Northside and Southside both hit the road for their penultimate games of the season. Washington returns home for the first time in nearly a month with three games left in the regular season.

The Pam Pack and Panthers each enter this week riding two-game winning streaks. Washington has been perfect through its two 2-A Eastern Plains Conference games, and looks to stay that way on a celebratory homecoming evening.

The Panthers are coming up on the end of a three-game road swing, but finish it off with a tough East Carteret club. It will be a tall order, but knocking off the Mariners on the road will give them a chance to earn at least a share of their first conference title since 1992.

Southside played its final home game of the regular season on Oct. 18. It was a losing effort to Jones Senior, but the Seahawks seemed poised to bounce back at a dismal Lejeune team. The Devil Pups have been thrown around like ragdolls all season.

This week marks a pivotal point in the season. Washington and Northside can both claim their spots among the best two or three teams in their respective leagues, and each Beaufort County team will hope to start gaining momentum ahead of the postseason.

 

NORTH PITT (1-7, 0-2 EASTERN PLAINS) AT WASHINGTON (2-6, 2-0 EASTERN PLAINS)

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Washington

Friday evening will be a special one in “Choppy” Wagner Stadium. Washington will host its homecoming festivities and will induct two new members into its Walk of Fame. The Pam Pack will also hope to pick up its third win since starting its conference campaign as it takes on a North Pitt club still searching for its first league win.

North Pitt’s lone win of the season came when it spoiled Northside’s homecoming on Sept. 30. Kinston is the lone opponent that the Panthers and Pam Pack share. The Vikings traveled to both locations, and picked up wins in both games. North Pitt fell to them, 26-6, in their season opener. The Pam Pack had a better showing in a 12-0 loss that featured a 40-minute shutout of the Vikings.

Washington’s defense has remained strong, and the offense has put together the pieces since then. The Pam Pack attack has found the finishing touch that it lacked against Kinston and other non-conference foes. Senior running back Suae Poe continues to lead the charge with 730 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the season. Hykeem Ruffin has been explosive, too.

Washington eagerly anticipated the return of Sharwan Staton last week at Beddingfield. He didn’t disappoint as her carried the ball 10 times for 59 yards and a score. Staton also had a catch for 22 yards and made a throw for 20 yards.

The defense will find its success making plays like it has for most of the season. Turner Ragland leads the team with seven sacks, and four other Pam Pack defenders have gotten to opposing quarterbacks on multiple occasions. Nazzir Hardy and Rontavion Floyd have been strong in the secondary, combining for seven interceptions.

They’ll be tasked with a North Pitt offense directed by Nytrell Chapman. With dynamic athletes around him, he has options to throw the ball or hand it off, but can also take it down the field on his own.

Washington is still coming into its own a bit. If Staton continues to get into a groove, and the rest of the team stays consistent, the Pam Pack will be well on its way to its third win in a row.

PREDICTION: WASHINGTON 28, NORTH PITT 7

 

NORTHSIDE (6-3, 2-1 COASTAL PLAINS) AT EAST CARTERET (8-1, 3-0 COASTAL PLAINS)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: East Carteret

Northside overcame a three-game midseason skid with a 20-12 win at Jones Senior last week. Not only did it put the Panthers back in the win column, but it almost assures them a spot among the top three in the Coastal Plains Conference.

Now coach Keith Boyd and the Panthers aim at building on what has already been their best season in some time with a monumental road win over a perennial juggernaut in East Carteret. Doing so will require each player to have his best performance of the season.

In that win over the Trojans, running back James Barrow rumbled for 189 yards. He’ll need another dominant showing like that — or perhaps even better than that — to spearhead a winning offensive effort. Quarterback Jackson Midgette, Chris Slade and Tyrece Taylor — all seniors, along with Barrow — will be instrumental in keeping up with the Mariners’ firepower, too. Midgette has 550 yards on the ground this year, and the others each have over 200.

They’ll have to keep the ball safe, too. Turnovers have been a bit of a thorn in Northside’s side this year. Midgette has thrown a modest three interceptions, but the Panthers have lost 13 fumbles. They don’t need to give the Mariners any extra scoring chances. Excluding their 84-point shellacking of Lejeune last time out, they’re averaging just over 33 points a game.

Cameron Cahoon (80 tackles), Rhys Alligood (71) and Parker Boyd (61) will spearhead Northside’s efforts to slow down East Carteret’s explosive offense. Mariners’ quarterback Jacobie Simmons has already thrown for 1,155 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He leads the team with 774 yards and another 10 touchdowns on the ground, too.

Northside must win the turnover battle by a landslide to escape with a win. Alligood and Tyrece Taylor have combined to force seven fumbles, and four Panthers have multiple interceptions on the season.

While Northside does stand a good chance to be the first Coastal Plains team to score on the Mariners, they may just prove to be too hard to keep up with.

PREDICTION: EAST CARTERET 28, NORTHSIDE 14

 

SOUTHSIDE (5-4, 1-2 COASTAL PLAINS) AT LEJEUNE (0-9, 0-3 COASTAL PLAINS)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Lejeune

It was 10 days ago that Southside saw its halftime lead over Jones Senior slowly disappear in a six-point loss. The Seahawks hoped to claim a spot in the top half of the Coastal Plains Conference rankings, but instead conceded defeat to the Trojans for the first time in program history.

Now the Seahawks are rested, angry and dead set on evening out their league leger. That will spell disaster for a Devil Pups squad that has struggled mightily this season.

Lejeune scored its first touchdown since Sept. 9 in a 22-8 loss to Pamlico County last week. It was only the second time the Devil Pups found the end zone this entire season, and they’ve been outscored 456-14 through nine games.

Simply put, Southside should be able to run all over the Devil Pups. Quarterback Marshall Medlock may get some chances later in the game to air it out in a low-pressure situation, so also look for Seahawks like Cody Modlin to get involved, too.

PREDICTION: SOUTHSIDE 49, LEJEUNE 0