Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The year 2024 is officially behind us. It’s now 2025.

But what a 2024 it was.

Andrew Harding won a state title in cross country. Pungo Christian’s girls soccer team also won a state title. Other teams came close as Northside’s baseball and softball teams reached the championship series. Other individuals and teams came close and a Washington softball player struck out every batter she faced, a feat so rare only five others have ever done it in North Carolina.

Let’s hope 2025 is as exciting as 2024.

Wrestling

The Pam Pack advanced to the Class 2A East final before falling to Seaforth. Before that, the Pam Pack won their 10th straight conference title. Individually, 11 of 14 wrestlers advanced to the state tournament as Washington won its third regional title in 11 years under current head coach Chris Penhollow.

— Northside also had three wrestlers advance to the state tournament.

Swimming

Washington’s Aubrey Woolard just missed the medal stand at the 2A state swim meet in Cary. She was fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and ninth in the 100-freestyle preliminary.

Softball

Washington lefthander Emma Orr, then a junior, became the sixth pitcher in North Carolina softball history to throw a perfect game in Friday’s 6-0 home victory over East Carteret. She threw 103 pitches and struck out all 21 batters. She had several full counts but got a strikeout each time.

Soccer

Pungo Christian Academy rode a wave of momentum in winning the NC Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1A state title. The Raiders finished 16-2, winning their final 16 games, after a 5-0 win over Cresset Christian Academy in the state final. The championship was the fifth in school history and the fourth in the last three years. Four team members earned All-State accolades: Katie Baxter, Julia Rouse, Autumn Gibbs and Reagan Walker. It’s the most honorees in school history.

— Washington’s boys soccer advanced to the third round of the Class 2A state playoffs before falling to Greene Central. It was the third loss to the Rams in the season for the Pam Pack, who finished 20-3-1 with the tie against North Pitt.

Cross country

Andrew Harding has been so close to winning a state title. The Northside senior capped a brilliant high school career by winning the state title and breaking the record for the fastest time in Class 1A at the NC High School Athletic Association state championships. Harding won the individual title in 15:28.84. That broke the previous record by eight seconds held by Blake Nicholson of Christ the King last year. Nicholson placed third in this year’s race.

Baseball and softball

It was a double feature for the Northside baseball and softball teams. Both squads reached the state finals but fell short of winning the Class 1A crowns. The Panthers baseball team lost a tough 2-1 decision to Uwharrie Charter in eight innings then dropped a 6-1 decision the next day. Northside’s softball team won the first game over East Wilkes, 3-0, but dropped the next two games — 7-5 and 9-3.

Cheerleading

The Northside High School cheerleading team finished third in their division at the 22nd annual Cheerleading Invitational. The Panthers had a final score of 41.05 to finish behind winner Princeton (56.65) and Coastal Plains Conference foe East Carteret (53.1) in the Varsity Performance Medium/Large Division 2.

Football

Northside, Southside and Washington each qualified for the state playoffs but didn’t last very long in the postseason. Southside lost at Warren County while Washington fell to Wallace-Rose Hill in the first round. Northside got a first-round bye but lost to Gates County in the second round.

Football coaches resign

Southside head football coach Jeff Carrow stepped down but will remain as an assistant coach. Seahawks Athletic Director Andrea “Coach Q” Quinerly took over the role. A few weeks earlier, Matt Taylor stepped down as Washington’s football coach. He took an assistant coach job at D.H. Conley, where he coached before coming to Washington. A new football coach for the Pam Pack has not been announced.