By DAN BISER
Sports Editor

All three teams that the Whiteville High School football squad have beaten this season are still looking for their first wins.

On Friday night, the Wolfpack will play host to another team still trying to get into the win column – the West Brunswick Trojans.

Game time is 7:30

Coach Mark Little’s Whiteville squad, which managed to get past West Columbus 7-0 last Friday, will carry a 3-1 record into Friday night’s home game with the 3A West Brunswick team. It will be the Wolfpack’s final non-conference game of the season.

The Wolfpack was dealt a huge blow just two days before last week’s game at West Columbus when senior running back Jarrod McKinney sustained a severe knee injury in practice. The injury is expected to keep the Wolfpack’s leading rusher for the past two years sidelined indefinitely. In Whiteville’s first three games,
McKinney had rushed for more than 300 yards and six touchdowns.

The Wolfpack is coming off two straight shutout victories as it had defeated Red Springs 34-0 in its Aug. 30 home opener.

West Brunswick is now 0-3 after falling to South Brunswick 28-7 last week at Boiling Spring Lakes. It marked the first time in their last 20 meetings that the Trojans had fallen to the SBHS squad.

West Brunswick last held an 0-3 record in 1985, but followed that up with an 18-0 shutout victory over East Bladen.

Friday night will mark the 33rd time that Whiteville and West Brunswick have met on the football field since 1972. Whiteville holds a 17-15 edge in the rivalry. Coach Jimmy Fletcher’s Trojans downed the Wolfpack 14-7 last season, but Whiteville has won four of its last six meetings with WBHS.
Little said that without McKinney in the lineup, the Wolfpack offense was basically ineffective last week and that some changes would be necessary to make up for the void.

“Jarrod’s talents have been counted on heavily for three years now, so we just have to do all we can as a team to make up for his absence on the field. It’s been a devastating thing for everyone in our program to see him get this type of injury during his senior season.”

West Brunswick, which opened the season with a pair of lopsided losses to 4A South Carolina teams Socastee (41-6) and Myrtle Beach (42-0) is experiencing a rebuilding year in Fletcher’s fifth season as head coach.

The Trojans, who compete in the strong Mideastern 3A-4A Conference, graduated a strong group of seniors last spring and are having to rely on a good number of players who are seeing their first varsity action this season.

Coach Little said that West Brunswick has played a strong schedule thus far and is expecting the Trojans to be sharp against his Wolfpack.

Whiteville’s only score in last week’s win over West Columbus came when defensive end D.J. Phillips scooped up the ball on a muffed Viking punt attempt and ran it from two yards out with 12 seconds left in the first half.