Luke Schwartz

Dowdy Ficklen may look empty now but in less than two weeks the Pirates will be running onto the field in front of 51,000 fans for their home opener against Norfolk State.

Week one of the Blitz creeps closer another day as the countdown to Friday sits at four. One team getting restless for the start is Southwest Onslow. A Stallions team who has seen East Duplin and Wallace-Rose Hill run conference the past few years, but are ready to flip the script.

Since 2019 Swansboro Football has gone 8–27 including last year's 0–10 record but in addition to a brand new look on the field this year the Pirates have a new head coach whose unique story is re-energizing this program.

Not even a full week has passed since former ECU star Connor Norby put on a Miami Marlins jersey and he's already the talk of the town. Yesterday, he smoked his first home run wearing the blue and red threads to turn some heads, but didn't stop there the next day.

When the first day of school ended today and every student hopped on the bus or drove home, Richlands volleyball stayed put and got ready for gameday. Just their fifth contest of the season, but against a familiar foe in Northside-Jacksonville.

All that separated North Duplin and Northside football last season was one singular point. The Rebels squeaked past the Panthers in a 14-13 win. A year later, the two 1A top dogs met up with season opening wins, but this time it wasn't close.

In Eastern North Carolina, Christmas morning comes twice a year. December 25th and the day the Pirates kickoff the season at Dowdy Ficklen. ECU fans were not only delighted to see their team back in action, but what awaited them to start off the season against Norfolk State.

NC Central had to sit and watch all of college football have their fun yesterday kicking off the season, but today it was the Eagles turn. Trei Oliver's squad started the year in Miami for the Orange Blossom classic against Alabama State.

Fresh off their first season opening win in eight years, East Carolina is already laser focused on the next opponent: Old Dominion. A Monarchs team the Pirates have never lost to in four all-time meetings, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a cakewalk in Norfolk this Saturday.

Just like Michael Jordan and the Bulls of 1998, Barton college began their last dance as part of the South Atlantic Conference before heading to the Carolinas Conference in 2025. Hoping to start the year off with a bang, the Bulldogs hosted West Virginia State at Truist Stadium.