Two dominant backs in Jaden Lewis and Tobias Cromartie are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The East Bladen Eagles will face off against the Union Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Union took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on East Bladen, who comes in off a win.
East Bladen's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They breezed past Lakewood to the tune of 32-0. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won four matchups by 26 points or more so far this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead East Bladen to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dashon Campbell, who rushed for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: East Bladen was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 352 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 174 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Jaden Lewis
| 10/10/25 @ East Columbus | 202 |
| 09/12/25 vs Clinton | 194 |
| 09/19/25 vs West Columbus | 175 |
| 10/17/25 vs Lakewood | 141 |
| 08/29/25 vs West Bladen | 139 |
| + 4 more games |
East Bladen didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Xavier Potts, Lewis, and Raheem Lewis picked up one apiece. Jaden also rushed for 141 rushing yards, which is notable because East Bladen is 5-1 when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Union was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were beaten by North Duplin 49-20.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Cromartie and Carell Phillips. Phillips had a great game and rushed for 292 yards and four TDs while picking up 14.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cromartie did his best for the losing side, rushing for 120 yards and one score.
Union's defeat dropped their record down to 2-6. As for East Bladen, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. East Bladen has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 291.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 202.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went East Bladen's way against Union in their previous meeting back in October of 2016, as East Bladen made off with a 53-29 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Eagles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
