football Championship.. Players were: Christian Moody, Gavin Elks, Michael Landreth, Hunter Simmons, Corey Wright, Jr, Jace Butler, Sheldon Melvin, Topher Callihan, Ta’shaun Jones, Dashon Campbell, Tyler Eason, Cole Butler, Jake Gooden, Kewoine Maynor, Braylon Cromartie, Caiden McNeil, Ethan Metz, Coley Sasser, Johnel Ballard, Torrean Cogdell, Connor Smith, Cade Rogers, Joshua Strickland, Christopher Cromartie and Gabe Cashwell. Coach was Corey Corbett.
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