Eastern Wayne had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They secured a 40-36 W over the Princeton Bulldogs on Friday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Warriors, who until this contest were averaging 12.5 points allowed.
Izeiah Oates was his usual excellent self, rushing for 120 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also throwing for 207 yards and two touchdowns. Those 120 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Jay Whisonant was another key player, rushing for 92 yards on only seven carries.
Eastern Wayne was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 253 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 253 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Despite the loss, Princeton saw an underclassman step up: freshman Teo Mcphatter rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. Mcphatter has been hot recently, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kadyn Haire, who rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Eastern Wayne's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.0 points per game. As for Princeton, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-5.
Eastern Wayne is taking a road trip to challenge Whiteville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Whiteville will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Eastern Wayne surely won't give up without a fight. Princeton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
