East Bladen defense coming onto the field after a timeout.
ELIZABETHTOWN — The 13th-seeded East Bladen Eagles take on the 20th-seeded North Edgecombe Warriors in the first round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs this Friday. The Warriors will roll into town after going 3-7 overall in the regular season and they finished sixth in a stacked Tar Roanoke 1A Conference. Their last win came in the form of a forfeit to the KIPP Pride(2-8) and their other two wins came against teams with a combined record of 1-18.
East Bladen’s regular season finished 5-5 overall and they finished third in the competitive Waccamaw 1A/2A Conference. They’ve been tested throughout the season with 8-of-10 of their opponents having qualified for the first round of the playoffs this Friday. The Eagles started the year 1-3 but were able to catch some momentum in conference play with four straight victories.
The Warriors averaged 13.8 ppg and they’ve allowed their opponents an average of 31.2 ppg. North Edgecombe likes to run their offense out of the shotgun formation and they look to make magic happen through their pass game. Junior quarterback Zyquarius Cherry and his 6 ‘3 senior athlete Latrviun Parker have featured a lot for the Warriors offense in their last few games.
Cherry and Parker’s athletic ability makes them versatile weapons for the Warriors as they can interchange from quarterback to the receiver position. Their best game came against Northwest Halifax in a 28-6 victory in their sixth game of the season; Cherry finished the game with 158 yards through the air on 5-of-12 passing and Parker had four receptions for 148 yards. The Warriors weakness on offense has been giving up turnovers and their o-line leaking sacks in the backfield.
East Bladen’s defense is capable of forcing turnovers and they have ball hawks camping in their secondary. The Eagles are at their best when they are forcing turnovers and hogging possession with their run game on the offensive side of the ball. Senior Masion Brooks athleticism has made him an important figure for the Eagles on both sides of the ball; he’s either running through defenders chest plates on the run or he’s making plays at the linebacker position on defense.
The Warriors defense were gashed for huge yards on the ground throughout the season and that will play to their upcoming opponents strengths. Brooks is the Eagles leading rusher but they have plenty of depth at the running-back position to put fear in a defense. Senior running-back Na’Toren Corbett is the second option at running-back but he makes the most of his touches by getting positive yards.
Brooks and Corbett were a 1-2-punch during the Eagles win streak after combining for big yards on the ground. North Edgecombe junior linebackers Jahmarie and Michael Dickens lead their team on the defensive side of the ball with their tackling ability; while both of the Dickens’ are capable of rushing the passer as well, combining for 6 sacks this season.
East Bladen junior quarterback Kewone Maynor could be an x-factor for his team come Friday as he adds another dimension to the offense with play-action. The Eagles coaching staff has let him throw the ball downfield more and more as the season has worn on with big play results. Junior wideout Malaki Moore is usually the go-to target for the Eagles and Moore’s speed makes him dangerous after the catch.
The Eagles concluded their regular season with two straight losses against West Columbus and Whiteville but they’ve had two weeks off to prepare for Friday’s game. East Bladen’s achilles heel this season has been mostly of their own doing with pre-snap penalties hampering them in crucial moments. The visitors shouldn’t be underestimated by their record as they come from a competitive conference themselves but the Eagles are capable of beating anyone when they play their best football. Friday’s first round playoff game will kickoff at 7 pm at Lenon Fisher Stadium.