03/28/2024
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Bladen County SportsThe biggest story of 2016 came in October when Hurricane Matthew hit southeastern North Carolina. Bladen County sports were interrupted for 2 weeks while residents recovered and waited for the floodwaters to recede.

West Bladen’s doubles team of Alanna Ludlum and Amber Long finished fourth in the Class 2A Mid-East Regionals and qualified to compete in the NCHSAA Class 2A State Women’s Tennis Tournament.

Ludlum and Long beat teams from St. Pauls and Clinton before losing to Barlett Yancey in the Regional semi-finals. It was the first time that West Bladen had placed a doubles team in the state tournament. The Lady Knights were defeated by Wheatmore in the State Tournament.

Ludlum and Long had qualified for the Regionals by winning the Four County Conference Doubles Championship. West Bladen’s Conner Brisson won the Four County Conference Tournament Singles Championship. Brisson defeated teammate Savannah Lee 8-5 in the Singles championship. Both Brisson and Lee qualified for the Class 2A Regionals but were eliminated in the first round.

West Bladen’s tennis team won 5 tennis matches in October to raise their undefeated record to 17-0. The Lady Knights defeated Wilson Beddingfield 5-1 in the first round of the Class 2A team play-offs. Long, Ludlum, Brisson, Lee and teammate Alyssa Bell were all 5-0 in team singles.

Ethan Hines ran for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quinton Bedsole in East Bladen football’s 41-3 win over Pender. Bedsole threw a 15-yard pass to Ethan Hines for the only Eagle touchdown in a 19-7 loss to Clinton.

In East Bladen’s 41-21 loss at Wallace-Rose Hill, Eian Hines made a leaping catch of a 57 yard touchdown pass from Bedsole.  Ethan Hines ran for 138 yards and a touchdown. Junior Xavier Wooten rushed for 186 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 53-29 win over Union, and Ethan Hines ran for 150 yards and a touchdown.

Junior B.J. Drake’s 2-yard touchdown run was the only West Bladen touchdown in a 13-7 loss at Heide Trask. Scott Bowen completed 7 of 14 passes for 65 yards in a 42-20 loss to Midway. Trent West snagged one Bowen pass for a 26-yard touchdown. Senior James Moore ran 55 yards for a touchdown, and Drake returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown.

Brooks McGill, Jake Evans and Greyson Heustess scored goals for East Bladen in a 3-2 win over West Bladen.  McGill tallied 2 goals, and Heustess racked up 2 assists and a goal in a 4-1 win over Union.  McGill fired in the game-winner in the final minutes of a 3-2 win for East Bladen over West Bladen.  McGill scored 2 goals and Heustess dished out 3 assists in a 4-3 Eagle win over Heide Trask.

Emerson Escobar scored for West Bladen in the first East Bladen game, and Junior Funez scored both Knight goals in the second East game. Funez lit up the scoreboard with a “Double Hat Trick” plus one of 7 goals in West Bladen’s 10-7 win over Union.

Morgan Schumacher pounded in 10 kills, and Kathryn Schultz hammered in 9 for West Bladen volleyball in a 3-0 win over Heide Trask. Schumacher slammed in 9 kills on Senior Night against Clinton.

Senior Logan Autry fired in 12 service points, and sophmore Raegan Davis knocked in 7 kills and 6 service points in a 3-0 West Bladen win over East Bladen. West Bladen qualified for the NCHSAA Class 2A Play-offs but was eliminated in the first round after making the 240-mile trip to Elizabeth City Northeastern. The Lady Knights finished with a 10-10 record.

Anna Grace Long racked up 17 service points, and Shardajah Brown added 13 service points for East Bladen volleyball against Pender. Faith Johnson poured in 28 service points, and Lexie Mendell hammered in 26 service points and 8 kills in a 3-1 victory over Union. Long contributed 15 service points in the Union win. Mendell scored 8 service points, and Hannah Devane added 7 service points against West Bladen.

East Bladen’s women tennis team defeated Pender 9-0. Two Lady Eagles, Cassie Hill and Justyna Gargala, both reached the Four County Conference Tournament singles semi-finals.

Former East Bladen star Izzy Evans scored 2 goals in UNC-Pembroke’s 5-1 soccer win over Georgia Southwestern.

Elizabethtown native Farrell Murchison rushed for 142 yards in Louisburg’s 71-12 victory over the NC Wesleyan JV. His twin brother Larrell Murchison made 4 tackles including 2 sacks – one for a 15 yard loss that resulted in a fumble.

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