East Bladen’s Dashon Campbell (5) looks for running room Friday night against Trask.
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East Bladen’s Riley Collins (23) pulls away from a tackle against Heide Trask on Friday.
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East Bladen’s Keyshaun Kemp (2) runs around the outside Friday against Trask.
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East Bladen head coach Robby Priest talks to Ryne Priest (12) in Friday’s game against Trask.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
ROCKY POINT – Dashon Campbell ran for 148 yards and a touchdown Friday night as East Bladen opened its football season with an 18-6 victory against Heide Trask.
“We won and that’s the main goal,” East Bladen coach Robby Priest said. “We got a lot of room for improvement, so that’s a blessing.”
The Eagles spotted Trask a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Kamajah Wilson with 4:43 remaining in the first quarter, then shut down the Titans the rest of the way.
“Once we figured out what they were trying to do and made some adjustments in the second half, I thought that really changed things as far as what we were trying to do instead of why aren’t we doing it,” Priest said.
“It took us a while to get our bearings and to right the ship,” Priest said. “We looked like a deer in headlights (to start). We got the first game jitters out of the way.”
Riley Collins and Jaden Lewis also scored touchdowns for East Bladen.
“The offensive line, for the most part, blocked their tails off,” Priest said. “The running backs got to get in better shape, just like all of them. I was pleased with the effort, the energy and the excitement.”
East Bladen’s special teams also got in on the action, recovering an onsides kick after Campbell scored the tying touchdown on a 3-yard run with 1:29 left in the first quarter. Campbell helped set up the score with an 18-yard run.
Collins got his touchdown on an 8-yard run with 8:36 remaining in the second quarter.
The East Bladen defense then went to work, forcing Trask to turn the ball over on downs at the 40.
The Eagles took a 12-6 lead into halftime.
East Bladen struck in the third quarter. Lewis scampered 15 yards and an additional 15 was added because of a facemask penalty against Trask that moved the ball to the Titans’ 17. Lewis later scored on a 1-yard run for an 18-6 lead.
Trask began a drive at its own 1 and was marching in the fourth quarter before the East Bladen defense delivered again, stopping Trask on a fourth-and-inches at the Eagles’ 23.
Lewis finished with 65 yards rushing and Collins had 48 as the Eagles piled up 315 yards on the ground. The East Bladen offensive did not attempt a pass.
The Eagles defense led by Julius Battle, Xavier Potts and Braylon Cromartie limited Trask to 122 yards rushing. The Titans did not connect on their lone pass attempt.
“The defense flew around,” Priest said. “We played fast and physical.”
East Bladen is scheduled to host county rival West Bladen at Lenon Fisher Stadium next Friday in the “Battle for the Bell.” The Eagles have won 23 straight games against West Bladen since losing the series opener 34-21 in 2001.