Top row, from left, West Bladen basketball player Chase Williams, Schultz Foundation athletic department donations, East Bladen football player Jaden Lewis, East Bladen basketball player NeNe Ward, East Bladen soccere player Jakie Medina-Leal and East Bladen basketball player Laila Smith. Bottom row, from left, Bladenboro Middle boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, West Bladen athletic director Brett Jackson, East Bladen football coach Robby Priest, East Bladen girls’ basketball coach Patty Evers and West Bladen boys’ basketball coach Travis Pait.
File photos
Two Bladen County high school basketball teams came close to winning state championships, a successful coach retired and then returned, and a foundation continued its support of local athletic programs.
Those were just some of the Bladen County sports highlights in 2025.
As we prepare to turn the calendar to a new year, here’s my Top 10 Sports Stories for 2025. The first two were easy. The next eight not so much. Hopefully, there’s no glaring omissions, but that’s for you to decide.
Whether you agree or disagree with the list, we can all agree that following and participating in Bladen County sports can be exciting and fun.
1. East Bladen Girls’ Basketball Team State Runner-Up
The East Bladen girls’ basketball team played in a state championship game for the fifth time in school history. Unfortunately, it ended like the previous four games as defending N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A champion Cherokee pulled away in the second half for an 84-48 victory.
The outcome didn’t diminish the Eagles’ accomplishment. The team finished 26-4, easily won the Waccamaw Conference, then won five playoff games, including a 77-63 victory against Perquimans County in the East final.
Seniors Iveonna “NeNe” Ward and Laila Smith led East Bladen to a second consecutive appearance in the state Final Four. Each player ended their high school careers with more than 1,500 points scored.
2. West Bladen Boys’ Basketball Team East Finalist
The West Bladen boys’ basketball team played for the NCHSAA 2A East championship, had a 20-game winning streak, swept through the Southeastern Athletic Conference, and twice beat perennial state power Farmville Central.
The Knights lost to Pittsboro Northwood 57-38 in the East title game and ended 27-2. West Bladen’s other loss came at Farmville Central during the regular season, but the Knights won a fourth-round playoff matchup at Farmville Central 68-66 to advance to the East final, handing the Jaguars their first home loss since 2018. West Bladen also beat Farmville Central 66-62 during the regular season.
Seniors Chase Williams, who was the SAC Player of the Year and N.C. Basketball Coaches Association District II Player of the Year, and Hezekiah Adams, who scored the game winning basket in the playoff win against Farmville Central, were the team leaders. Williams averaged 20.8 points per game and Adams averaged 10.9 points per game. Juniors Jackson Pait and Tylik McCall were key performers as well.
3. Schultz Foundation Donates To Athletic Programs
Any time there was a local sports event in Bladen County it was likely Jim and Sue Schultz were there. The Elizabethtown couple died May 24, 2022 in a vehicle accident near Bristol, Virginia, two days after their 57th wedding anniversary. However, their support for Bladen County sports continues.
Their children – Jimmy, Joey and John – created the Jim and Sue Schultz Foundation to honor their parents and support local athletics. In December, the foundation made separate contributions of $5,870 to the athletic departments of East Bladen High School and West Bladen High School and Elizabethtown Dixie Youth Baseball.
The foundation has raised more than $50,000 in three years that has been donated evenly between the schools and Elizabethtown DYB.
4. Patty Evers Returns As East Bladen Girls’ Basketball Coach
Patty Evers decided at the end of the 2024-25 season to step down as the only girls’ basketball coach the East Bladen Eagles had known. That decision lasted for about seven months.
In October, Evers was approved to be the East Bladen girls’ basketball coach again. The decision was made after interviews had been held with candidates, including Evers, who chose to apply for her previous position as the 2025-26 school year began.
Evers, who continues as the school’s athletic director and Bladen County Schools athletic director, had a 635-151 record in 24 seasons at East Bladen and five seasons at the former Tar Heel High School prior to the 2025-26 season. The Eagles are 8-1 this season.
“I am surprised I am back,” said Evers. “Getting back on campus and seeing the girls and just being around the kids, you miss it. I didn’t know if I would miss coaching, but evidently there’s a part of me that still has it in me or I wouldn’t have interviewed.”
5. Ward, Medina-Leal Play In East-West All-Star Games
Two athletes who were selected conference player of the year in their respective sports represented East Bladen in the N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star games in late July in Greensboro.
Iveonna “NeNe” Ward scored 11 points, including making all eight free throws, in helping the East defeat the West 97-85 in the N.C. Coaches Association All-Star girls’ basketball game. Ward was the fourth East Bladen girls’ basketball player to appear in the game, joining Pam Hammond, Ann Hancock and Courtney Melvin.
Jakie Medina-Leal was the second East Bladen girls’ soccer player to participate in the annual all-star game. Medina-Leal played 19 minutes as the East-West game ended in a 3-all draw. The Eagles’ Maya McDonald played in the game in 2022.
6. East Bladen Football Team Reaches Fourth Round of Playoffs
East Bladen began its football season with 22 players on its varsity roster. In spite of the low numbers, the Eagles advanced to the fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs after receiving a first-round bye and notching wins against Union and Manteo.
East Bladen’s playoff run came to an end against perennial power Tarboro 54-7 on the last Friday in November. The Vikings went on to win another state title while playing in their 10th consecutive state championship game.
East Bladen ended 9-4, which was the most wins since the 2018 team went 9-3. The Eagles won their final three regular season games by a combined 114-6 score after losing twice by a combined five points over four days in early October.
Sophomore Jaden Lewis led the East Bladen rushing attack with 1,427 yards and 17 touchdowns. Senior Dashon Campbell had 1,224 yards and ran for 18 touchdowns.
7. West Bladen Baseball Team Wins Conference, Seeded No. 1
It was a memorable regular season for the West Bladen baseball team that came to a sudden halt in heartbreaking fashion.
The Knights won the Southeastern Athletic Conference championship, finished with a 17-5 record and earned the No. 1 seed in the East for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs. It was the most wins since the 2008 team went 20-6.
The 2025 season featured victories against Wilmington Hoggard and Lumberton and winning the South View Easter tournament. West Bladen tied Midway for the conference title, then rallied to beat the Raiders 8-6 in an extra game by scoring six runs in the sixth inning to earn the crown.
However, the Knights’ season came to an abrupt end when No. 32 seed St. Pauls posted a 5-4 win in the opening round of the state playoffs.
Cade Allen, Garrett Dunham, Brady Durden, Luke Pait, Aiden Russ and Allister Russ were seniors on the West Bladen squad.
8. Brett Jackson Named West Bladen Athletic Director
The allure of coming back to his “home school” brought Brett Jackson back to West Bladen High School as the athletic director in July.
“It means a lot being that it was a school I attended and graduated from,” said Jackson, a 2014 West Bladen graduate. “I was really involved in high school in athletics and being able to go back and be a part of that again, is something that I’ve been looking forward to. I call it my home school.”
Jackson also is the West Bladen boys’ soccer coach.
9. Bladenboro Middle Soccer Keeps Winning
The Bladenboro Middle School soccer teams have played 32 matches the past two seasons. The Bulldogs have won them all. The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams capped back-to-back undefeated seasons Oct. 6 with shutout wins against Nakina. The girls’ winning streak reached 27 straight dating to the 2022 season.
The Bladenboro boys’ defense, which allowed only two goals during regular play and a total of five goals including penalty kicks, was led by center fullback Oxciel Campos with strong performances on the outside by Jayden McCarty, Edwin Arguetta and Triton Bordeaux along with sweeper Jamari Shaw. Keithan Russ and Ty Thurman each tallied nine goals to lead the Bulldogs offense
The girls’ team numbers were equally impressive. The Bulldogs outscored their eight opponents 36-3. Ady Carroll led the offense with 20 goals scored. Caity McLaurin extended her shutout streak in goal to 12 straight through the first three games, then finished the season with a pair of clean sheets.
10. High School Coaching Honors
While Evers’ return as East Bladen girls’ basketball coach was the biggest coaching news in 2025, there were other highlights and changes.
East Bladen football coach Robby Priest was named an assistant coach for the N.C. Coaches Association East-West game scheduled in December 2026. He also coached in the 2019 Shrine Bowl which features the top high school players from North Carolina and South Carolina.
West Bladen’s Travis Pait was recognized as the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for boys’ basketball after guiding the Knights to a 27-2 record and a berth in the state 2A Final Four last season.
Honorable Mentions
• Jessica Rhodes guided the West Bladen volleyball team to the most wins in school history in her first season as the Knights went 15-4 and advanced to the second round of the state 3A playoffs.
• The East Bladen baseball team had an up-and-down regular season, but made it to the third round of the state 2A playoffs, losing at Perquimans County 10-9 after winning two home playoff games.
• East Bladen graduate Larrell Murchison is finishing up his sixth season playing in the National Football League and also held his annual Community Day in July at Elizabethtown Middle School. Murchison is a defensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams.