West Bladen’s Devan Haire on a carry.
BLADENBORO – The Red Springs Red Devils defeated the West Bladen Knights for a 29-20 victory in a SAC 6 Conference matchup last Friday. Red Springs junior quarterback Chase Boone threw for 182 yards and was responsible for two touchdowns in a scrappy win over their conference rivals. The Knights struck the first blow with Hezekiah Adams rushing into the endzone from the three to put an exclamation point on a 63-yard opening drive. Junior running-back Justin Spaulding punched the two-point conversion across the line to put the host ahead 8-0 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Red Springs started their first possession on their side of the fifty but they quickly flipped the field with a powerful run from senior running-back Jakelsin Mack on the first play from scrimmage. The Knights defense didn’t panic and were able to force their opponents into a 3rd-and-long situation around the 40. Boone stepped back into the pocket on third down before delivering a 36-yard dart to wideout TJ Ellerbe for the touchdown and a few moments later the Red Devils would tie the game at 8-8 after two-point conversion.
West Bladen started their next possession on their own seven yard line and the drive began with a handoff to junior running-back Ahmarie White for a two yard carry. Unfortunately, the host failed to move the ball forward after a low snap on the next play forced a third-and-long situation. The Red Springs d-line pinned their ears back and rushed into the backfield to wrangle down Adams to force a safety. The visitors weren’t able to capitalize on the extra possession and they would turn the ball over at the Knights 39 yard line.
The Knights pushed the ball down the field on an Adams to Hunter Hester connection that set the offense up at the 20 yard line just before the beginning of the second quarter. Adams helped the host go back in front on a 20-yard run through traffic as the Knights went ahead 14-10 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Red Springs were marching down the field with a couple of positive runs from Mack to get them around midfield. Ellerbe caught a pass in the flat before scampering the across field but West Bladen Adams stripped the ball out of his hands as he attempted to fight for extra yards.
Adams returned the ball to the 40 but a personal foul during the return would send the host backwards 10-yards. The Knights next offensive possession concluded as soon as it started and the punt team was called onto the field. Calamity struck a few moments later with a fumbled snap and the visitors started their next possession around midfield. Boone and Ellerbe connected for their second touchdown of the half on a 41-yard slant. Red Springs led by 16-10 after failing to convert on the two-point conversion and they hoped to carry that momentum into the third quarter.
The Red Devils started the second half with the ball and were able to get a first down with the help of an offsides penalty. The visitors would immediately suffer the consequences of mental mistakes with a holding penalty wiping an eight yard run from Mack. West Bladen d-line would get some push upfront and Hester would leak into the backfield for a sack to force 2nd-and-18. Red Springs eventually turned the ball over on downs and their opponents offense took over at the 21 yard line.
West Bladen went backwards on their next possession and punted the ball from their 19 to give their opponents back control. The Knights defense had a chance to get off the field but their opponents were able to convert on 4th-and-14 as Mack ran for an eight yard touchdown. Red Springs went ahead by two scores with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter and pressure fell upon their SAC 6 foes.
The Knights held onto possession into the fourth and they appeared to start the next quarter with a touchdown but a holding penalty would wipe the score from the board. The host offensive drive would eventually stall at the 43 and the Red Devils took over again with a chance to kill off the game. West Bladen’s defense was able to hold their opponents at 4th-and-long to force a punt with 7:17 remaining in the second half. The ensuing punt was a high arching one and the Knights returnmen failed to secure the catch; Red Springs freshmen Malachi Locklear recovered the muff punt and returned the fumble for a 35-yard touchdown.
The Knights were able to start their next offensive possession around the 50 yard line after a good return from Adams. The hosts were able to keep the drive alive on a 4th down conversion but time continued to tick away. Sophomore Keon Whittington caught a pass at the 35 to help move the Knights offense down the field. Hester then caught a pass to get them closer to the endzone and the Knights pushed the ball on the ground with quarterback keepers from Adams. Red Springs defense had a series of six straight penalties that placed the football at the one yard line.
It took the host three tries to get into the endzone but Hester was able to sneak across the goal line with 1:08 remaining in the game. The Knights attempted the onside kick to salvage one last opportunity but the visitors were able to recover around midfield to end the game. Adams led the Knights with 113 passing yards, 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also had a forced fumble and four tackles on the night. West Bladen senior defensive-linemen Ty’Leak Ballard finished the game with nine tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble to lead the defense.
West Bladen finished their season with an overall record of 2-7 and they placed fifth in the SAC 6 Conference standings with a 1-4 record. Red Springs overall record moved to 4-6 and they placed third in the SAC 6 Conference with a 3-2 record. St. Pauls(8-2, 5-0) won the SAC 6 outright with a 55-29 victory over the Midway Raiders(8-2, 4-1) last Friday. Clinton(2-8, 2-3) finished a lackluster season with a victory over the winless Fairmount Golden Tornadoes(0-10, 0-5) to claim fourth-place in the conference standings.
The seeding for the 2A NCHSAA Playoff will be drawn next Sunday and the first round will begin on Friday, November 15th.
West Bladen Schedule:
South Columbus 48, West Bladen 6
East Bladen 42, West Bladen 8
West Columbus 42, West Bladen 8
West Bladen 26, East Columbus 19
American Leadership(Canceled)
St. Pauls 41, West Bladen 0
Clinton 40, West Bladen 12
Midway 37, West Bladen 12
West Bladen 40, Fairmont 20
Red Springs 29, West Bladen 20