BLADENBORO – West Bladen junior Messyah Whitted rushed for 208 yards Friday night and his Knights dominated the final 43 minutes of play, but Midway scored early and held on for a 7-0 Southeastern Athletic Conference football victory.
Whitted was the workhorse for the Knight offense carrying the ball 29 times and racking up 131 of his yards in the 2nd half. “Messyah was outstanding,” said West Bladen Coach Stanley Williams. “Big things are ahead of him, and I can’t wait to see what he does next year.”
On their 1st possession of the game, the visiting Raiders covered 74 yards in 6 plays. Senior Jamir McRae scooted 30 yards then caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Tripp Westbrook. Senior Trey Gregory darted 16 yards for the touchdown and senior Hagan Lanier tacked on the conversion with 7:18 on the clock.
From that point on, the Knight defense held the Raiders to 58 total yards and only 4 first downs. After halftime, the Raiders did not cross midfield and managed to gain only 27 yards and 2 first downs.
“The defense played lights out,” stated Williams. “We were a little sluggish at the beginning, but then we buckled down and played hard after that. The kids gave us all they had. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
High snaps bogged the Knights down on their 1st 2 possessions, but Whitted popped free for gains of 15 and 22 yards late in the opening period as the Knights reached the Midway 29 yard line. A holding penalty helped stop the drive.
A personal foul penalty started a short Midway drive that reached the Knight 27 yard line. However West Bladen senior Pernell Hooper smothered Gregory for a 9-yard loss on a 4th down play.
Whitted carried 5 times as the Knights reached the Midway 35 yard line before being stopped on downs. On their final possession of the half, Whitted reeled off runs of 8 and 7 yards, and freshman Hunter Hester tossed a 12-yard pass to senior Tydrick Stewart. However another holding penalty ended the drive.
The Knights mounted a 75-yard, 6-play drive to begin the 2nd half that reached the Raider 5 yard line. Whitted picked up a 1st down with a 9-yard run then blew through the line and raced 54 yards to the Midway 15. One play later back-to-back holding penalties pushed West back to the 21, and Cade Allen’s 32-yard field goal attempt fell short.
West Bladen was penalized 9 times for 85 yards and 4 of the holding penalties helped stymie Knight scoring threats.
An 18-yard Whitted run helped the Knights reach the Midway 38, but once again they were halted on downs.
On their final possession of the game, West Bladen ground out a 66-yard, 15-play drive. Whitted rushed 6 times for 31 yards to get the drive started. On 4th down at the Midway 47, Hester connected with sophomore Hezekiah Adams on a 31-yard pass play.
Hooper barreled through the line for 9 yards then Thomas Cooper recovered a teammate’s fumble for a 1st down at the Midway 5 yard line. The wet ball was fumbled again for a 4-yard loss, and a 4th down pass from the 6 yard line was knocked out of the receiver’s hands.
Hester completed 6 of 9 passes for 50 yards, and Adams had the 31-yard pass reception. Stewart caught 4 passes for 17 yards. The Knights outrushed the Raiders 208 yards to 106 yards and held a 258-136 edge in total yards.
Junior Aaron Lewis led the Knight defense with 9 tackles, and seniors Deonte Lacey and Tyler Ward closed out their West Bladen careers with 8 tackles each.
Twelve Knight seniors were honored before the game. They include: Tydrick Stewart, Aaron Wren, Hunter Elks, Gary Parker, Ahmir Stepps, Pernell Hooper, Deonte Lacey, Tyler Ward, Wadeyn Norris, Kevonte Drye, Xavier Lopez and Tyrek Ballard.
The Knights conclude their season with a 2-8 record.
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