WASHINGTON — The St. Pauls football team won Friday’s North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2AA East Regional final 34-23 over Washington to advance to the state championship game next week.

A key play in the game was a Will Ford blocked punt, returned by Erick Washington for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs will play Salisbury in the state championship game Thursday. The game will be played either in Raleigh or Chapel Hill; the site will be announced Saturday.

Stay tuned for a full game story tonight on robesonian.com and in Saturday’s print edition of The Robesonian.