SOUTHPORT — B.J. Drake “carried the ball a million times” for 238 yards and three touchdowns Friday to lead visiting West Bladen to a 39-36 non-conference, season-opening shootout win over South Brunswick.
The Knights are 1-0, while the Cougars fell to 0-2.
West Bladen fell behind by a 15-7 margin in the first quarter, but an 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Dayvon Swindell helped the Knights pull within 21-19 at halftime.
A touchdown by West Bladen in the third quarter gave the Knights a 25-21 edge and, in the fourth quarter, the visitors put 14 points on the board — including a two-point pass from quarterback Tyree Boykin to Swindell — to seal the three-point win.
Drake scored on runs of 19, 61 and 66 yards for the Knights, and Swindell added 102 yards rushing. Right behind was Kerron Washington, who had a 21-yard touchdown run and tallied 85 yards in the win.
“The kids fought hard and we overcame mental mistakes and untimely penalties,” said West Bladen coach Kris Williams. “I’m extremely proud of the effort — nothing bad happened we can’t fix.”
On defense, Williams said Jonathan Robinson was in on 13 tackles, Jalen Drew was in on 11 tackles and Michael Hepburn was in on nine tackles.
West Bladen will host former Four County Conference foe Midway on Friday in a non-conference game at 7 p.m.