DUBLIN — Three nights earlier, West Bladen had just 31 snaps on offense.

Not Friday. Junior quarterback Tyre Boykin threw it 32 times and ran it another 30 himself.

Visiting St. Pauls, however, was efficient and a fair bit lethal against the Knights’ defense, rolling to a 62-20 win in Three Rivers Conference football. The loss was West Bladen’s fourth straight and ended a stretch of three games in eight days forced by postponements from Hurricane Florence last month.

A poignant pregame ceremony included a moment of silence for slain Trooper Kevin Conner, a graduate of the old Bladenboro High School. More than two dozen lawmen and first responders were on field with a color guard that included the Highway Patrol flag.

Boykin threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns, completing 17 of 32 passes. He ran for 138 yards and another score.

“I kept telling them stay up, we’d come back,” Boykin said.

His words were needed early.

The Bulldogs (3-2 Three Rivers, 5-2 overall) jumped to a 14-0 lead, needing drives of two and three plays to cover fewer than 45 yards each time.

But unlike some other efforts this season, the Knights (1-5 Three Rivers, 1-7 overall) didn’t fritter and go away quietly. Rather, they fought gamely, thrice pulling within a touchdown in the first half on a scoring run by Boykin (1 yard) and his touchdown passes of 45 and 12 yards to sophomore Shy’ron Adams.

“Shy got a catch up field, and that’s when it all started,” Boykin said.

Knights’ second-year head coach Kris Williams said Boykin’s growth since his freshman year on junior varsity is rather remarkable.

“He’s just extremely gifted,” Williams said. “The Lord blessed him twice. I’m extremely proud of the fact that even though they went after him, he kept his composure. He kept his cool. He got the wind knocked out of him, but he jumped back in. I had him on JV, and I don’t think he’d have jumped back in. He’s grown so much.”

Quamadre Cannady was the equalizer to Boykin. The Bulldogs senior threw four touchdown passes (11, 55, 32, 22 yards) and ran for two (14, 10 yards), finishing with 217 yards passing on 9-of-12 accuracy and 78 yards rushing on nine attempts. Sophomore DeMonta Williams ran 10 times for 114 yards and touchdowns of 32 and 11 yards; junior 1,000-yard rusher Marqueise Coleman did not play.

Senior Jayden Suggs capped the scoring, getting the Bulldogs’ eighth and ninth touchdowns on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter and a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cannady — on first-and-10 with 4:10 to play and the guests ahead by 35.

“What really got me was the pass,” Williams said. “That hit me wrong. I told the guys, keep your composure.”

That was a challenge throughout. Of St. Pauls’ 11 penalties, four were for unsportsmanlike conduct, two for roughing the passer and another for a blindside hit on Boykin while a punt was rolling dead with no attempt for return. Williams said at least two officials were in favor of an ejection on the blindside hit. West Bladen’s 11 penalties included one late hit infraction.

“We’ve been taught to stay inbounds, not to put anything into their disobedience,” junior guard Nathan Landreth said. “They might be dirty, but we fight as hard as we can.

“Even if we’re getting blown out, we stay in the game. Everybody here loves the game, and loves the team.”

Landreth, senior Mark Flores, junior Cammeron Collins and sophomores Kai Belle and Xzavion Morrison faced a tough challenge finding holes for junior Tra’shawn Ballard. Hobbled senior Kerron Washington moved to a slot position, but ultimately it was the legs of Boykin that enabled West Bladen to establish any kind of running game. The quarterback said a crashing end allowed him to suggest to Williams an approach increasing his opportunities to run.

On the other side, St. Pauls ruled the line of scrimmage behind junior center Qamaree Smith, senior Kevin McMillan, junior Marjavis Alston and freshman left tackle Bradley Gooden. St. Pauls had possession for a mere 16:18 and still produced 496 total yards.

“We are tired,” Landreth said of the three-game grind. “It’s a mind game. Our coaches tell us, your body can do anything you put your mind to. Our coaches loves us, and we respect our coaches.”

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tyre Boykin was 17 of 32 passing Friday night, throwing for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_prepwbladen1.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tyre Boykin was 17 of 32 passing Friday night, throwing for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tyre Boykin ran 30 times for 138 yards Friday night. He had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first half.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_prepwbladen2.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tyre Boykin ran 30 times for 138 yards Friday night. He had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Alan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tra’shawn Ballard looks for running room Friday night during a Three Rivers Conference football game with St. Pauls.
https://www.bladenjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_prepwbladen3.jpgAlan Wooten | Bladen Journal
Tra’shawn Ballard looks for running room Friday night during a Three Rivers Conference football game with St. Pauls.

Alan Wooten

Bladen Journal

St. Pauls … 62

West Bladen … 20

SP WB

22 First downs 24

28-279 Rushes-yards 44-167

217 Passing yards 193

9-13-0 Passes 17-33-0

1-40 Punts 3-25.7

1-1 Fumbles 3-1

11-138 Penalties 11-98

St. Pauls 21 14 20 7 — 62

West Bladen 14 6 0 0 — 20

SP — Quamadre Cannady 14 run (Christopher Canuto kick), 10:00, 1st.

SP — Quamadre Cannady 10 run (Christopher Canuto kick), 7:19, 1st.

WB — Tyre Boykin 1 run (run failed), 4:56, 1st.

SP — William Ford 11 pass from Quamadre Cannady (Christopher Canuto kick), 2:53, 1st.

WB — Shy’ron Adams 45 pass from Tyre Boykin (Tyre Boykin run), 0:00, 1st.

SP — DeMonta Williams 32 run (Christopher Canuto kick), 6:24, 2nd.

WB — Shy’ron Adams 12 pass from Tyre Boykin (pass failed), 2:01, 2nd.

SP — Jadakyss Glover-Graham 55 pass from Quamadre Cannady (Christopher Canuto kick), 1:02, 2nd.

SP — DeMonta Williams 11 run (Christopher Canuto kick), 10:02, 3rd.

SP — William Ford 32 pass from Quamadre Cannady (Christopher Canuto kick), 5:24, 3rd.

SP — Jayden Suggs 4 run (kick failed), 0:29.1, 3rd.

SP — Jayden Suggs 22 pass from Quamadre Cannady (Christopher Canuto kick), 4:01, 4th.

INDIVIDUALS

Rushing

SP — DeMonta Williams 10-114, Quamadre Cannady 9-78, Keraun McCormick 6-59, Jayden Suggs 2-31, Kalvin Carpenter 1-(-3); WB — Tyre Boykin 30-138, Tra’shawn Ballard 6-14, Damarius Robinson 4-9, Shy’ron Adams 4-6.

Passing

SP — Quamadre Cannady 9-12-0, 217 yards, Hunter Bryant 0-1-0, 0 yards; WB — Tyre Boykin 17-32-0, 193 yards, Shy’ron Adams 0-1-0, 0 yards.

Receiving

SP — William Ford 3-80, Kalvin Carpenter 4-60, Jadakyss Glover-Grham 1-55, Jayden Suggs 1-22; WB — Shy’ron Adams 5-82, Nelson Drake 6-60, Tra’shawn Ballard 5-28, Andrew Brown 1-23.

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.