ELIZABETHTOWN—East Columbus shut out the East Bladen Eagles, in the second half but fell short 22-20 on the Eagles’ Homecoming Night at Lenon Fisher Stadium on Friday.
Zamarion Pone rushed for two touchdowns and Jaden Lewis rushed for 196 yards on the ground. The Eagles are now 2-0 in the Carolina Conference and 5-2 on the season.
The Eagles rushed for 312 yards on the ground in the victory. East Bladen’s Zamarion Pone started the Eagles’ assault with a two-yard touchdown run to give East Bladen the early advantage 8-0.
Riley Collins added the two-point conversion. Pone added his second rushing touchdown of the night on a 21-yard rush to the house to give the Eagles a 15-0 lead. Andrio Garcia added the extra point.
East Columbus countered with a Demetrius Dexter 19-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds going into the halftime. Dexter found Dawson Crosby for the two-point conversion to cut the score to East Bladen 15, East Columbus 8.
Jaden Lewis found the endzone quickly with seconds remaining to put East Bladen ahead 22-8 at the half.
The second half showed why East Columbus in 2026 is known for defense.
They shut down possibly the best running back duo in the state after halftime. Riley Collins and Jaden Lewis have been a tandem in the backfield. After a scoreless third quarter, the Gators mounted a comeback as Dexter crossed the endzone from the one yard-line to make the score East Bladen 22, Gators 14 with 7:04 on the clock.
East Columbus retained the ball a few minutes later and DT Hudson caught a touchdown pass with 4:02 left on the clock. The two-point conversion failed.
“Homecoming week offers a lot of distractions.” stated EBHS Coach Robby Priest. “I thought we came out focused but after halftime the focus wasn’t there. Credit East Columbus with a great job. We will enjoy this win and get ready for next week.”
Ryne Priest added 86 yards in the air for East Bladen. The Eagles takes on Lakewood (3-0, 4-3) in a critical Carolina Conference matchup in Salemburg on Friday. East Columbus (1-2, 3-4) hosts North Duplin (1-2, 4-2) on Oct. 23 for Senior Night.
