DUNN – East Bladen’s Eagles rode their powerful running game and an opportunistic defense to scrimmage victories over North Johnston 26-8 and Hobbton 8-0 Friday night in the Sampson County Jamboree at Midway High School.
Coach Robby Priest’s Eagles were only scheduled to play North Johnston, but West Bladen was unable to play due to COVID-19 protocols and East Bladen took their place in the second game.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
East Bladen 26, North Johnston 8
On the 2nd play of the scrimmage, senior Sherman Monroe bounced free off the right side and raced 75 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown and a 6-0 Eagle lead.
Senior Corey Ballard ripped off runs of 16 and 13 yards to start the next Eagle possession. Senior quarterback Ahmad Powell rolled left and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to senior Kory Smith who had worked free behind the Panther defense to boost the lead to 12-0.
Three plays later East Bladen’s Jordan Mathis scooped up a Panther fumble and sprinted 20 yards to the end zone for an 18-0 Eagle halftime lead.
East Bladen’s Nyquan Richardson picked off a Panther pass on the 1st play of the 2nd half and returned the ball 36 yards to the North Johnston 6 yard line. Senior Robert McKoy banged into the end zone on the next play. Senior Javius Brooks ran the 2-point conversion for a 26-0 lead.
North Johnston scored on a 77-yard touchdown pass with under 5 minutes left, and the 2-point conversion run trimmed the final margin to 26-8.
Monroe led the Eagle runners with the 75-yard TD run. Ballard carried 4 times for 39 yards, Richardson gained 28 yards on 3 rushes and had the interception. McKoy finished with 4 carries for 20 yards.
Mathis had the fumble return touchdown and 2 sacks for -10 yards. Powell threw only 1 pass – the 34-yard TD to Kory Smith.
East Bladen outrushed the Panthers 162 to minus 6 and had a 196-71 advantage in total yards.
East Bladen 8, Hobbton 0
The Hobbton Wildcats, who are coached by former West Bladen coach Joe Salas, came out firing passes and the scrimmage used a different format where each team kept the ball for 10 minutes on their opening possession.
The Wildcats, who wore practice jerseys with no numbers, completed 4 of 6 passes on their opening possession, but Sherman Monroe’s leaping interception in the end zone for East stopped the drive.
Hobbton completed 3 of 8 passes but for only 12 yards on their next possession, and senior Nazire Smith intercepted a pass for the Eagles.
The Eagles drove 75 yards in 8 plays on their initial possession. Corey Ballard dashed 8 yards for a first down, and Ahmad Powell fired a 23-yard pass to sophomore fullback Masion Brooks.
Ballard bolted 17 yards, and senior Javius Brooks broke free on an 18-yard run. Ballard pounded the right side on a 5-yard touchdown run, and Javius Brooks powered into the end zone for the 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead.
Powell connected with Nazire Smith on a 20-yard pass in the 2nd half, and Ballard broke free on runs of 12 and 13 yards. However the 2nd half possessions were limited to 4 minutes each and time ran out on the Eagle drive at the Hobbton 24 yard line.
“That was a lot of football,” said Eagle Coach Robby Priest. “It was good for us to see a spread offense. They kind of shocked us at first, and we were tired, but I was happy with the way we responded.”
Ballard rushed 6 times for 51 yards and a touchdown to lead the Eagles. Javius Brooks carried twice for 24 yards and scored a 2-point conversion. Powell completed 2 of 2 passes for 43 yards.
East Bladen rushed for 91 yards and had a 134-80 advantage in total yards. Hobbton completed 12 of 19 passes for 101 yards but suffered 2 interceptions. The Wildcats rushed 5 times for minus 21 yards.
The Eagles will entertain Wallace-Rose Hill Friday night in their season opener.
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