BLADENBORO — Two high school football teams seeking to end losing streaks will return from a hurricane break on Friday night to open Three Rivers Conference play.
West Bladen is home to face Fairmont and East Bladen will travel to Whiteville. Kickoff at both sites is 7:30 p.m.
The Knights and Eagles did not play last week. West Bladen was scheduled for a nonconference test with Red Springs, but Hurricane Dorian postponed it to Oct. 1. East Bladen had an open date.
The Knights closed last year with seven consecutive defeats, brought in Jon Sherman to coach, and have opened 2019 with a pair of setbacks. The Golden Tornadoes will present a stern challenge, he said.
“We’ve had two subpar games, and they’ve had one,” Sherman said. “It’s a conference game, and it’s going to come down to our first three drives on both sides. If we don’t show out in the first quarter, we’re going to have some problems defensively and offensively.
“Mentality wise, our kids have to show out.”
West Bladen opened with a 34-13 setback to South Brunswick and a 54-14 defeat at North Brunswick. Both are 3-A programs in the Mideastern Conference. The Golden Tornadoes of head coach Kevin Inman triumphed 34-0 at 2-A Forest Hills and lost 48-2 to 3-A Gray’s Creek.
“They are very athletic,” Sherman said. “I’ve seen them on film quite a bit. I’m kind of used to what he does and what he runs. Loaded with talent.
“Against Forest Hills, they looked really good.”
Against the Bears of the Patriot Conference, it was a different story.
The Knights, Sherman attests, are needing to be first worried about themselves. School was let out last Wednesday, wiping away three days of last week. They returned on Monday, and practice did not go well, the head coach said. Tuesday was better.
“They’re going to load the box on us, so I’ve got to find a way to get numbers,” Sherman said. “Defensively, it really comes down to how our D-line plays. It’s man on man and playing tough.”
In Whiteville, East Bladen will also be trying to snap what for its program is a rare extended losing streak. The Eagles last won against West Bladen in November, falling the following week in a rescheduled game with South Columbus for the league title and in the first round of the playoffs to Beddingfield.
This season has opened with two humbling setbacks, 44-0 to Wallace-Rose Hill and 43-16 to Clinton. Like the Eagles, both of those programs are regular 2-A playoff participants.
“Refreshed — attitudes have been great,” eighth-year head coach Robby Priest said of how his team came back from the hurricane break. “I like the group. We’ve just got to learn to handle a little bit of adversity during the game, and instead of dropping our heads, put on our big boy pants and go to work. Have some fight and competitiveness.”
East Bladen took a rousing 31-28 triumph over the Wolfpack in last year’s league opener. That was the Friday before Hurricane Florence wrecked the season schedule. Much has changed since then.
“I like ’em,” Priest said of the Wolfpack on film. “They look very athletic.”
He mentioned the quarterback is a dual threat, and that, “we’ll have our hands full with him.”
The Wolfpack is in their second year with J.P. Price, and Priest said he expects the program and team to continue improving.
“I’m sure they’ll get better as the season goes along,” he said. “We’ve both only played two games. Big improvements happen early, and then you level off. They’re coming off a loss, they’ll be hungry. We’re coming off two, so we better be hungry.”
The Eagles have had injuries early. The coach, however, likes the response where there are changes.
“Everybody is working hard,” he said. “That part I’m pleased with.”