Big Blue enters tonight’s game with West Craven red hot as the Pam Pack is coming off of its most exciting win of the season.
Down 21-0 on the road against former Coastal Conference rival D.H. Conley, Washington ripped off 28 unanswered points to cap off a miraculous 28-21 stunner of the Vikings.
The Pam Pack’s vaunted running game took three-plus quarters to catch fire but when it did there was no way to put it out. Junior running back Markel Spencer ignited the inferno with an 80-yard touchdown run and Stevie Green poured gasoline on it with touchdown runs of 39, 25 and 6 yards.
Spencer finished the game with 124 yards and a score on 18 carries, while Green tallied 112 yards and three TDs on 12 attempts. On the season, Spencer has churned out a team-high 448 yards thanks to his 7.4 yards per carry average, while Green is gaining 9.03 yards per attempt for a total of 298 yards.
While Spencer and Green are dynamic athletes, those gaudy numbers could not be achieved without some solid work by the offensive line.
“Our rushing game has been really good and our offensive line is going out and making blocks and creating holes,” Washington coach Sport Sawyer said. “Right guard Mathew Wescott is the leading the way and he is joined by Neil Jennings, Lane Jackson, Connor Sawyer, George Briley and Kyle Krajewski is playing tight end.”
Not to be overlooked is a Pam Pack defense that came up with key stops during the team’s rally against D.H. Conley and provided the offense an extra possession during that run when Elijah Randle got an interception.
“Defense is what we’ve been hinging on this year,” Sawyer said. “We have a lot of people back and we are going to continue to ride our defense as far as we can.”
Senior linebacker Karim Topping was stout against the Vikings, racking up a team-high 12 tackles, with three of them for a loss, while fellow linebackers Tarahje Burke and Brandon Jackson had 11 stops each.
After facing run-heavy teams for the past two weeks, that defense must now prepare for an up-tempo West Craven (2-1, Coastal Conference) team that utilizes a spread attack.
“They throw the ball a lot,” Sawyer said. “We have to make sure we’re on in pass coverage and make sure we stay on top of their receivers. They use two quarterbacks and they can both run too.”
Alkeim Harley has been the Eagles main QB as he’s completed 53 percent of his passes for 126 yards, while throwing four TDs and four interceptions.
The Eagles started out the season with wins over Edenton and South Central before falling to New Bern 36-12 in Week 3.
The key for the Pack this week lies in its ability to slow down the West Craven passing attack.
“We need to limit their big passing plays,” Sawyer said. “They throw a lot of vertical routes. We have to limit those.
“On offense, we just have to continue to move the ball and improve on our passing game.”