Jones: One fall sports team still playing

And then there was one.

The East Bladen football team is the lone Bladen County fall sports team still playing as high school basketball season is a mere week away.

The fourth-seeded Eagles (7-3), surprisingly, will host No. 20 Union (3-8), which won at No. 13 Northwest Halifax 28-26 last Friday in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs behind Tobias Cromartie’s 318-yard, four-touchdown, two two-point conversion performance.

The second-round game is scheduled Friday at 7 p.m. at Lenon Fisher Stadium.

East Bladen defeated the Spartans 38-0 on Oct. 24 in its final regular season game. Union was 0-6, finished last in the Carolina Conference and lost a non-conference game at West Bladen 32-6. Union’s regular season wins came against Spring Creek and Lejeune, which went a combined 1-20 this season.

So, the Eagles should roll to a third round game at home against the winner between No. 5 Manteo (6-3) and No. 12 Northampton County (4-7), right? Yes, they should. It shouldn’t be close.

However, as Union proved last Friday, it’s why the games are played.

• Union was among only seven teams seeded No. 20 or lower in 55 games played last Friday in classes 2A through 7A, and the lone 2A team, to win first-round games. Class 8A only has 12 teams in East and West regions and 1A only has 11 teams in each region.

• Kudos to Union for the win last Friday. A remarkable performance by Cromartie and the Spartans that gave them a chance to play another game.

• What will the Bladen County high school basketball season hold? It will be difficult to top last season. The East Bladen girls’ team finished 26-4 and lost in the 1A championship game to Cherokee 84-48. The West Bladen boys’ team went 27-2 and lost to Northwood 57-38 in the 2A semifinals. Season previews will be coming soon.

• Who doesn’t like standings and schedules? If you’re a stat nerd like me, it’s must reading and studying. After much delay, the Bladen County master sports schedule and standings page are linked on most sports stories posted on the Journal’s web site at bladenjournal.com. Check it out, if you will. Trying to keep it updated as best as possible.

• Boy, did the Carolina Panthers lay an egg Sunday? A stunningly inept performance in a 17-7 loss at home against the stunningly inept New Orleans Saints, who now have two wins in 10 games. The Panthers’ 5-5 record is better than expected, I suppose. How does a team win at Green Bay one week, then lose to New Orleans the next week? It’s sports and you never know.

• If, in August, you had Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pittsburgh, SMU and Duke battling to reach the ACC football championship game, you’re either Nostradamus, illegally rigging outcomes or not telling the truth.