WHITEVILLE — West Bladen managed to avoid a whitewashing at the hands of Whiteville on Thursday with a late-game touchdown, but the damage was already done. The Wolfpack, reeling from two straight losses to open the season, took it to the Knights with 35 unanswered points across three quarters to earn a 35-6 win.

The loss drops West Bladen to 2-1, while Whiteville improved to 1-2.

Wolfpack quarterback Phillip Powell opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown early in the first quarter, then added a 32-yard gallop for a touchdown later in the period. When the PAT was missed after the first touchdown, Whiteville got a two-point conversion from Keyshawn Bellamy to stake the Wolfpack to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter of play.

In the second stanza, Bellamy scored on a 3-yard run and the Whiteville defense kept West Bladen at bay — and the Wolfpack took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was no kinder to the visitors. Bellamy scored on a 1-yard run in the quarter to give Whiteville a 28-0 and, late in the quarter, Powell lobbed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Pridgen and, after the extra point, the Wolfpack held a 35-0 lead with 12 minutes left to play in the game.

The first three quarters were especially tough for the Knights, since they saw quarterback Wes Pridgen leave the game with a knee injury.

But in the fourth quarter, Seven Campbell took over at quarterback and guided a West Bladen drive that featured a 22-yard pass to B.J. Drake and culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by Campbell.

Before leaving the game, Pridgen was 5-of-17 through the air for 42 yards and had one interception.

Hunter Pait led the West Bladen defense with 10 tackles.

“It was a terrible performance in all assets of the game,” West Bladen coach Todd Pait said after the loss. “(Friday night) did not reflect the kind of team we have, the kids that represent our school and the caliber of our coaching staff.

“We are going back to the drawing board,” he added.

West Bladen will complete its non-conference schedule on Friday when it travels to St. Pauls to face the Bulldogs at 7 p.m.

Kenny Armstrong | Bladen Journal West Bladen senior quarterback Wes Pridgen left Thursday’s game at Whiteville with a knee injury.
http://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_WBfoots-WesP.jpgKenny Armstrong | Bladen Journal West Bladen senior quarterback Wes Pridgen left Thursday’s game at Whiteville with a knee injury.