Senior halfback Ethan Hines sparked East Bladen’s Eagles to a pair of September victories. Hines scored 4 touchdowns in a 42-28 victory over St. Pauls rushing for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught a 60 yard touchdown pass from Quinton Bedsole and returned a kick-off 83 yards for another touchdown.
Hines tallied 4 more touchdowns in a 42-0 Four County rout of Midway. He rushed for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns, caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Bedsole and returned a fumble 81 yards for another touchdown.
Freshman Jake Evans recorded a ‘Hat Trick’ of 3 goals in an 8-0 soccer win for East Bladen over West Columbus. Teammate Brooks McGill fired in 4 goals – ‘Hat Trick’ plus one – in a 5-3 win over Midway in the Eagles league opener.
Greyson Heustess tied the Pender game 3-3 with a goal in the final minute of overtime. Evans, McGill, Grey Cabellero and Caleb Hatchell fired in goals in the penalty kick shootout as the Eagles won 4-3. Heustess racked up 2 goals and 2 assists in a 5-1 win over Union. The Eagles finished September with a 4-2 conference record.
West Bladen women’s tennis remained unbeaten at 12-0 with six September victories. Senior Alanna Ludlum posted a perfect 6-0 record in singles and 5-0 record in doubles. Savannah Lee and Conner Brisson were both 6-0 in singles, and Amber Long was 5-1 in singles and 5-0 in doubles.
Senior Logan Autry fired in 16 service points in West Bladen’s 3-1 volleyball over Union. Seniors Kathryn Schultz and Morgan Schumacher knocked in 8 kills each. Ten kills by Schultz and 8 kills by sophmore Raegan Davis led the Lady Knights against Pender.
Schumacher hammered in 10 kills and senior Kassidy Anderson added 9 kills in a 3-1 win over East Bladen. Davis recorded 12 service points and 8 kills. Schumacher with 10 kills, Autry with 13 service points, Anderson with 10 service points and Davis with 9 service points led West Bladen to another 3-1 win over Union. The Lady Knights finished September with a 4-4 Four County record.
West Bladen’s men’s soccer team posted a 6-4 win over Purnell Swett but finished September with a 5-4-1 for the season.
East Bladen women’s tennis team posted a 3-2 record in varsity matches in September. Senior Trinity Carroll and sophmore Ting Lin both posted 4-1 singles records in the month. Senior Justyna Gargala was 3-2 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles. Senior Cassie Hill was 3-1 in doubles matches.
Highlights for West Bladen football included junior B. J. Drake’s 22-yard touchdown run at St Pauls, and Drake’s 88-yard touchdown dash at Wallace-Rose Hill. Against Union in his first start at quarterback junior Scott Bowen threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Ashworth then ran for another touchdown. Michael Hepburn’s 83-yard kick-off return set up Bowen’s touchdown run.
Senior Bethany Lesane tallied 12 service points, and senior Lexie Mendell scored 9 service points for East Bladen volleyball against Pender. Lesane poured in 17 service points against West Bladen. Sophmore Ashley Hardin finished with 13 service points and senior Alexa Hernandez followed with 12 service points.
In a 27-23 victory for Louisburg football over the Navy JV, East Bladen grad Farrell Murchison rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, and twin brother Larrell Murchison made 6 tackles – 5 solo – and had a sack for a 9-yard loss.
Farrell ran for 84 yards in a 67-0 win over the Averett JV. In a 42-0 win over the Christopher Newport JV, Farrell rushed for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Larrell made 3 solo tackles for -10 yards in losses and forced a fumble. Farrell ran for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 52-38 win over Palmetto Prep. In that game Larrell made 8 tackles including 3.5 tackles for losses that resulted in -11 yards and 1.5 sacks for -8 yards.
Elizabethtown native Rogers Clark, a senior defensive tackle, was credited with 3 tackles and a quarterback hurry as his Campbell Camels rolled to a 59-7 victory over Bluefield College, VA. Clark made 2 tackles and had a quarterback hurry in a 33-27 win over Butler.
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