The East Forsyth Eagles lost 37-21 to the Weddington Warriors in a clash of two undefeated behemoths on Friday night.
Weddington has limited its opponents to 14 points or fewer in every game this season except one. East Forsyth, stacked with 11 all-conference players and Conference Coach of the Year Todd Willert, scored 21, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ offensive momentum.
Friday afternoon, members of the Kernersville community gathered with signs for an “Eagle Send-Off” as the team buses made their way down Mountain Street and out to Matthews.
Some East Forsyth fans took the 90-minute trip and made their presence known throughout the frigid night, especially when Dominique Tshiboyi intercepted a Weddington pass very early in the first quarter.
Then, the Warriors scored twice and their staunch defense shut down the Eagles until Corey Blair broke the dry spell with a rushing touchdown halfway through the second quarter, bringing the score to 14-7, Weddington.
Weddington came out strong in the third quarter, breaking free for a 58-yard rushing touchdown and shortly thereafter converting East Forsyth’s turnover on downs into a score. The Eagles blocked the extra point attempt. The Warriors led 30-7.
Momentum changed when East Forsyth’s special teams unit successfully completed its second of three total fake punt attempts. Bryce Baker threw a pass to Jaylin Murry for a touchdown and cut the lead to 30-14.
The Eagles lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, but batted down a Weddington pass that ricocheted into defensive end Robbie Whitney’s hands for an interception. Baker connected with Jaire Richburg for a touchdown with 4:51 left to go in the game, but it was too late to make a difference.
“Very proud [of this team] obviously. We’re disappointed right now,” Coach Todd Willert told Scope News. “We’ll reflect here in a week or so … but it’s just a tough way to end the season.”
The Eagles officially finished with a 13-1 record, making it to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2021.
Running back Jaylin Murry and wide receiver J.P. Gilchrist will play in the East vs. West All-Star game on Sunday, Dec. 22 at Grimsley High School.
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