A swarming defense and balanced rushing attack led the East Bladen Junior Varsity football team to a 46-0 victory over visiting St. Pauls Thursday night at Lenon Fisher Stadium.
East Bladen’s Eric Chancy recovered the opening kickoff to give the Eagles possession at midfield. On the first play from scrimmage, Trey Carter went around right end and raced 50 yards for a touchdown. James Higgins ran the two-point conversion for an early 8-0 Eagle lead.
St. Pauls put together a six-play drive to move the ball to the East Bladen 35 yard line, but a sack and two incomplete complete passes turned the ball over on downs.
East Bladen took over again at midfield. Higgins gained 45 yards on the drive and smashed in from two yards out for an Eagle touchdown. Higgins also tacked on the two-point conversion run to give East Bladen a 16-0 lead with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter.
St. Pauls was held to a four an out possession to end the first quarter.
East Bladen took over on their 49-yard line. Four plays later, Higgins scored his second touchdown from nine yards out. Messiah Leach went around left end to convert the two-point conversion and give the Eagles a 24-0 lead.
On the second play of the St. Pauls drive, Chancy recovered his second fumble of the night for the Eagles on the St. Pauls 38 yard line.
East Bladen moved the ball down the field and faced a fourth and goal at the one yard line. Higgins plowed through the defense for his third touchdown of the night. Quarterback Quinton Bedsole passed to Leach for the two-point conversion and a 32-0 Eagle halftime lead.
With a running clock in the second half, the Eagles took over at their 32 yard line. On the fourth play, Bedsole connected with Josh McKoy on a 26 yard touchdown pass. Xavier Wooten bulled in for the two-point conversion to give the Eagles a 40-0 lead.
East Bladen’s Shy Pone received a Bulldog punt after another 3-and-out, cut through the defense and dashed 55 yards for a touchdown. The conversion run failed and the Eagles led 46-0 at the end of the third quarter.
St. Pauls turned the ball over on downs, and East Bladen ran five more plays to run out the clock.
East Bladen racked up 277 yards of total offense, while the Eagle defense held St. Pauls to minus 13 yards of offense.
James Higgins carried 6 times for 78 yards to lead the Eagle attack. Teammate Trey Carter rushed 5 times for 70 yards, and Messiah Leach ran 4 times for 45 yards.
Quarterback Quinton Bedsole connected on 1 of 2 passes for 26 yards. Josh McKoy had the one catch for 26 yards.
East Bladen scored on every possession except last possession to run out clock and run their record to 3-0.
“We played an awesome football game and had a lot of fun tonight,” said Eagle Coach Ritchie Priest. “I felt like we dominated the game both offensively and defensively. We kept our intensity throughout the game and never let up on any plays. We executed on offense, defense, and special teams. I feel good that we have started the season with a solid 3-0 record.”
Share on social media using short code: https://bladencounty.org/?p=24587
About Author
