TEACHEY — There were no surprises on Thursday when West Bladen traveled to take on defending Class 1-AA state champion Wallace-Rose Hill in a Four County Conference game.

There were no miracles, either.

In a game that was moved up a day because of Hurricane Joaquin’s effects, making the Knights’ already short week even shorter, Wallace-Rose Hill got out of the gate quick and never looked back en route to a 42-0 win.

“They jumped on us quick with a lot of energy,” West Bladen coach Rissell Dove said. “And we didn’t start real good, giving up a kickoff return and punt return for touchdowns.”

The Bulldogs put 21 points on the board in the first quarter despite soggy conditions, but West Bladen didn’t stop battling.

Trailing by three touchdowns, the Knights drove the ball to the Wallace-Rose Hill goal line and thought they had punched it over.

“The guy on the chains said the ball crossed the plane and we thought it was in, but they didn’t give it to us,” Dove said. “That would have cut the deficit to 21-7 and given us a little momentum.”

As it was, Wallace-Rose Hill added a touchdown in the second quarter and took a 28-0 advantage into halftime.

The Knights put up a tough fight in the second half, but still surrendered 14 points to the Bulldogs in the third quarter. Neither team scored in the fourth frame.

“We played a lot better in the second half,” Dove said. “I’m certainly not happy with the results, and neither are the kids, but we played hard. The defense really played tough out there against a really good team.”

B.J. Drake led the Knights’ ground game with 61 yards on 17 carries, while James Moore added 60 yards on 13 carries.

The loss drops West Bladen to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference, while Wallace-Rose Hill improves to 5-1, 2-0.

The Knights will get back to a regular week of preparation as they get ready to host Heidi Trask on Friday. The Titans will be operating on a severely short week, as their conference game against Union was postponed to Tuesday.

W. Curt Vincent can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

W. Curt Vincent

cvincent@civitasmedia.com