Eagles Soar Into Third Round with Dominant 50-0 Victory Over Union

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC — The East Bladen football team is making a serious statement as the playoffs roll deeper into November.

After a two-week layoff following their first-round bye, the Eagles showed absolutely no rust Thursday night, exploding for 24 first-quarter points en route to a 50-0 dismantling of Union in the second round of the 2A playoffs.

The victory extends East Bladen’s winning streak to four games and pushes their scoring margin during that stretch to an eye-popping 164-6.

It’s been quite the turnaround for a team that dropped two heartbreakers by a combined five points in early October.

Since then, the Eagles have been unstoppable, outscoring East Columbus (44-6), Lakewood (32-0), Union on the road (38-0), and now Union again at home (50-0) by an average of 41 points per game.

“I was worried about the rust with two weeks off,” admitted East Bladen Head Coach Robby Priest. “I was pleased with how they came out and focused. We watched their film from last week’s game against Northwest Halifax. That team was up 20-0 on Union and Union came back to win. Just goes to show you can’t overlook a team.”

There was never any danger of an upset on this night. The Eagles came out firing on all cylinders, racing to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 44-0 by halftime.

The running clock took over from there as East Bladen cruised to the 50-point victory.

Senior Dashon Campbell continues to be the heartbeat of this team, both on and off the field. He rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries, pushing his season totals to over 1,050 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

But it was his words after the game that captured the spirit of this Eagles squad.

“It all started in practice,” Campbell explained. “We came out and was practicing and doing our pregame warmups on the practice field, just fired up. We came out with a whole bunch of energy. It also comes with us never being satisfied. We weren’t satisfied with 24 points in the first quarter. We wanted to build on it.”

That relentless mentality has defined East Bladen’s recent run, and Campbell was quick to credit his teammates for his personal success.

“I never feel satisfied and I feel I could’ve done a lot better,” he said. “It isn’t about me though, it’s about these guys. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my teammates.”

The Eagles’ ground game was once again nearly unstoppable, racking up 380 yards on 40 carries. Julius Battle had a breakout performance with 112 yards on seven attempts and a touchdown, while Riley Collins added 93 yards on six carries.

Sophomore Jaden Lewis contributed 41 yards and a score on the ground, then hauled in both of quarterback Keyshawn Kemp’s completions for 35 yards and a touchdown through the air. Lewis has now topped 1,500 all-purpose yards and 19 total touchdowns on the season.

Ryne Priest, usual JV quarterback and Coach Robby Priest’s son, scored the final touchdown on a QB sneak to seal the final score for the Eagles.

While the offense has been explosive, Coach Priest was quick to praise the other side of the ball.

“Every game this season the backs have learned to block forward more and more,” he said. “But honestly I loved the defense more than anything, they are fun to watch. They fly around and get to the football.”

That defense held Union to just 94 rushing yards on 39 attempts and three passing yards, picking off one pass in the process. It’s the kind of suffocating performance that’s become the norm during this four-game stretch.

After the game, Campbell and his teammates made a statement in the postgame huddle, declaring “nobody believed in us, but God did.”

For Campbell, those words carry deep meaning.

“This is something that started my sophomore year,” he explained. “We went to the fourth round of the playoffs that year against Tarboro. It’s nothing but the truth, that season at the beginning of the year we didn’t have many people at the games but by the end of the year the stands were packed. It initially made you feel like no one believed in us, but God did!”

Now sitting at 8-3 overall and ranked #4 in the 2A East playoffs, East Bladen advances to a third-round matchup with #5 Manteo (7-3), who just defeated #12 Northampton County 36-8.

With no common opponents between the two teams, it’s difficult to predict how the Eagles will match up against the Redskins until we see some in game action begin.

Coach Priest, however, already has some extra motivation.

“The only memory I have of Manteo is when I think I was in college and dad and the baseball team went down there to play them in the playoffs and both pitchers threw no-hitters and we lost 1-0,” Priest said with a laugh, referencing his father Russell Priest, a longtime East Bladen coaching legend. “So I’ll have that little chip on my shoulder for sure.”

The Eagles have certainly kept things loose during their extended playoff preparation. Over the three-week stretch, Priest took the team bowling, fed them steaks one day and grilled chicken another, while Ricky Leinwand provided tonight’s pregame meal from Cindy’s Restaurant.

“Already put my order in for another thing of chicken next week,” Priest joked.

East Bladen isn’t alone in keeping the Carolina Conference’s playoff hopes alive. In the 1A playoffs, East Columbus received a first-round bye and advanced to the third round with a 32-21 victory over North Stokes.

Meanwhile, fellow 2A opponents Hobbton and North Duplin are also rolling. Hobbton earned a bye before defeating Lakewood and will now travel to face #1 Tarboro in the third round.

#3 North Duplin, on the opposite side of the bracket from East Bladen, shut out Southside 42-0 and will host #6 Holmes.

For East Bladen, the journey continues next week against Manteo.

With momentum building, belief growing, and a team that refuses to be satisfied, the Eagles are playing their best football at exactly the right time.

---

Eagles Soar Into Third Round with Dominant 50-0 Victory Over Union