ELIZABETHTOWN — There were no Friday night lights at East Bladen, despite the fact that the Eagles were scheduled to host East Columbus for a Three Rivers Conference football game.
Earlier in the day Friday, the Gators notified East Bladen Athletics Director Patty Evers and head football coach Robby Priest they would not be able to play the game because of a lack of varsity players — giving the Eagles a 1-0 forfeit win.
Although East Bladen improved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference, the forfeit win could put playoff seedings in question.
“We’re not sure yet, with Maxpreps rankings in the mix now,” Priest said. “(But) we continue to get healthy and work on us (getting better).”
The loss of a game, which puts the Eagles at the disadvantage of having two weeks between competition, wasn’t the only area where East Bladen lost out. With the loss of a scheduled home game, the Eagles also lost out on gate receipts and concession sales.
“I’d say we lost between $8,000 and $10,000 (Friday night),” Priest said.
That loss could be made up in some way by East Columbus, but the details for that to happen would have to be determined between the two schools athletics directors.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-862-4163 or cvincent@bladenjournal.com.