East Bladen has gone 4-0 against Pender recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The East Bladen Eagles will welcome the Pender Patriots at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully East Bladen focused on turnovers this week as the team gave up four last Friday.
East Bladen is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game last Friday. They fell just short of South Columbus by a score of 25-22.
Despite their loss, East Bladen saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kewone Maynor, who rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Malikah Moore, who picked up 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Pender entered their match against South Columbus on Thursday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Pender fell to South Columbus 21-16. It was the first time this season that the Patriots let down their fans at home.
The losing side was boosted by Jeremiah Johnson, who rushed for 121 yards. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 121 rushing yards dating back to last season.
East Bladen's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Pender, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 3-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. East Bladen has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 195.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pender struggles in that department as they've been averaging 346.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for East Bladen against Pender when the teams last played back in September of 2023, as the squad secured a 65-36 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Johnson, who rushed for 188 yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will East Bladen still be able to contain Johnson? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
