West Bladen’s Sincere McKinley looks for an opening against the Union defense during Friday’s football game.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
West Bladen’s Sincere McKinley rushed for 168 yards on only eight carries Friday in a win against Union.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
West Bladen’s Ahmarie White scored two touchdowns during a 32-6 victory Friday against Union.
Kenneth Armstrong / kenarmphoto.com
BLADENBORO – West Bladen needed a win in its final non-conference high school football game going into its bye week.
The Knights got it in dominating fashion Friday night at The Castle.
Ahmarie White scored twice and Keon Whittington returned an interception for West Bladen’s first score in a 32-6 triumph against Union.
The win improved West Bladen to 2-3. After their bye week, the Knights are scheduled to play at Whiteville on Oct. 3 in their Southeastern Conference opener.
Sincere McKinley paced the West Bladen ground game with 168 yards on only eight carries as the Knights piled up 305 yards on the ground. White ran for 79 yards on 19 carries. Isaiah Robinson added 66 yards on 13 carries and scored the final touchdown. Quarterback Devan Haire scored on a 1-yard run.
Whittington, a junior cornerback, had two interceptions, three tackles and a pass defended and Robinson had 11 tackles for a West Bladen defense that limited the Spartans to only 148 total yards with 134 yards coming on the ground.
Whittington’s 24-yard interception return late in the first quarter set the tone for the Knights. It came after West Bladen had taken the opening kickoff to the Union 9 before being pushed back to the 23. On fourth and goal, Haire’s pass to White came up short at the 2. After Union moved the ball to the 14, Whittington cut in front of the receiver on a pass over the middle, picked it off and ran into the end zone. Jonah Bryan’s conversion kick gave West Bladen a 7-0 lead with 2:03 remaining.
Haire, the quarterback who completed 3 of 4 passes for 52 yards, scored on a 1-yard run with only 8 seconds left in the first half that gave the Knights a 13-0 lead.The score was set up by McKinley’s 54-yard run to the Union 17. Haire then passed to Riley Kline to the 1.
West Bladen’s made it 20-0 late in the third quarter on White’s first touchdown, a 10-yard run, and Jonah Bryan’s conversion kick with 16 seconds remaining. The drive was set up by Dawan Carter’s fumble recovery. The Knights needed 11 plays to cover 83 yards for the score. West Bladen had to recover two of its own fumbles and a penalty on the drive, but took advantage of a facemask penalty against the Spartans.
Union scored its lone touchdown in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter on quarterback Derik Aycock’s 11-yard run that pulled the Spartans within 20-6.
The Knights sealed the game in the final six minutes on touchdown runs of 7 yards by White and 2 yards by Robinson. The final touchdown was set up by Whittington’s second interception.
Kline, White and Robinson each caught a pass for West Bladen.
Defensively, Tashawn Carter had seven tackles, Omarion Robinson and Kline had six tackles and Dawan Carter had four tackles along with a fumble recovery.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
WB – Keon Whittington 24 interception return (Jonah Bryan kick), 2:03
2nd Quarter
WB – Devan Haire 1 run (kick failed), 0:08
3rd Quarter
WB – Ahmarie White 10 run (Bryan kick), 0:16
4th Quarter
U – Derik Aycock 11 run (pass failed), 9:39
WB – White 7 run (kick failed), 5:50
WB – Isaiah Robinson 2 run (kick blocked), 3:39