West Bladen 37, West Columbus 27 Football West Bladen recovered from a couple of “mishaps” that let West Columbus back in the game, but the Knights regrouped and posted their second victory of the season 37-27 in Cerro Gordo Friday night. Junior Malcolm Vaught scampered 78 yards on a kick-off return that set up Colby McLean’s 24-yard field goal and increased a 21-12 Knight halftime lead to 24-12. The next Knight possession ended with an 11-yard punt, and the Vikings capitalized on the short field as junior Rostin Bromell darted 10 yards for the touchdown. Senior Adrian Buie ran the two-point conversion to trim the margin to 24-20. Sophmore Brad Wilder intercepted a Knight pass to give West Columbus possession at the West Bladen 17 yardline. One play later Bromell hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Degner Axelberg to put the Vikings ahead 27-24 after Tanner Daniels extra point kick. “We had couple of mishaps that changed momentum,” said Knight Coach Russell Dove. “We were feeling pretty good there until the short punt and the turnover got them back in the game.” The Knights bounced right back as sophmore Daquan Lennon returned the kick-off 19 yards to the West Bladen 45. Junior Trevor Lesane rambled 15 yards, and quarterback Colby Lewis flipped a pass into the flat that sophmore Malique McDowell turned into a 13-yard gain. Lennon broke loose for 25 yards, and Vaught dashed 11 yards, then carried 4 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 6:18 on the clock. McLean booted the extra point for a 31-27 lead. Linebacker Parker Allen took the ball away from a Viking runner at the 5:55 mark, but the Knights couldn’t capitalize. On the Vikings next possession, Allen knocked the ball loose again, and Vaught recovered at the West Columbus 29. McDowell popped through the line for a 23-yard gain, and Vaught capped the short drive with a 5-yard touchdown burst that put the game away with 1:16 left. Vaught ended the final Viking possession with an interception. “Our kids fought back,” said Coach Dove. “The coaches did a great job of getting them focused on what they needed to do.” West Bladen outrushed the Vikings 313 to 90 and held a 326-218 edge in total yards. Lennon led the ground attack with 11 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown. McDowell followed with 84 yards on 19 rushes and caught a pass for 13 more. Vaught scored a trio of rushing touchdowns on 8 carries that totaled 28 yards. Lesane ran for 34 yards on 7 attempts. Axelberg completed 5 of 8 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Viking offense. Senior Anthony Davis caught 3 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Knights drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their first possession. Lennon had runs of 10 and 7 yards during the drive. McDowell had gains of 10 and 9 yards, and Lesane picked up 10 yards. Vaught bolted 19 yards, then scooted 12 yards for the touchdown. McLean’s kick made it 7-0. Davis snared a long pass from Axelberg and turned it into an 81-yard touchdown pass early in the second period. West nose guard Semmorick Jessup blocked the extra point attempt to keep the Knights on top 7-6. Lennon took the ensuing kick-off and sprinted 84 yards straight through the middle for the kick-off return touchdown. McLean booted the extra point for a 14-6 West Bladen lead. West Bladen covered 63 yards on their next scoring drive. McDowell started the march with a 13-yard run, and Lennon galloped 43 yards for the touchdown 1:05 before halftime. McLean tacked on the point for a 21-6 lead. Bromell’s 33-yard touchdown run trimmed the halftime lead to 21-12. Allen topped the Knight defense with 17 tackles, forced 2 fumbles and recovered one. Senior linebacker Ed Owens finished with 10 tackles, and Lesane added 7. Vaught had an interception and a key fumble recovery. “The defense played great, special teams were great,” said Coach Dove. “The backs ran well when we blocked. We’ve still got some things to work on there.” Vaught racked up 138 yards on 2 kick-off returns. Lennon picked up 113 yards and a touchdown on his 2 kick-off returns. West Bladen, now 2-0, will host 1-1 Whiteville Friday night.
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 14:48:56 +0000
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