Eagles Soar Past Lakewood in Dominant 32-0 Statement Win

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC — East Bladen delivered their most complete performance of the season Friday night, shutting out conference-leading Lakewood 32-0 in a game that announced the Eagles as legitimate playoff contenders.

The victory marks East Bladen’s second consecutive win after a challenging two-week stretch that saw narrow losses to North Duplin and Hobbton.

Now sitting at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Carolina 1A/2A Conference, the Eagles have firmly positioned themselves in the postseason picture at #14 in the NCHSAA 2A RPI Rankings.

“Defense was absolutely lights out,” said East Bladen Head Coach Robby Priest. “Thought we played well in every phase. Offense, defense, and special teams. Proud of each of the boys and the way they played.”

That defensive dominance was impossible to ignore.

While East Bladen’s offense piled up 352 yards on the ground, Lakewood managed just 38 rushing yards and 22 passing yards on the night.

The Eagles defense forced three interceptions, completely stifling a Leopards team that entered the game tied atop the conference standings at 3-0.

The ground game carried the Eagles throughout the night, with sophomore Jaden Lewis leading the charge on 25 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Lewis continues his spectacular season, now totaling 1,350 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns.

Senior Dashon Campbell complemented Lewis perfectly, punching in two touchdowns while racking up 82 yards on 15 carries.

Campbell has been a workhorse all season with over 910 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

East Bladen controlled the game from the opening whistle, building a 12-0 lead after the first quarter and maintaining that advantage deep into the fourth.

The Eagles then exploded for 20 unanswered points in the final period, with five different players finding the end zone throughout the night.

Quarterback Keyshawn Kemp added a rushing touchdown among his six carries for 23 yards, while Julius Battle broke off a 48-yard touchdown run on just two attempts.

The win reshapes the conference title race heading into the final weeks of the regular season. Hobbton now sits alone atop the standings at 4-0 after defeating West Columbus, while Lakewood and North Duplin are tied at 3-1.

East Bladen’s 3-2 conference record keeps them in fourth place, though a conference championship would require some unlikely dominoes to fall, including East Columbus pulling off a major upset against North Duplin.

Still, the conference title chase takes a backseat to the bigger picture for East Bladen.

With just one game remaining against Union, the Eagles appear locked into a first-round bye in the 2A East Playoffs as a top-eight seed unless something drastic changes.

That extra week of rest and preparation could prove invaluable for a team hitting its stride at exactly the right time.

The Eagles travels to Union next Friday in their regular season finale, looking to carry this momentum into what promises to be an exciting playoff run.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Eagles Soar Past Lakewood in Dominant 32-0 Statement Win