ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Eagles defeated the East Columbus Gators for a 46-8 victory on Monday in a Waccamaw Conference match-up. The host stepped on to the field to give a dominant showing on homecoming night, while also securing their second straight win. East Bladen senior running-back Masion Brooks broke free on multiple big runs to score four touchdowns and he played his part on the defensive side of the ball to hold the opposing team to eight points.
The Eagles defense had several takeaways to keep their opponents scoreless through three quarters of football. Senior Jamarius Smith had one of those takeaways for a scooped fumble returned for about 30 yards in the second quarter to set the Eagles offense up in the redzone. Brooks and the Eagles took advantage of the good field position with a six-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 27-0 with 6:49 remaining in the first half.
The Gators were able to move the ball in chunks on the following possession but the Eagles got their third consecutive turnover in the form of a Chris Harding interception. East Bladen junior quarterback Kewone Maynor connected with Harding on a first down pass a few moments later for one final push towards the endzone before the half.
Maynor carried the ball for a positive gain down the field before spiking the ball to stop the clock with under 20 seconds remaining. Brooks finished the drive on a 30-yard touchdown run and senior Blaine Pope kicked the extra point through the uprights to extend the Eagles lead to 34-0. The Gators offense started the second half with the ball but big tackles behind the line by senior defensive-lineman Kalec Autry forced a 3-and-out.
East Bladen’s offense were set-up with good field position after a short punt and Brooks took advantage with a 41-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 40-0. The Eagles controlled the clock in the third quarter after their opponent’s offense stalled after a failed fourth down conversion. The Eagles got their final touchdown of the night on Jayden Daily’s three yard carry and the lead was extended to 46-0 after the extra point.
East Columbus senior running-back Davonte Mashburn broke the deadlock for his team with a touchdown around the edge to complete a long drive by the offense. The Eagles offense finished the night with over 256 yards on the ground. Brooks finished the game with 147 yards on eight carries to spearhead the Eagles run game. Senior running-back Na’Toren Corbett accounted for 50 yards on five touches and scored a touchdown as the second leading rusher of the night.
Maynor went for 4-of-5 passing and threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter to junior wideout Malaki Moore. East Bladen now move to a perfect 2-0 start in Waccamaw Conference play and now have an overall record of 3-3. Their next game will be away to Pender this Friday for another Waccamaw Conference clash.