Pack preps for rematch with Knights
Whiteville back David Mosley runs a sweep against South Columbus.
By DAN BISER
Sports Editor
Even though his team has won only once in its last five games, Whiteville High football coach Mark Little is hoping that the state 2A playoffs can bring some type of redemption.
“We have to put some of the things about the last few weeks behind us and use the playoffs as something positive for our football program,” Little said.
Whiteville has a 6-5 record, and it will return to familiar territory for Friday’s opening round playoff.
The Wolfpack opened its season on Aug. 17 with a 21-12 road victory over the West Bladen Knights.
Whiteville will make a return trip to West Bladen Friday for a rematch with the Knights in a playoff opener.
West Bladen also has a 6-5 record but, unlike Whiteville, all six of its wins have come in its last seven games.
Coach Raymond Marlowe’s Knights finished in a three-way tie for the championship of the Southeastern 1A-2A Conference championship with East Bladen and St. Pauls.
Both Whiteville and West Bladen are coming off decisive losses in their final regular-season games. Whiteville fell to unbeaten South Columbus 35-0, and West Bladen saw its six-game winning snapped in a 45-18 decision to East Bladen.
West Bladen is carrying the No. 4 seed in the 2A playoffs while Whiteville, which tied for fourth in the Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference, holds the 13th seed.
Little, a native of Bladen County, and Marlowe, a native of Columbus County, are long-time friends. Marlowe served as an assistant on Little’s WHS staff during the 2003 season.
Whiteville has won five of its previous meeting with the Knights since West Bladen was formed in 2001 by the consolidation of Bladenboro and Tar Heel high schools.
West Bladen, which has won its first conference championship in football this fall, pulled off one of the most exciting wins in the state this season when it eeked out a 52-51 conference victory over St. Pauls shortly after St. Pauls had upset East Bladen.
“West Bladen got off to kind of a slow start, but they really picked things up in their conference games,” Little said.
“Coach Marlowe and his staff have done an outstanding job with their team this year.”
Both Whiteville and West Bladen rely heavily on their running games.
Whiteville running back Jarrod McKinney returned healthy two weeks ago after having to miss six games with a severe knee injury.
In the Wolfpack’s 42-32 loss to North Brunswick, McKinney rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns.
Little is pleased that the Wolfpack is not having to travel a great distance to open the playoffs. The bus trip to West Bladen takes less than 30 minutes.
McKinney made a strong showing in the August victory over the Knight and the WHS defense came up with some big stops in that win behind the play of Josh Lennon, George Spearman and Chris Ward.
“My first three or four years here, it seemed like all we did was travel across the state for first-round games,” Little said, who had opening-round games at Edenton, Mount Pleasant, Forest City and Goldsboro from 2002 through 2005.
Last season, Whiteville won the Waccamaw Conference championship and received the No. 1 seeding in the East 2A bracket, but was upset by conference rival North Brunswick, the No. 16 seed, 24-20.
The winner of Friday’s game will go against the Burlington Cummings-Elizabeth City Northeastern winner in second-round play on Nov. 16.
Burlington Cummings is the defending state 2A champion.