DUBLIN — South Columbus chewed up 369 yards on the ground to overcome West Bladen Friday night 35-24.
With the win, the Stallions (3-1, 5-4) keep alive their chances of a share of the Southeastern Conference title with a win over county rival Whiteville next Friday.
South Columbus entered the end zone first as Cayden Batten ran it in from seven yards out. Oscar Valdez nailed the extra point to give the Stallions a 7-0 lead with 5:49 left in the first quarter. West responded quickly as Devan Stanley found Keon Washington to complete a 42 yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked, leaving the score 7-6 in favor of the Stallions.
Midway through the second quarter, Briar Johnson took it in from one yard out to put the Stallions on top 14-6 with the extra point. With 14 seconds remaining before halftime, Stanley hit Washington again in the end zone, this time hooking up from seven yards out to close the gap to 14-12.
The third quarter was a third charm for the Stanley to Washington connection as they again connected from 14 yards away. Jonah Bryan added the extra point to give the Knights their first lead 19-14 with 6:39 left in the third quarter.
The Knights held the lead until early in the fourth quarter when the Stallions’ Briar Johnson gave South Columbus back the lead on a 12 yard TD run. The Stallions failed on a two-point pass conversion, leaving the score 20-19 Stallions.
On the next drive, the Knights made a crucial mistake. Phillip Smith Jr. intercepted a pass and went 51 yards to put the Stallions ahead 27-19 with 9:57 remaining in the game. Valdez made the extra point for the Stallions. South Columbus added to their lead when Easton McPherson crossed the goal line from eight yards out making it 34-19 with the Valdez PAT. West Bladen’s Ahmarie White scored a four-yard touchdown late in the game to make the final score 35-24.
Easton McPherson led the Stallions with 132 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Cayden Batten contributed 114 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. Devan Stanley was 5-10 passing for the Knights with 88 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Keon Washington also caught three touchdown passes for West Bladen while Ahmarie White ran for 63 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown in the loss. South Columbus goes to 3-1 in the conference and 5-4 on the season.
With a home victory next week against Whiteville (4-0, 7-2) they can claim a share of the Southeastern Conference Championship. They are ranked No. 30 in the 3A poll, putting them in position to host a first round game as of right now.
West Bladen (0-4, 2-7) is ranked number 44 in the 3A rankings, putting them in position to make the playoffs. The top 48 teams go to the playoffs. West Bladen travels to South Brunswick (3-1, 6-3) next Friday.
A South Brunswick win and a South Columbus win over Whiteville would cause a three-way tie for the conference championship, with all three teams posting a 4-1 conference record.
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