James Kenan Kendrick Zelyea(left) looking for a hole in the defense.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The James Kenan Tigers defeated the East Bladen Eagles for a 42-14 victory on Friday night in a non-conference match-up.
James Kenan junior quarterback Stefone Stanley led the way for his team with 175 yards on the ground to get the victory away from home. The Tigers moved the ball downfield in chunks on the opening drive and sophomore Eli Avent powered his way into the endzone from one yard out to give the visitors an early lead.
East Bladen muffed the ensuing kickoff but were able to avoid the turnover as the ball rolled out before anyone could claim it. The Eagles offense was quickly faced with a 3rd-and-8 situation but senior running back Masion Brooks was able to carry the ball for a first down run. A false start on the offense sent the Eagles backwards and their opponents were beginning to dig their feet into the ground in order to stop the run.
East Bladen junior quarterback Kewone Maynor dropped back on the next play to find junior wideout Malaki Moore in single coverage for a 62 yard touchdown pass. It would take James Kenan less than a minute to respond with a touchdown of their own after Hasaan Kornegay punched the ball into the endzone to put his team ahead with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.
East Bladen had to fight for their yards on the ground but were able to grind out first downs on short gains. James Kenan’s defense was able to stall their opponents around midfield and they pounced on a fumble behind the line of scrimmage with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers held possession into the start of the second quarter but were held to no points when they turned the ball over on downs after crossing into the red zone. The Eagles failed to capitalize on their next possession and their opponents would take over at the 40 yard line after the punt.
The Tigers would go backwards however with a false start penalty that had them staring at 3rd-and-long. East Bladen sophomore linebacker Dashon Campbell came up big on the next play with a tackle in the backfield to force the Tigers to bring their punt unit on. The Eagles got a solid punt return from Moore but unfortunately for the Eagles he went down injured after taking the ball to the 42 yard line.
East Bladen were faced with another 3rd-and-long due to a penalty and senior running back Darius Williamson was held for a short gain on the next play to end the drive. James Kenan received the punt on their own end of the field with 2:57 remaining in the first half. The Tigers junior running back Josh Mitchell burst for a big run on third down to put his team within striking distance of the endzone. Stanley would push the ball forward for 1st-and-goal before running into the endzone on the quarterback keeper to extend the Tigers lead before halftime.
East Bladen opened the third quarter on their own seven yard line before marching past the halfway line with combined runs from Brooks and Williamson. Maynor rolled out of the pocket on play-action to find senior tight-end Chris Harding on a 50 yard touchdown pass with 8:25 remaining in the quarter.
East Bladen had their opponents offense pinned back on their own half to start their next possession after the kickoff. The Tigers were faced with a 3rd-and-5 situation but an unsportsmanlike penalty was thrown against their opponents for an automatic first down. Avent would advance the visitors forward with a first down run to put them around the 50 yard line.
The Eagles defense dugg in and were able to hold their opponents to a crucial third down situation. Williamson was able to shed blockers and he tackled a runner to put James Kenan short of the first down marker. East Bladen appeared to get the much-needed stop they were looking for but penalty flags were left on the ground after the dust settled from the previous play. The Tigers were awarded 15 yards after an unsportsmanlike penalty on their opponents and they were able to muscle their way down to the goal line. Avent would finish the drive off into the endzone and the Tigers would go up 30-14 after the extra-point.
The Eagles offense would be held in check for the remainder of the game and the visitors would tack on two more touchdowns before the final whistle. Maynor led the Eagles offense with 126 yards through the air on 4-for-4 passing and was responsible for two touchdowns. Brooks got a lot of touches in the loss as he finished the game with 72 yards rushing on 16 carries.
East Bladen falls to 1-3 on the season and they will open up conference play against South Columbus this Friday at home.