East Bladen Jamie Delgado (left) with the ball at his feet
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN — The East Bladen Eagles hosted 7v7 small-sided games this Monday with Whiteville, Purnell Swett, and Heide Trask in attendance. Each school had two teams to participate in a two-team bracket and the round-robin results were determined on a three-point scale; one win would tally to 3 maximum points, a draw would equal a point a piece for each team, and a loss would result in zero points.
Purnell Swett won the Team 1 bracket with seven points(2-0-1), East Bladen finished in second with six points(2-2-0), Whiteville finished in third place with three points(1-3-0), and Trask finished in fourth place with a point(0-3-1). Trask defeated Purnell Swett in the championship game for a 4-2 victory.
East Bladen head coach Jay Raynor was happy with the turnout for the event and was happy with his team’s effort during the games. “The event was a success, we had a great crowd and a great group of teams,” said Raynor. “Everyone got better throughout the night and all the games were competitive but nothing over the top.” The Eagles have been preparing for the season in many different ways throughout the summer to prepare themselves for the season ahead.
They started the summer playing competitive games against other kids in the area and were able to kick around at the Powerade State Games in Greensboro. To add more reps, Raynor and his squad participated in the UNCG Soccer camp last week to learn from college coaches with first-hand knowledge of the game. “They are growing in their roles and their understanding of how we need to play,” said Raynor. “We were grouped by a phenomenal coach, Matt Cureton who coaches at Ferrum College in Virginia.” Cureton gave tips to the players on the field and even shared his tactical knowledge with Raynor.
“Not only did the guys learn a lot but I did as well,” said Raynor. “Matt helped us tremendously, I saw the guys grow over the course of the camp.” The Eagles displayed what they learned last week and applied it to the 7v7 games on Monday. They battled back from being down 0-2 during their game with Trask and scored four goals in the second half to take the victory in the Team 1 Bracket.
Trask pinned the Eagles’ defenders back and scored two goals after applying the pressure in the first half. Raynor appreciated the grit his team showed after being down early in the game and was happy with their second-half performance. “We have been on the wrong side of games this summer but our guys showed no quit,” said Raynor. “We showed some resilience and grit getting back into it and winning 4-2.”
There’s plenty of work and improvement the Eagles must do before the season starts but they’re laying the groundwork in preseason. “There’s a lot of benefit to playing,” said Raynor. “The guys have played some strong teams over the course of summer and continue to get better from game to game.” The Eagles will host Rosewood on August 21st in their season opener to start their ‘23 campaign.
“The guys are coming together,” said Raynor. “I have been impressed with not only their play but their attitudes.” The Eagles first official practices will start next week as they prepare to open up against a formidable opponent on opening day. Raynor feels the sky’s the limit for his team and he hopes they continue progressing during the preseason.