Eagles Dominate Lakewood 7-0, Stay Alive in Conference Title Hunt

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC — There was an edge to East Bladen’s play, a hunger that showed in every tackle, every run, every pass. And by the time the final whistle blew on a 7-0 dismantling of Lakewood, it was clear the Eagles had made a statement.

“Amazing performance from our guys,” Head Coach Jay Raynor said afterward. “The intensity. The energy. The accountability. Everything that our team needs to do to be successful the guys did tonight. There was a hunger as well as pride in the way they played tonight.”

The victory moves East Bladen to 9-5-4 overall and 6-2-2 in conference play, but more importantly, it keeps their hopes alive for a share of the Carolina 1A/2A Conference title.

The math is simple now; win their final two games and hope Union beats Hobbton on Wednesday night. If that happens, East Bladen and Union would split the conference crown at 8-2-2.

The revenge factor was real. Lakewood handed East Bladen a loss earlier this season, and the Eagles hadn’t forgotten.

“Lakewood had an excellent game plan when we played them the first time,” Raynor explained. “With injuries and missing pieces as well as not being prepared for what they threw at us played a role in that loss. A loss is only a loss if you don’t learn from it… we learned and were prepared for what they would try to throw at us tactically.”

Whatever adjustments Raynor made, they worked from the start. The Eagles came out sharp and stayed that way for the full 80 minutes.

The scoring started in the 21st minute when Ishaq Algozy set up Landyn for the opener.

Seven minutes later, Ishaq got one himself, stealing the ball off Lakewood’s right back and beating the keeper low to his left to make it 2-0.

Before halftime, the Eagles added another. This one was beautiful to watch with two quick passes between Ishaq and Damian, then Damian slotted the ball from the end line to Landyn, who finished from about six yards out. Just like that, East Bladen held a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.

“Landyn up top has been a difference maker,” Raynor said. “His fitness and motor helps us apply pressure on our opponents’ backs. He was all over the place tonight making plays.”

The second half belonged almost entirely to Ishaq, who put on the kind of performance that makes you realize you’re watching something special. Two minutes into the half, he threaded a perfect pass behind Lakewood’s left back to find freshman Miguel Ventura for goal number four.

Then Ishaq went to work on his own. In the 49th minute, he picked up a loose ball about 64 yards from goal. What happened next was the kind of play you have to see to believe; he dribbled past two Lakewood center backs who were caught playing too high up the field, cut inside onto his left foot, and buried a shot from 26 yards out low to the keeper’s left.

Six minutes later, he did it again. Starting from about 40 yards out, Ishaq worked his way into the box. When the Lakewood keeper came out to challenge, Ishaq stopped on a dime, cut back from his right foot to his left, and curled a shot with his left foot into the open net from 12 yards out on the right side of the box.

His final goal came in the 57th minute from a free kick about 36 yards out. The ball sailed into the box, the keeper tried to make a save, and after some confusion, it was ruled to have crossed the line. Seven goals. Game over.

“Ishaq… what a performance,” Raynor said, and you could hear the pride in his voice. “Even being man marked the entire match, he found a way. He’s a player. He stayed the course and went and found the game. His shiftiness is hard to defend. That left foot is dangerous.”

Raynor was quick to point out, though, that Ishaq’s five-goal night was about more than just the goals.

“Proud of him not for the goals but for showing the level of maturity and growth that he did. He was great but he made his team better tonight.”

And that growth shows up in the numbers.

The sophomore leads the entire Carolina 1A/2A Conference in points with 74, goals with 27, and assists with 20. Statewide in the 2A classification, he ranks third in all three categories. Among all North Carolina high school players, he’s 32nd in points and 15th in assists.

But as dominant as Ishaq was, Raynor made sure to emphasize that Monday’s win was a total team effort. Every player who stepped on the field contributed something.

“Everyone played a huge role in the result tonight,” he said.

Tyler Eason came up big with an untracked defensive play that saved a close-range shot early in the second half. The freshmen Bryson, Jackson, Salvador, and Miguel all stepped up when their number was called.

“We are asking a lot of those guys and they pushed themselves tonight. Their aggressiveness and understanding of what we needed from them was the best it’s been.”

Damian, Debo, and Ethan all brought an edge to their game that Raynor hadn’t seen from them before. Jayce and Easton provided the kind of leadership that doesn’t show up in the box score but makes everything else possible.

“Their leadership was the best it has been all year. They communicated and held their teammates accountable. Having guys like those two on the field is something that is invaluable. They played well but without their leadership and pushing their teammates this result doesn’t happen.”

In goal, Fox Sutton and Colton combined for the shutout. Fox made several tough saves and his ability to quickly distribute the ball and switch the field helped East Bladen exploit Lakewood’s high defensive line all night. Fox ranks 10th in 2A with 125 saves on the season.

The victory also solidified East Bladen’s playoff positioning. They’ve climbed to number 19 in the 2A RPI Rankings, with Union at 18 and Hobbton at 21.

When the playoff field gets split into East and West regions, current projections have Union as the ninth seed in the East, East Bladen as the 10th, Hobbton as the 12th, and Lakewood as the 16th.

But right now, the Eagles aren’t worried about playoff seeding. They’re focused on the conference title that’s still within reach.

The path is clear. Wednesday they travel to East Columbus. Thursday they host West Columbus. Win both games, and then wait to see what happens when Union and Hobbton face off Wednesday night.

If Union wins that one, East Bladen shares the conference championship.

Current conference standings have Hobbton at the top with an 8-2-1 record, Union right behind at 7-2-2, and East Bladen in third at 6-2-2. Lakewood sits fourth at 7-4-1, followed by East Columbus, North Duplin, and West Columbus.

Monday night showed what East Bladen is capable of when everything comes together. The intensity was there. The focus was there. The execution was there. And maybe most importantly, the belief was there.

“The guys were locked in and ready to play tonight,” Raynor said. “It is always about being the best version of ourselves in everything we do. We did and showed that tonight.”

Two games left. A conference title still on the line. And a team that just announced to the rest of the conference that they’re not going away quietly.

The Eagles have their eyes on the prize, and after Monday’s performance, nobody should count them out.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Eagles Dominate Lakewood 7-0, Stay Alive in Conference Title Hunt