ELIZABETHTOWN — Soggy field not withstanding, the perennial state title contenders are fast.
East Bladen was challenged to contain a fleet Wallace-Rose Hill squad Friday night, tumbling 44-0 in its season opener. Positives for the hosts were few, and the tough opponent with six state titles since 2009 had a lot to do with that.
The Eagles (0-1) of the Three Rivers Conference, league runner-up a year ago, gave up four first-half touchdowns, had five of six possessions end with turnovers and were limited to 130 yards in offense. Only once, a 15-yard run by senior ZaQuis Leach, did a play from scrimmage exceed 10 yards.
The Bulldogs (1-0) had 12 plays of 13 or more yards and scored touchdowns on six of their first seven possessions, the other ending at the East Bladen 6 yard line. Senior Cameren Dalrymple, a Navy commitment, ran 14 times for 157 yards and two scores (15, 68 yards), and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from junior Malachi Brice.
“He’s a good athlete,” said Kasey Price, a two-way starter for the Eagles, in describing Dalrymple. “He had a line to help him out.”
A year ago, East Bladen opened at home with a shutout loss then went on to win nine straight. They’re now on a humbling three-game skid dating back to last year. Wallace-Rose Hill was a third-round playoff casualty in 2018.
“We got hit in the mouth and didn’t respond very well,” Eagles eighth-year head coach Robby Priest said. He added, “They’re pretty good.”
State championship good is not hyperbole. If the Bulldogs showed a weakness, it was in covering seven kickoffs and two of Brice’s three missed passes being dropped.
Otherwise, a 71-minute weather delay before kickoff and a soggy though not really muddy turf were no problem for the guests from Teachey. Rain fell from kickoff to midway the second quarter, but East Bladen didn’t start coughing up the football until after it stopped.
Veteran and with size, East Bladen’s offensive line of Rashard Willis, Jordan Stanley, Donnie Ezzell, Josh Hayes and Nick Norris took 45 cracks at the Bulldogs’ defense. They got eight first downs and led drives to the Wallace-Rose Hill 41, 4 and 9 yard lines.
The end zone was elusive.
So, too, were the eight backs carrying the football against the Eagles’ front eight of Leach, Stanley, Willis, Hayes, Price, Zac Hester, Desyias McKoy and RaSean McKoy.
“They’re tough, strong,” said RaSean McKoy, a two-way starter for the Eagles. “You can tell they’ve been in the weight room. They are a good team. That game will only make us go harder and get better.”
Down 14-0, East Bladen reached a fourth-and-4 at the Bulldogs’ 5 late in the first quarter. RaSean McKoy, who slipped on his cut on third-and-3, was stopped by Trenton Jackson and Nick Dobson well short.
Five snaps later, Dalrymple bolted 68 yards to a 22-0 lead. The East Central Conference guests of head coach Kevin Motsinger registered scoring drives of 60, 57, 96, 88, 55 and 9 yards.
East Bladen averaged 29.1 yards per kickoff return, with Leach going 27 and 53 yards, RaSean McKoy 42 and senior Lawson Hester 24 and 37.
“We had our defense at the end,” RaSean McKoy said of the team’s positives. “We didn’t quit, and we had good kickoff returns.”
Kendrick Foy and Anthony Byrd had pickoffs for the guests; Javario Bryant and Jackson had two of the three recoveries. Sophomore Kanye Roberts carried 11 times for 94 yards and a score (27 yards) and caught a 16-yard TD pass.
Three Bulldogs seniors ran 18 times for 227 yards, and five underclassmen 19 for 111.
Both teams were willing to wait out the storm with strong opponents looming ahead. East Bladen is at Clinton and Wallace-Rose Hill next visits Southwest Onslow, the program that ended last year’s 9-4 campaign.
“The kickoff return did an excellent job,” Priest said. “Offensively, we showed glimpses but nothing consistent. I know it’s there. We have to get to work and get better.”
Lawson Hester, a senior running back, looks for room to run behind the blocks of RaSean McKoy (10), Nick Norris (75) and Josh Hayes (62).
RaSean McKoy carried 12 times for 40 yards Friday night against Wallace-Rose Hill.