Football Recap: East Duplin Extends Winning Streak to Four

East Duplin extended their winning streak to four on Friday, bumping them up to 7-2. Everything went their way against the Pender Patriots as they made off with a 38-18 win. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 20 points or more this season.

Dwayne Davis

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

10/24/25 @ Pender	2
10/17/25 @ Clinton	1
10/03/25 vs Southwest Onslow	1
09/19/25 vs Jacksonville	1
11/01/24 @ Southwest Onslow	1

East Duplin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dwayne Davis led the charge by rushing for 74 yards and a pair of scores on only seven carries. The dominant performance also gave Davis a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (two). East Duplin also got a significant boost from Shawn Davis, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 100 yards.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: East Duplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 240 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 197 rushing yards in four consecutive games.

Another reason for the win was East Duplin's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Keeshon McKinnie, Bryson Brown, and Esiah Bannerman, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Pender's side was Zachary Ball, who made 12 total tackles and snagged an interception.

Having lost for the first time this season, Pender fell to 8-1. The matchup marked their lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Pender's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Austin Deal, who rushed for 87 yards and one TD.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. East Duplin will host South Lenoir at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Panthers are facing the Blue Devils at the right time seeing as the Blue Devils are stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Pender, they will square off against Heide Trask at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Jaheim Lambe and Tyreek Moore.