TABOR CITY – In the football version of ‘Shoot-out at the O.K. Corral’ Friday night, South Columbus fired the last bullet when sophmore Trequan Bellamy scored the winning 2-point conversion with 57 seconds left that gave the Stallions a 42-41 victory over East Bladen in the NCHSAA Class 2A Play-offs.
The final 7 minutes of the game produced 29 points as both teams had chances to take control of the game. Junior fullback Seth Buffkin popped through the middle on a 29-yard touchdown run that put the Stallions ahead 34-26 with 6:48 on the clock. The extra point kick just missed to the left.
Two plays later East Bladen senior Eian Hines came back to catch a pass from junior quarterback Quinton Bedsole near the Stallion 30 yardline. Hines then ducked a defender, pulled away to the right and darted to the end zone to complete a 61-yard touchdown play. Bedsole found Eian Hines again in the end zone with the 2-point conversion pass that tied the score 34-34 with 5:57 left.
Eian Hines recovered a Stallion fumble on the kick-off return at the South Columbus 33 yardline. Junior Xavier Wooten banged through the line for 14 yards, then 6 plays later, scored standing up from a yard out. Sophmore Pierce Melvin tacked on the extra point for a 41-34 lead with 2:01 remaining.
Back came the Stallions with an 80-yard touchdown drive in only 5 plays. Buffkin galloped 14 yards on a draw play, and 2 plays later quarterback Robby Spencer found senior Kendrick Green behind the Eagle defense with a pass that resulted in a 47-yard gain to the Eagle 10 yardline.
Bellamy dashed around left end on the next play for the touchdown then scored the decisive conversion on a power play off the left side.
“I made up my mind when we got the ball with 2 minutes left that if we scored, I was going for two,” said Stallion Coach Russell Dove, a Bladen County native. “I wanted the ball in the hands of my best players.”
A frustrated Eagle Coach Robby Priest said, “We are up 7 points with 2 minutes left and can’t stop them. They made the winning plays at the end of the game.”
The Eagles tried to mount one more drive in the final 57 seconds. Ethan Hines stretched out to reel in a swing pass in the left flat, cut back across the field and dashed 36 yards to the Stallion 34 yardline. However 3 plays gained only 5 yards and a fourth down pass from the 29 fell incomplete to seal the verdict with only 6 seconds left.
The points came even faster in the first two minutes of the game. Stallion senior back Dennis Leggett broke free for 55 yards around left end on the second snap from scrimmage. Bellamy darted 13 yards for the touchdown on the next play. Alfonso Pantaleon booted the extra point for a 7-0 lead only 50 seconds into the game.
Eian Hines returned the Stallion kick-off 29 yards to the South 46 yardline. Wooten slammed through the line and raced 40 yards to the Stallion 6 yardline. Ethan Hines carried into the end zone from 3 yards out for the touchdown. Buffkin blocked the Eagle extra point attempt to keep South up 7-6 at the 9:59 mark.
On their third possession the Stallions marched 81 yards in 8 plays highlighted by a 50-yard burst by Leggett. Three runs by Bellamy picked up 23 yards, before Spencer kept the ball off the right side from 3 yards out for the touchdown and a 14-6 lead after Pantaleon’s kick 25 seconds before the quarter break.
Back came the Eagles with a 62-yard drive in 13 plays. Wooten did the heavy-lifting with 7 carries for 46 yards. On fourth down from the Stallion 14, Bedsole fired a low strike that Wooten snared with a diving catch in the end zone that trimmed the margin to 14-12 with 6:18 left in the half.
On the first play after a Stallion punt, Wooten bolted through the line, veered left and pulled away from a tackler near the sideline to complete an 80-yard touchdown run. Bedsole tossed a pass to Eian Hines for the 2-point conversion as the Eagles went up 20-14 with 3:40 on the clock.
South Columbus responded with a 63-yard drive in 8 plays. Leggett gained 39 of those yards on 6 carries and a face mask penalty added 11 more. Leggett carried 7 yards on the power play for the touchdown. Pantaleon tacked on the go-ahead kick for a 21-20 lead 34 seconds before halftime.
East Bladen began the second half with a 71-yard drive in 12 plays. Melvin who is also the Eagle punter kept the drive alive when a snap sailed over his head. Melvin ran the ball down, scooped it up and was able to get the punt away. A roughing the kicker penalty on the play produced a first down.
Ethan Hines broke loose on runs of 10, 14 and 7 yards, and senior Michael Walter snagged an 11-yard Bedsole pass. Ethan Hines skirted left end from 10 yards out for the touchdown. The conversion pass failed and East led 26-21 with 4:30 left in the period.
Bellamy returned the Eagle kick-off 41 yards to the East Bladen 41 yardline. Eagle senior Kyle Tatum pulled the ball away from Bellamy, but the official ruled that Bellamy was down.
A 29-yard pass from Spencer to junior Griffin Hanna converted a fourth down-and-7 play. Buffkin charged 14 yards on a draw play for the touchdown, and the conversion pushed South in front 28-26.
Wooten carried the ball 21 times for a career-high 206 yards and 2 touchdowns and caught 2 passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. Ethan Hines rushed 23 times for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns and also caught 2 passes for 32 yards.
Bedsole completed 6 of 12 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eian Hines caught the 61-yard touchdown pass and recovered the fumble that set up the final Eagle touchdown.
“We had some bright spots,” said Coach Priest. “It was a good game, but just a consolation prize for us. We just couldn’t stop them.”
Leggett rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Buffkin racked up 117 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries. Bellamy picked up 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 rushes. The Stallions held a 378-293 edge in rushing yards and a 454-439 advantage in total yards.
“It was a great game and could have gone either way,” said Coach Dove. “East Bladen is a much better team now than the one we played in August.”
The Eagles conclude their season with a 9-5 season. All 5 losses were to teams that reached the second round of the play-offs, and 3 of them were to teams that are playing in the Eastern Finals.
South Columbus, now 12-2, will host Edenton Holmes (12-2) Friday night in the Eastern Class 2A Championship Game.
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