Football Recap: Pender Starts Season with Victory Against West Bladen

Pender had to kick off their season on the road on Friday, but they showed no ill effects. They were the clear victors by a 34-12 margin over the West Bladen Knights. The Patriots have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Knights, too.

Austin Deal

Rushing Yards (Career)

08/22/25 @ West Bladen	132
11/15/24 vs Chatham Central	69
11/29/24 vs Gates County	58
10/04/24 @ East Bladen	48
09/12/24 @ Wallace-Rose Hill	31

Pender's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Austin Deal, who rushed for 132 yards and one TD on only 12 carries. Those 132 rushing yards gave Deal a new career-high. Another back making a difference was Zeke Williams, who rushed for 113 yards and one score on only 11 carries.

Pender's run defense was locked in: West Bladen could only muster 3.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Bruce Rogers for the heroic effort on defense: he. Pender didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 8.8.

When it comes to explaining why West Bladen lost, don't look at Ahmarie White. Despite the final result, he rushed for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Looking ahead, Pender will square off against Red Springs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for West Bladen, they will take on East Bladen at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.