CRESWELL — Every Beaufort County team was excited to see how months of preseason work would payoff on Friday night when they got under the lights for the first time in 2016. Thanks to the weather, though, Northside was the only team in the area that would get to play.

The Panthers exploded out of the gate with a 47-0 domination of Creswell. Their ground assault got to work right away when James Barrow ran in two touchdowns within the first five minutes of the game.

Creswell fumbled the opening kickoff. Barrow took two handoffs from quarterback Jackson Midgette and ran a combined 19 yards to give Northside its first touchdown of the 2016 campaign.

The Panthers’ defense quickly stalled Creswell, giving the offense the ball back at midfield. Tyrece Taylor rumbled 17 yards into the red zone to set up Barrow’s second score of the game. It gave Northside a 14-0 advantage with 7:42 to play in the first quarter.

“He ran the ball well,” Northside coach Keith Boyd said. “That’s a tribute to the offensive line. We’ve got a line that can block this year. We’ve got a little size. We’re going to try and get down hill. They executed what we’ve been practicing all summer.”

Northside has some new additions to its offensive and defensive lines this year that give it size up front. Boyd was pleased with how those newcomers fared in their first game of the season.

“Jacob Boyd, on the offensive line, is our leader,” Boyd said. “An addition, Daniel Godley, he did well with the heavy tackles. On the defensive line, Jesse Black, who hadn’t played in two years because of injuries ­— those guys give us extra size that we haven’t necessarily had in the past.”

Midgette put his stamp on the game later in the first quarter when he faked a handoff and ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run up the middle. It was promising to see Midgette and Barrow — two of Northside’s offensive motors — dominate the game right away.

Even more promising was the way that some of the team’s younger players made an impact. Boyd opted to give experience to the younger Panthers once they built a quick, commanding lead in the first quarter.

No youngster stood out more than Johnathan Clark. The sophomore burst onto the scene with a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown that gave Northside a 27-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.

Clark impacted each phase of the game. In addition to his pick-six, he also forced a fumble. He stood out on special teams with a punt return that set up Northside inside Creswell’s 15-yard line, and then followed that up with a short scamper for a touchdown.

“Johnathan has got some talent,” Boyd said. “We’ve still got some younger guys coming along. That’s why we give them some playing time. … Next year, they’re going to have to jump in there. Johnathan is going to be one of our main guys next year. He’s a main guy for us this year. He’s going to start at cornerback.”

Northside added a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter. Midgette gave the Panthers their second defensive score with a pick-six of his own. Just before halftime, Parker Boyd took two handoffs outside to the right to set up Shaheim Brewington for a short touchdown run.

A statement win right away was nice to see for a Northside team that has high hopes for this season. However, the Panthers started off with two wins last season — including one against Creswell — before losing nine in a row. Boyd knows that they can’t rest on their laurels.

“We’ve got to work on everything. We’re not good after one win,” he said. “That’s going to be the main focus. We’re 1-0, but we can’t be satisfied.”

Rain forced both Washington and Southside to reschedule their games. The Pam Pack will play at Havelock Saturday at 7 p.m. The Seahawks now travel to North Duplin on Monday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.