East Bladen defeats Bertie 49-18 to advance to third round of 2A playoffs

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) — The East Bladen Eagles are moving on to the third round of the North Carolina high school football playoffs after defeating the Bertie Falcons 49-18 on Friday night. Fresh off a first-round bye, the No. 6 seed Eagles hosted the No. 11 seed Falcons in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

East Bladen wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Quarterback Ryne Priest handed the ball off to Riley Collins, who found an opening and raced into the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.

Bertie responded with a deep touchdown pass, cutting East Bladen’s advantage to 7-6.

However, the Eagles quickly answered. Priest connected with Joel Lewis, who broke free from a would-be tackler and took off for another touchdown, extending East Bladen’s lead to 14-6.

The Eagles continued to build momentum as Priest handed the ball off to Collins once again. Collins weaved his way through defenders and found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night, putting East Bladen ahead 21-6.

East Bladen maintained control of the game and went on to secure a 49-18 victory, keeping its state championship hopes alive. The Eagles now advance to the third round of the Class 2A playoffs.