East Columbus head coach Travis Conner

CERRO GORDO - With four of their five touchdowns coming on plays that covered at least 30 yards, the East Columbus Gators picked up their first football win of the season Friday night with a 30-15 non-conference victory over the host West Columbus Vikings.

East Columbus, which had fallen to Lakewood 20-12 in its season opener, had a total of 252 rushing yards with five players rushing for at least 40 yard each.

Coach Travis Conner’s Gators took a 12-0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs of 49 and 14 yards by B.J. Bracey,

Coach Vernon Brigman’s West Columbus squad put up a pair of scores in the second quarter - a 26-yard touchdown pass off a halfback option from Travis Leggett to Tyrale George, and six-yard run by Detroy Jackson. An extra point kick by Rhett White and a two-point conversion run by Travis Legett had the Vikings ahead 15-12 with 1:46 seconds left in the first half.

East Columbus came right back to claim the go-ahead points right before halftime on a 32-yard run by fullback Jolly Jacobs for an 18-15 Gators lead. The score came with 22 seconds left in the period.

East Columbus got another big lift in the third quarter when quarterback Alex Williamson connected with Alan Bracey for an 89-yard touchdown pass. The play is the longest TD pass in East Columbus’s 16-year football history.

In the fourth quarter, Gator running back Quintin Ashe sprinted 40 yards for the game’s final touchdown.

East Columbus failed to convert on five point-after tries. ECHS defensive back Demetrius McKelvie came up with two pass interceptions and deflected three other Viking pass attempts.

It was the Gators’ second straight win over West Columbus and their seventh over the Vikings in the 16-year rivalry. It also marked the first ECHS road win over a fellow county opponent since 2003.

Ends Gerard Bullock Eric Mercado and linebacker Greg Dudley helped lead the way on defense for the Gators.

“We were really disappointed with our play against Lakewood last week,” Conner said. “We had a strong week of practices, and everybody came out in a much better frame of mind.

“We had some letdowns in the second quarter, but answering with a touchdown just before halftime was big,” Conner said. “It really gave us a lift for the second half.”

B.J. Bracey led the Gator rushing attack with 62 yards on six carries, Fred Blanks added 51 yards on five carries, Ashe carried four times for 49 yards, Jacobs had three carries for 42 yards and Williamson finished with 41 yards on 13 carries.
The Gators had only four first downs and lost two fumbles.

For West Columbus, Leggett carried 12 times for 40 yards and Sean Brown 40 yards on 13 carries. Tavares Newkirk carried three times for 28 yards. West Columbus completed 8 of 17 pass attempts for 51 yards.

East Columbus had a total of 37 plays for 342 yards, and West Columbus had a total of 54 snaps for 203 yards.

West Columbus head coach Vernon Brigman said he was pleased with his team’s effort.

“Our kids played hard,” Brigman said. “We’re getting better.

“You have to give Coach Conner and his staff a lot of credit for the way they prepared their team. I thought their kids played exceptionally well.”

East Columbus will open its home schedule this Friday when it entertains West Bladen at 7:30 p.m.

West Bladen has an 0-2 record with a 20-12 loss to Whiteville and 15-14 heart-breaking road loss to Midway this past Friday.

West Columbus, which opened the season with a 33-22 loss to Heide Trask at Rocky Point, will travel to Leland Friday to take on North Brunswick, which opened with a 25-7 road victory over Fairmont.

In the ECHS-WCHS junior varsity game, played Thursday night at Lake Waccamaw, East Columbus posted a 20-6 victory.

EC - B.J. Bracey 49 run (kick failed).
EC - B.J. Bracey 14 run (run failed).
WC - Tyrale George 36 pass from Travis Leggett (Rhett White kick).
WC - Detroy Jackson 6 run (Leggett run).
EC - Alan Bracey 89 pass from Alex Williamson (run failed).
EC - Quintin Ashe 40 run (run failed).