A punishing running game and a stingy defense brought Washington’s Pam Pack a 27-0 win over Eastern Plains Conference foe Farmville Central on a homecoming Friday night at Choppy Wagner Stadium.

The win puts the Pam Pack at 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the conference. The visiting Jaguars are 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Each team entered the contest with identical records — 3-3 overall and 0-0 in the Eastern Plains Conference.

Washington’s Suae Poe scored on touchdown runs of 32, 27 and 14 yards to pace the Pam Pack to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first half. Poe, who did not run the ball in the second half, finished the first half — and game — with 153 yards rushing on eight carries (unofficial totals). Ben McKeithan kicked the point-after-touchdown on each of the three first-half touchdowns.

While the Pam Pack offense was churning up yardage, the Washington defense pitched a shutout. The Jaguars reached the Washington 4-yardline late in the first half but two consecutive 5-yard penalties against the Jaguars and sack of Jaguars quarterback Shaft Parker put the visitors on the 25-yardline with a fourth-and-22 situation. Parker’s pass to running back Kashon Baker was incomplete. The Pam Pack took over on downs.

Washington defender Austin O’Neal harassed the Jaguars offense all night, collecting several tackles for losses and keeping the Jaguars’ running game from picking up momentum. He also forced Parker to hurry several passes that fell incomplete or were out of bounds. The Pam Pack defensive line and secondary were relentless in bottling up the Jaguars’ offense. Defender Nazzir Hardy thwarted another Jaguars drive in the fourth quarter when he intercepted Parker’s pass on second-and-eight play originating at the Pam Pack’s 41-yard line.

The Pam Pack’s Clinton Pope scored on a 1-yard run with 7:44 left in the third quarter to put the home team up 27-0. Alban Paul’s PAT attempt was no good.

Pam Pack quarterback Tripp Barfield had passes of 20 yards, 15 yards and 14 yards to pick up two first downs during Pam Pack drives in the first half. Two of those passes were to Matthew Black.

The Jaguars’ Baker was the lone offensive threat to the Pam Pack, but he was held to 56 yards on 11 carries, including one 20-yard scamper for a first down in the first quarter. Baker left the game in the second half after being injured on a run.

“Our defense stepped up and did a great job of stopping them (Jaguars),” Pam Pack head coach Sport Sawyer said as his team celebrated the win.

“We were able to run the ball well, which allowed us to open up our passing game a little bit,” Sawyer added, noting that the Pam Pack is primarily a running team that uses several backs to churn out yardage.

“Austin played a great game for us. He was all over the field,” said Sawyer.

There was no doubt the Pam Pack defenders wanted a shutout. As the final minutes of the fourth quarter ticked away, those defenders were shouting, “Goose egg, baby. Goose egg, baby.”

Washington travels to Southwest Edgecombe next week in another Eastern Plains Conference contest in Pinetops. The Cougars were undefeated entering their game with North Pitt on Friday, and they remain undefeated at 7-0 after a 42-0 win over the Panthers.

Sawyer said the tilt with the Cougars is an important game for the Pam Pack. Picking up a win over the Cougars (1-0 in the conference) next week would give the Pam Pack momentum as it heads into the heart of its conference schedule.