GREENSBORO — Two Washington football players from the graduating class of 26 donned the navy Pam Pack football helmets for the final time on Wednesday in front a crowd of 8,000, representing their school in the 2015 North Carolina East-West All-Star Game held at Jamieson Field.

Running back Markel Spencer and outside linebacker E.J. Peartree, arguably two of the 2014 2-A state runner-up’s most valuable pieces, lined up on opposite sides of the ball to take on the favored West. Both contributed mightily in the East’s 27-13 upset win.

“It was a great experience, just knowing a lot of guys from the East side and really developing great relationships not just on the field, but off the field. It helped me become a better player and a better person,” Peartree said. “It felt very good to win. All week the West has been talking, but I think we outplayed them and came out on top.”

Peartree, who lined up at inside linebacker for the first time in his young career, was a force between the hash marks, breaking up multiple passes, almost coming through with an interception and helping the defense make vital stops late in the fourth quarter. Peartree finished with three tackles (one unassisted).

Peartree and Spencer made up only one of two pairs of teammates for the East, the others being Sylvester Smith and Keevin Thompson of Hoggard. Peartree said having a fellow Pam Pack member there, especially on offense, gave him an extra boost of motivation.

“My teammate (Spencer) gave me that extra drive, knowing that there’s someone on the other side trying to drive and get touchdowns,” he said. “It was a great experience having my teammate right beside me.”

Spencer, on the other hand, needed no additional motivation. He was the catalyst behind the East’s victory, receiving the bulk of the carries and collecting positive yardage on nearly every play. The reigning Washington Daily News Football Player of the Year finished with 17 carries for 72 yards.

“It looked in the second half like a Pam Pack football game,” said Jon Blank, Washington’s athletic director and defensive coordinator. “The East got the lead and they just kept feeding Spencer and he kept the chains moving and helped set up some big scores.”

The performance of Spencer and Peartree serves as a testament to the kind of season the Pam Pack had in 2015, a strong run-based offense carried by consistent, seamless defensive play. It’s a blueprint for success that the East used to secure the victory.

“It feels great because there are a lot of places in the state that discount football in the East,” Blank said. “We feel like football is great in the East. What the East coaches did this year I thought was great — establish a solid run game and then play excellent defense, which is our philosophy. I feel like that’s a winning formula.”

Washington will hope to take the winning formula and make another postseason run this year. In the coming days, Peartree will resume training at Winston-Salem State, where he will suit up as a freshman linebacker. As for Spencer, he’ll become the newest offensive weapon at North Carolina-Wesleyan this fall.