ELIZABETHTOWN – The 15th-seeded East Bladen Eagles defeated the 18th-seeded Southeast Halifax Trojans in a 37-12 victory in the first round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs last Friday night. The Eagles were able to rely on stout defense and they also made big plays in key moments on the offensive side of the ball to secure their fifth win of the season. The game started with junior Kewone Maynor setting the host up around the 50-yard line after a solid return on the opening kickoff.

East Bladen quickly established their run game on the second play of the night and were able to get some positive yards with the legs of junior full-back Dashon Campbell. The Trojans jumped offside twice in a row and their opponents slowly crept across their 37-yard line. Campbell and senior running-back Jaylen Suggs traded handoffs the next few plays to position the Eagles offense at the three. Campbell would eventually punch the ball into the endzone and he’ll run across for the 2-point conversion as the host took an 8-0 lead to start the quarter.

The visitors first possession of the quarter was three-and-out after three straight plays for losses resulted in a punt. Maynor would gather the punt and run the ball to his opponents 39 to set-up the Eagles in good field position to start their second drive. Suggs got around the left side for a six-yard run and Campbell followed it up with a seven yard burst for a first down.

The positive momentum suddenly stalled as the Trojans were able to tackle Suggs behind the line of scrimmage for 3rd-and-13. Campbell was able to get some of the yardage back on the following play but the host had to contend with 4th-and-9. East Bladen kept their offense on the field with hopes to convert but Suggs went a couple yards short of the first down marker for a turnover on downs.

Southeast Halifax found it difficult to run the ball on their first two plays of the next drive as their running-backs were swarmed in the backfield by Eagle defenders. Sophomore running-back Clinton Mills was finally able to find space for a 12-yard run but was short of the first down to bring up 4th-and-1 from the Trojans 28. The Trojans coaching staff elected to keep their offense on the field and go for the yard from their own side of the fifty.

Junior quarterback Star’saun Taylor completed his pass to senior wideout Arthur Joseph for the first down that preserved their drive going into the second quarter. The Trojans got the ball across the halfway line after a mixture of passes and run calls to put pressure on their opponents defense. East Bladen junior Xavier Potts was able to stuff a run in the backfield to force 2nd-and-13 from the 46.

Taylor missed on an intermediate throw down the sideline and what seemed like a positive drive began to creep to a halt at 3rd-and-long. The Trojans would turn the ball over on the next play as Campbell ripped possession out of his opponents hands for the forced fumble and four yard return to the 50. Unfortunately for the host, they would turn the ball over a few moments later after Maynor fumbled on a scramble in an attempt to evade multiple defenders.

Southeast Halifax freshmen Kristian McRae recovered the fumble and returned the football to the 33-yard line to flip the field once more. The Trojans took advantage of the opportunity as they marched towards the endzone in five plays with Jamarian Webb claiming the touchdown with 5:37 remaining in the first half. The Eagles were able to stay ahead by two after their opponents failed to convert on the two-point try.

The Eagles would run the clock down to under two minutes but their drive would conclude at their opponents 32 after a turnover on downs. The Trojans had one last opportunity at the endzone before the half expired but failed to get across midfield. East Bladen would have another opportunity to extend their lead with 37 seconds remaining in the half. Suggs would break into open-space for a 24-yard run down the sideline on the first play from scrimmage and the host began knocking on the door. Maynor spiked the ball to preserve precious seconds and Suggs carried the ball a few moments later for 3rd-and-6 from the 19.

East Bladen coaching staff called timeout with eight seconds remaining and the offense returned to the field with 19-yards separating them from the endzone. Maynor rolled to right as the pocket collapsed around him and he heaved a ball towards Campbell in the back of the endzone for the score with a tick remaining on the clock. The host went up 16-6 after the two-point conversion was successful with the help of the run game.

The Eagles recovered the ensuing squib kick around their opponents 40 with one second remaining that allowed them another shot at their opponents endzone before the end of half. Maynor dropped back into the pocket for the Hail Mary and just overthrew his receiver at the back of the endzone as the clock hit zero. Luckily for the host, the officials flagged the Trojans defense for a late hit on the quarterback during the play and the Eagles were able to take one more crack at the endzone.

Maynor decided to keep the ball in his hands and cut downfield for a 25-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first half to help the host get ahead 24-6. The Trojans started with possession in the next half but faced similar challenges as they did in the first and they quickly punted away to the host. Campbell would power his way down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown run for the first score of the third quarter.

Southeast Halifax continued to struggle on the offensive side of the ball but they couldn’t crack the code of their opponents defense. They were able to score their final touchdown of the night on a fumble recovered in the endzone to make the game 31-12 with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter. East Bladen put the game out of sight with Suggs running into the endzone from a few yards out to help solidify the victory at 37-12.

East Bladen’s overall record moves to 5-6 and they’ll advance to the next round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs this Friday. They’ll take on the number-two seeded North Duplin Rebels(9-0, 4-0) on the road for their next match-up. The Rebels earned a first round bye last week and they’ll have the advantage of home field as their opponents will make the hours long drive. North Duplin has held their opponents to 11.8 ppg in their four home games this season and their defense has 20 takeaways this season.

The Rebels have a solid run game that is led by junior running-back Carell Phillips with 1,468 yards on the ground and he’s responsible for 28 touchdowns on the ground. East Bladen weren’t the only team in their conference to advance to the next round of the playoffs as the number-four seeded Pender Patriots handled business at home last Friday. The Patriots steam-rolled the 20th-seeded Chatham Central Bears(1-10, 0-8) for a 76-14 victory.

Pender will play host to the 13th-seeded Rosewood Eagles(6-5, 2-2) this Friday for their second round match-up in the 1A East Region. The Whiteville Wolfpack(10-1, 6-0) continue their journey in the 2A NCHSAA State Playoffs as the number-two seed in the East Region. They defeated the 31st-seeded Pasquotank County Panthers(5-6, 4-3) for a 34-20 victory at home.

Whiteville will welcome the 15th-seeded Farmville Central Jaguars(8-3, 3-3) for their second round clash. The Jags opened their first round match-up with a 60 point victory over the 18th-seeded North Pitt Panthers to book their ticket to the next round against Whiteville. Farmville Central ran for over 450 yards on the ground and they rushed for six touchdowns. Heide Trask and South Columbus were the only Waccamaw Conference representatives that didn’t survive the first round of games last Friday. Heide Trask lost to the number-three seeded Southeast Alamance Stallions(11-0, 8-0) for a 56-21 defeat in the 2A East Region. The 14th-seeded South Columbus Stallions(8-3, 5-1) fell to the 19th-seeded Kinston Vikings(7-4, 4-2) in the 2A East Region for a 38-29 defeat.

East Bladen Schedule:

North Brunswick 48, East Bladen 0

East Bladen 42, West Bladen 8

Wilmington Ashley 54, East Bladen 27

James Kenan 34, East Bladen 14

South Columbus 25, East Bladen 22

East Bladen 50, East Columbus 7

Pender 44, East Bladen 12

East Bladen 12, Heide Trask 6

East Bladen 43, West Columbus 0

Whiteville 55, East Bladen 7

#15 East Bladen 37, #18 Southeast Halifax 12

#15 East Bladen at #2 North Duplin

SAC 6(2A) PLAYOFF RESULTS:

#17 Greene Central 41, #6 Midway 6

#25 East Duplin 33, #8 St. Pauls 13