East Columbus rally falls two points short at East Bladen
ELIZABETHTOWN — East Columbus scored twice in the fourth quarter, but East Bladen stopped the tying two-point try to hold on for a 22-20 victory Friday, Oct. 9.
The Gators trailed 22-8 at halftime and by the same margin entering the final quarter. East Bladen’s Braylon Johnson helped stop Dawson Crosby on the potential tying conversion.
The Eagles then kept possession for the rest of the game. Ryne Priest connected with Riley Collins for 31 yards on third-and-21 on the final drive and finished four of six for 86 yards.
“We wanted to win that football game,” East Columbus coach Vinston Thorpe said. “We just came up short at the end.”
Thorpe said offensive penalties left the Gators behind the chains early, while missed reads and breakdowns in defensive discipline allowed East Bladen to produce big plays.
Zamarion Pone scored East Bladen’s first two touchdowns as the Eagles built a 15-0 lead early in the second quarter. Jaden Lewis-Gary added a touchdown before halftime. Lewis-Gary finished with 196 yards on 21 carries, while Pone ran for 62 yards.
Demetrius Dexter accounted for 356 yards passing and rushing and all three East Columbus touchdowns. He completed six of 14 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown and ran for 176 yards and two scores on 13 carries.
Dexter made his first start at quarterback against Whiteville on Sept. 11 after moving from receiver. Thorpe said the East Bladen game was the first time Dexter looked truly comfortable running the offense, pointing to his decision-making, ability to make plays with his feet and poise.
Crosby caught three passes for 103 yards. JT Hudson had two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, and Trason Hunter added a seven-yard reception.
Christan Norton added 19 rushing yards on four carries, Terry Shipman gained 15 yards on one attempt and Steven Hansford had nine yards on two carries.
Thorpe also pointed to late personnel and alignment mistakes and shared responsibility for those errors.
East Columbus fell to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the Carolina Conference. East Bladen improved to 6-2 and 4-0. The Gators next host North Duplin on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m., then close the regular season at Lakewood on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
Photo: LuVisuals
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