From the moment running back Hykeem Ruffin was carted off on the second play of the game to the final horn, the defending state runner up was playing catch-up against a Tarboro team seeking a statement win. And by the count of 26-7, the visiting Vikings got just that.

Tarboro utilized its entire stable of running backs against a Pam Pack defense that played well early, but lost control of the game in the third quarter. Premier back Tay Battle, Joseph Lyons and Shamar Pippen finished with nine carries apiece for Tarboro, while quarterback Tae Randolph complete 2-of-2 passes, racking up 52 yards through the air.

“We have pieces of the puzzle to put together,” said head coach Sport Sawyer after the loss. “Sometimes guys played well and sometimes they didn’t. We have a new team and we have to find some things. Right now we’re struggling.”

On both sides of the ball, a beam of light in an otherwise dark performance was running back and linebacker Jarquez Keyes, who on top of a strong defensive outing, rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries, scoring the Pam Pack’s lone touchdown.

“Keyes is playing hard and he’s having to get in on a lot of plays,” Sawyer said. “He’s going to have to play a lot of plays moving forward, so we’re going to have to get him in shape for that.”

For Washington, the game couldn’t have started on a worse note. Following a 14-yard run from Clinton Pope to open the game, Ruffin took the next handoff and came up short at the line. Grasping his left ankle, the Pam Pack’s premier back, a sophomore, was carried off the field with what Sawyer called a season-ending injury.

“He’s a young guy who we’re looking for big things from,” Sawyer said. “That hurts, but still we have other players on the team. I feel sorry for him and hoping him the best.”

Washington’s offense wouldn’t get far after the injury and on the same drive, a botched long snap went over punter Ben McKeithan’s head, placing the Vikings at the Pam Pack’s 11-yard line. Three plays later, Randolph punched it in on a quarterback keeper for the first score of the game.

After a quick three and out, Tarboro was back on the field, as the running game continued to pick up yards in bunches. Runs from Deontae Williams and Lyons quickly moved the Vikings up field, until Battle was able to plow his way through the Pam Pack front seven for six, giving the visitors a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Washington carried its final drive of the first quarter into the second, its longest series of the game, which consisted of 17 short-yardage plays. Keyes, who ran the ball seven times in the series, found the end zone on a run up the middle with 6:14 remaining in the quarter.

Following a punt from Tarboro, Washington executed an efficient 2-minute drill, but came up short on a dropped pass right in front of the end zone, a catch that would have tied the game at 14 heading into the half.

Tarboro’s defense came out fired up in the third quarter and limited Washington to just eight plays, including two punts. Offensively, a dynamic 43-yard touchdown run up the sideline on the first drive of the quarter from Pippen expanded the lead to 20-7. On the ensuing Tarboro possession, it was Lyons who sprinted 34-yards up the sideline for a touchdown, giving the Vikings a 26-7 lead that the defense would preserve.

Assuming a heavier load after the Ruffin injury, senior running back Clinton Pope rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries and was limited to just 3 yards in the second half.

The win is the Vikings’ first over Washington since they beat the Pam Pack, 34-21, in 2012. The loss drops the Pam Pack to 0-2 with a road matchup against D.H. Conley (2-0) on tap for Friday.