ELIZABETHTOWN – Junior quarterback Luke Odham threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Hammonds on the game’s 2nd play then raced 68 yards for a touchdown 1:20 before halftime as Whiteville built a 29-13 halftime lead en route to a 43-13 non-conference football victory over East Bladen Friday night.
The Eagles answered Odham’s opening TD pass with a 59-yard drive in 6 plays. Sophomore Kewane Maynor connected with sophomore Malikah Moore on a 41-yard pass play that produced a 1st down at the Wolfpack 8 yard line. Junior Masion Brooks carried for 7 yards then bulled into the end zone from a yard out. Junior Blaine Pope kicked the tying extra point.
Whiteville covered 52 yards in 9 plays to retake the lead. Odham’s 9-yard run on 4th and 3 kept the drive alive, and junior J.T. Todd carried 1 yard for the touchdown. Luke Creech’s extra point made it 14-7.
Back came the Eagles as Moore dashed 39 yards on the kickoff return to the Eagle 47 yard line. Brooks and junior Darius Williamson combined to gain 36 yards on 7 carries as East Bladen drove to the Whiteville 13, before a fumbled snap ended the threat.
The Wolfpack drove 86 yards in just 6 plays with Amari Best sprinting 54 yards for the touchdown and a 21-7 lead 9:46 before halftime.
East Bladen bounced back with a 55-yard drive in 10 plays. Williamson scooted 34 yards on a counter-play to start the drive, darted 8 yards on 4th and 3 to keep the drive alive, then outran the defense to the pylon on a 9-yard touchdown run. A mishandled snap foiled the extra point kick and Whiteville led 21-13 with 4:35 left.
Three plays later Williamson intercepted an Odham pass at the Eagle 42. However on that play Brooks, East Bladen’s leading rusher, was injured and lost for the remainder of the game.
Following an Eagle punt Odham ran for his key touchdown, and Todd carried for the 2-point conversion and the 29-13 lead.
Midway the 3rd period the Eagles turned the ball over on downs at their own 28, and Todd capped the short drive with an 8-yard TD run for a 36-13 lead. Cameron McKvian scampered 45 yards for the final Wolfpack touchdown with 25 seconds left in the 3rd period.
Senior Jordan Mathis broke loose and galloped 55 yards on the first play of the final quarter to ignite a 73-yard Eagle drive. Junior Chris Harding outwrestled 2 defenders to haul in a 20-yard pass from Maynor at the Whiteville 16 yard line, but the drive was stopped on downs at the twelve.
East Bladen Coach Robby Priest talked about the early lost fumble, a pass interference call that wasn’t whistled and the loss of Brooks for over half of the game saying, “We just aren’t mentally tough enough to handle that.”
Whiteville rushed 34 times for 370 yards and had 426 total yards. East Bladen rushed 48 times for 212 yards. Maynor completed 5 of 12 passes for 80 yards.
Williamson carried 12 times for 75 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles. Brooks had 10 rushes for 41 yards and a touchdown before his injury. Mathis rushed the ball 14 times for 78 yards.
McKvian ran 7 times for 86 yards and a TD to lead Whiteville. Best picked up 77 yards on 8 rushes and scored a TD. Todd ran 9 times for 55 yards and 2 TD’s. Odham ran for 71 and threw for 56.
East Bladen, now 1-2, will host Wilmington Laney Friday night.
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