2015 high school football · priest is installing a new offense — switching from the familiar...

2015High School Football

A special supplement to the Bladen Journal

2015 HigH scHool Football Bladen Journal2 Friday, August 21, 2015

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Friday, August 21, 2015 3Bladen Journal 2015 HigH scHool Football

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GRIDIRON TIDBITS …By W. Curt [email protected]

Eagles to open season ranked No. 12

ELIZABETHTOWN — In the annual pre-season state high school football rankings by NCPreps.com, the East Bladen Eagles have settled into the No. 12 position among Class 2-A schools.

The Eagles finished 10-3 last season and shared the Four County Conference crown at 6-1 with Wallace-Rose Hill and Clinton..

Other conference teams to be ranked are:— Clinton, which was the Class 2-A state cham-

pionship runnerup, is ranked No. 3 in Class 2-A— Wallace-Rose Hill, which won the Class 1-AA

state championship, is ranked No. 1 in Class 1-A.Other regional teams to be ranked are:— Whiteville is ranked No. 9 in Class 1-A.— Lakewood is ranked No. 12 in Class 1-A.— James Kenan is ranked No. 2 in Class 1-A.— Scotland County is ranked No. 2-A in Class

4-A.

Tatum a pre-season all-state choice

ELIZABETHTOWN — East Bladen High’s rising junior Kyle Tatum has been named to the NCPreps.com Class 2-A Pre-Season All-State foot-ball team.

Tatum was an NCPreps All-State player in Class 2-A after the Eagles’ 10-3 season in 2014, and was an All-Four County Conference and Wilmington Star News All-Area selection.

The defensive back was credited with 33 tack-les, 15 solo, and three interceptions last season.

Football games to be on 105.3 FM

ELIZABETHTOWN — The radio crew for Bladen County football will once again be intact for the 2015 season and broadcast on Cool 105.3 FM on Friday nights.

On-air personalities will be Ricky Leinwand, Robert Hester, Dan Allen and Joe Melvin — with sideline assistance from Ron Daniel.

The crew will broadcast Aug. 21 from West Bladen; Aug. 28 from East Bladen; Sept. 4 from West Bladen; Sept. 11 from West Bladen; Sept. 18 from East Bladen; Oct. 2 from Clinton (vs. East Bladen); Oct. 9 from East Bladen; Oct. 16 from West Bladen; Oct. 23 from East Bladen; and Nov. 6 from East Bladen (vs. West Bladen).

The Sept. 25 and Oct. 30 dates are TBA.

Murchisons, Vaught at Louisburg College

LOUISBURG — A trio of former Bladen County gridiron stars are freshmen at Louisburg College this fall and look to be contributing members of the Hurricanes football team.

Malcolm Vaught, a West Bladen graduate, and Farrell Murchison, an East Bladen graduate, are roommates at Louisburg College. Murchison’s brother Larrell, also an East Bladen graduate, is also at Louisburg.

Vaught was a versatile scatback for the Knights; Farrell Murchison was a record-breaking rusher for the Eagles; and Larrell Murchison was a star blocker for his twin brother.

— W. Curt Vincent can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

Bladen Journal file photosWest Bladen graduate Malcolm Vaught is a freshman this fall at Louisburg College, where he will walk on to try making the Hurricanes football team.


Spread ‘em out : East Bladen’s new offense to feature speedBy W. Curt [email protected]

ELIZABETHTOWN — Gone from last season’s 10-3 Eagles playoff team and co-champions of the Four County Conference are the big shoes of Farrell Murchison, Larrell Murchison and eight other seniors. But new faces may bring about an even bigger change for east Bladen this season.

“It’s pretty hard to replace the kind of leadership, production and mental toughness we had last year,” said head coach Robby Priest. “It’s going to take some time.”

Also taking time is the fact that Priest is installing a new offense — switching from the familiar Wing T to a spread offense, a change that Priest said was done to accommodate the personnel available.

“So far, I’m somewhat pleased with the progress we’ve seen,” Priest said. “But we have a long way to go. I’d like to be in mid-season form right now, but it’s going to be a work in progress.”

The Eagles relied primarily on the legs and tenacity of Farrell Murchison toting the ball last season, and he gave them school records of 2,493 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns. This season, Priest will be looking to spread the field and get folks like Ethan Hines (who had 1,224 yards rushing as a sophomore), twin brother Eian Hines and Kyle Tatum into the open field to utilize their speed.

“That’s what we’re hoping, anyway,” he said. “It (the spread offense) may last one play or all season. If it doesn’t work, we’ll fix it real quick.”

Defensively, East Bladen will set up again in the 40 with folks like senior defensive end Chris Cromartie and senior lineman PaChaun Cloud anchoring the attack.

“We’re pretty big along the line,” Priest said. “Something like 6-4 and 265. I’m liking that.

“The defense is looking good under the direction of coach Mark Little,” he added. “We’ll have a number of wrinkles with the defense, too.”

The Eagles’ non-conference schedule has changed a bit with the scheduling of Class 4-A Wilmington Laney.

“That will be a good test for us,” Priest said. “We always look for good teams to play early, and they should show us a lot. Plus, we’ll see some good spread offenses.”

Things won’t get any easier in the conference schedule. Wallace-Rose Hill is the defending state Class 1-AA champion and is ranked No. 1 in the state among Class 1-A schools, and Clinton, the state’s Class 2-A runnerup last season, is tabbed No. 3 in the state this pre-season.

“I don’t pay attention to any of the pre-season ranking stuff,” said Priest, whose Eagles are ranked No. 12 in Class 2-A. “But I do know the conference will be tough again. It’s probably the best conference in the state top to bottom.”

Priest said Wallace-Rose Hill and Clinton — the two teams East Bladen tied with for the conference crown last season at 6-1 — will be the teams to beat … “but the other teams are also improved, so there can be no letdowns.”


“It’s pretty hard to replace the kind of leadership, production and mental toughness we had last year. It’s going to take some time.”

Robby PriestEast Bladen coach

W. Curt Vincent|Bladen JournalEast Bladen junior Ethan Hines rushed for 1,224 yards last season, but is expected to have an even bigger impact this season in the Eagles’ spread offense.


New leadership: West Bladen looking to continue successesBy W. Curt [email protected]

DUBLIN — West Bladen lost 13 seniors from its 6-5 team of a year ago, nearly every one a key cog on both sides of the ball for the Knights.

“We lost some good people and good football players who started for us over the past three seasons,” said head coach Rus-sell Dove. “So right now it’s a bit of a slow process getting new faces into the right places.”

Losses from last year’s team include quarterback Colby Lewis, scatback Malcolm Vaught, lineman Brandon Coun-cil, linebacker Trevor Lesane, runningback Kesean Sutton, lineman Scottie Storms and seven others.

“The kids seem to be embrac-ing the challenges we have,” Dove said. “We have some good young players who will need to step up, but it’s going to take time.”

Stepping in at quarterback to run the Knights’ hybrid Wing T offense will be senior Stefon McDonald, who saw limited action as the backup last season. He will be making the transition from wide receiver, where he was a speedy, go-get-it guy.

“Stefon is very athletic who will give us a lot of options. And he’s a good leader,” Dove said. “But he will need time to get comfortable in that position.”

Dove added that runningbacks Malique McDowell and Da’quan Lennon will need to have solid senior seasons carrying the ball.

Another area where big changes will take place is on the offensive line, where only senior Donald McCullum returns.

“That’s going to be a huge area of focus for us,” Dove said. “But the kids are steadily get-ting better.”

Defensively, West Bladen will operate primarily out of the 4-4 with a number of variations, and Dove has been pleased with what he’s seen there already.

“I think we’re faster than we’ve been in the past,” he said. “Maybe not as big, but we’re expecting good things on defense. We’ve spent a lot of time on defense so far.”

Dove said he’s looking for junior Hunter Pait to be the defensive leader after a solid sophomore season that saw him make 100 tackles at linebacker.

After a non-conference schedule that features a good Whiteville team and plenty of spread offense, the Knights will have a conference schedule that some say is the toughest in the state.

“Pretty typical Four County Conference schedule … really good,” Dove said. “Wallace-Rose Hill, Clinton, East Bladen — you don’t get any tougher than that. And Midway is always tough.”

Dove said the Knights’ goal is to put together a winning season, challenge for a conference title and make the playoffs.

“We’re hoping the success we’ve had the past two seasons helps us achieve those goals,” he added.


“The kids seem to be embracing the challenges we have. We have some good young players who will need to step up, but it’s going to take time.”

Russell DoveWest Bladen coach

Kenny Armstrong|Bladen JournalWest Bladen senior quarterback Stefon McDonald is making the transition from wide receiver to lead the Knights’ hybrid Wing T offense this season.


3 Eagles to watch— Eian Hines: junior RB/DBFrom the coach: Extremely athletic and speedy. Anytime he

gets his hands on the ball can bring a wow factor.— Ethan Hines: junior RB/DBFrom the coach: Part of the twin dynamic duo. Can also

make a lot happen in the open field. Athletic and fast.— Chris Cromartie: senior OL/DLFrom the coach: Getting a lot of Div. I attention. His 40 time

and GPA are about the same. Smart and competitive.

Eian Hines Ethan Hines Cromartie

2015 EaGLES# Name Grade Position

1 Alex Coates sr QB/DL

2 Sincere Smith soph WR/DB

3 Kyle Tatum jr RB/DB

5 Quashaan Monroe sr TE/LB

7 Ty McMillian sr QB/DB

8 Jesus Ramos sr K

11 Nikita Owens sr RB/LB

12 Eian Hines jr RB/DB

21 Ethan Hines jr RB/DB

22 Bernard Robinson soph RB/LB

24 Miquel Green sr WR/DB

26 Gregory Russ jr WR/DB

27 Terrance Southern jr OL/DL

28 Xavia McDowell soph RB/LB

30 Allen Banks jr RB/LB

31 Zachary Johnson sr TE/LB

32 Michael Walter jr RB/LB

33 Nicholas Collins jr TE/DL

35 Wesley Murphy jr RB/DB

37 Carlos Murphy jr RB/DB

50 Derrick Burney jr OL/LB

55 Joel Johnson sr OL/DL

56 Chris Cromartie sr OL/DL

57 Martino Rhone sr OL/LB

58 Jonathan Melvin sr OL/DL

60 Giordan Graham jr OL/LB

61 Ladreveous Baldwin sr OL/DL

62 Ethan White sr OL/DL

64 John Dean Alsup jr OL/DL

65 Caleb Strait soph OL/DL

70 Raykwan Davis jr OL/DL

73 Lahkeyd Lesane soph OL/DL

75 Timothy Blanks jr OL/DL

78 Trevaris Crocker sr OL/DL

80 Arron Laforte jr TE/DB

81 Trevor Lloyd sr WR/DB

88 PaChaun Cloud sr OL/DL

— Head coach Robby Priest

— Assistants Russell Priest, Terry Smith, Ritchie

Priest and Mark Little

2015 KNIGHTS# Name Grade Position2 Ricky McLaurin jr WR/DB3 Stefon McDonald sr QB/DB4 Raekwon Shaw soph RB/DB7 Jeremiah Purdie sr RB/DL8 Ray Jones sr K9 Victor Jacome sr K11 Hunter Prevatte sr TE/LB12 Jonathan Ashworth jr WR/DB13 T.J. Kemp jr WR/DB14 Tykee Jeffries jr RB/DL20 Derrick Grant jr RB/DB21 Trequan Horne sr RB/TE22 De’quan Lennon sr RB/LB24 Malique McDowell sr RB/LB25 James Moore jr RB/DB26 Devin Malcolm sr RB/DB28 Luis Ramirez jr RB/DB30 Shane Lewis jr WR/DB33 B.J. Drake soph RB/LB35 Deonte McKoy sr WR/LB44 Idris Nakeeullah sr RB/LB50 Hunter Pait jr OL/LB52 Donald McCullum sr RB/DB53 Traquan Smith jr OL/LB54 Ashton Lyons sr OL/DL56 Jasaiah Roberts jr OL/DL57 David Gittens sr OL/DL60 Jaquel Jessup jr OL/DL61 Issac Areliano jr OL/DL62 Hunter Jackson jr OL/DL64 Landon Hedgepeth soph OL/DL65 Jonathan Robinson soph OL/DL66 Matthew Sturgis sr OL/DL72 Georgemon Malloy jr OL/DL73 Justin Hall sr OL/DL74 Nathan Kroesch jr OL/DL75 Mason Skipper sr OL/DL77 A.J. Willis jr OL/DL85 Fred Walters jr TE/DL— Head coach Russell Dove— Assistant coaches Travis Pait, Kim Cain, Tauris Baker, John Ammons and Kris Williams

3 Knights to watch— Stefon McDonald: senior quarterbackFrom the coach: He’s a real leader, very athletic, fast and a

big competitor.— Malique McDowell: senior RB/LBFrom the coach: We’re looking for a big season carrying the

ball from him.— Hunter Pait: junior linebackerFrom the coach: Led the team in tackles last season; a defen-

sive leader on the field.

PaitMcDonald McDowell


WEST BLaDENNon-conference— Aug. 21 vs. South Robeson— Aug. 28 at West Columbus— Sept. 4 vs. Whiteville— Sept. 11 vs. St. Pauls— Sept. 18 openFour County Conference— Sept. 25 at Union— Oct. 2 at Wallace-Rose Hill— Oct. 9 vs. Heidi Trask— Oct. 16 vs. Pender*— Oct. 23 at Clinton— Oct. 30 vs. Midway**— Nov. 6 at East BladenaLL GaMES aT 7:30 P.M.* Homecoming** Senior Night

EaST BLaDENNon-conference— Aug. 21 at South Columbus— Aug. 28 vs. Whiteville— Sept. 4 at St. Pauls— Sept. 11 open— Sept. 18 vs. Wilmington LaneyFour County Conference— Sept. 25 at Midway— Oct. 2 at Clinton— Oct. 9 vs. Pender*— Oct. 16 at Heidi Trask— Oct. 23 vs. Wallace-Rose Hill— Oct. 30 at Union— Nov. 6 vs. West Bladen**aLL GaMES aT 7:30 P.M.* Homecoming** Senior Night

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2015 high school football · priest is installing a new offense — switching from the familiar...

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