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Sophmore Xavier Wooten and freshman James Higgins combined to rush for 314 yards to power the East Bladen jayvees to a 44-8 victory over host West Bladen in a Four County Conference game played Thursday night.
| Photos by Kenneth Armstrong kenarmphoto.com |
The Knights fumbled on their second offensive play and East Bladen’s Pierce Melvin jumped on the loose ball to give the Eagles possession on the West Bladen 35 yard line. Four plays later, Higgins raced 22 yards for an Eagle touchdown. Wooten ran the 2-point conversion, and the Eagles led 8-0.
East Bladen recovered the ensuing on-side kickoff at the West 47. Six plays later, Wooten darted 12 yards on the counter-play for the touchdown.
Quarterback Quinton Bedsole tossed a 2-point conversion pass to Wooten that boosted the Eagle lead to 16-0.
Daquan Smith dashed 14 yards to key an 8-play Knight drive that reached the Eagle 21 yardline before ending on a fourth down incompletion.
Wooten galloped 38 yards to ignite a 75-yard Eagle touchdown drive. Wooten capped the drive with a ten-yard touchdown run. The conversion run failed and East led 22-0 with 6:19 on the first half clock.
The Eagles sandwiched 13 and 15 yard carries by Wooten around a 27-burst by Higgins. The 15-yard Wooten run produced the touchdown, and Wooten connected with Messiah Leach on the 2-point conversion pass for a 30-0 lead 2:48 before halftime.
On the third play of the next West possession, the Eagles’ Adonis Avery intercepted a Knight pass.
The Eagles opened the second half with a 53-yard touchdown drive. Wooten and Higgins both gained 25 yards during the drive. Higgins scooted 13 yards for the touchdown, and Wooten ran the 2-point conversion for a 38-0 East lead.
Higgins recovered the ensuing on-side kick to give East the ball at the West Bladen 32. Wooten opened the drive with a 20-yard run, then plowed through the middle on a 7-yard touchdown run. After a series of penalties, the conversion failed.
West Bladen’s Seven Campbell grabbed the on-side kick on the bounce and bolted 50 yards for a Knight touchdown. Quarterback Keshaun Lewis threw a 2-point conversion pass to Dustin Wood that trimmed the margin to 44-8.
The Eagles mounted an 11-play drive on their next possession before turning the ball over on downs.
On the Knights third play from scrimmage, the Eagles Eric Chancey intercepted a pass to end the game.
Wooten rushed 16 times for 164 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead the Eagle attack. Higgins followed with 150 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns on 15 carries. Messiah Leach added 28 yards rushing on 5 attempts. The Eagle offense racked up 364 total yards.
Smith carried 6 times for 33 yards to lead the Knight offense.
“There is no better way to go out than defeating your county rival, said Eagle Coach Ritchie Priest. “The hard work put in all season paid off tonight. The defense played lights out and the offense executed well. The leaders and freshman did a great job and should be proud. It was a fun year of football.”
The East Bladen jayvees finished the season with a 9-1 record.
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