While Washington continues to garner regional rankings, accolades and recognition, 49 football players wait uncomfortably in the shadows, looking on as their older, more experienced counterparts drive the varsity team to its best record in the Sport Sawyer era.

These athletes, mostly freshmen and sophomores, make up the Pam Pack junior varsity squad, one that is often bypassed by fans and considered nothing more than a feeder system.

But this year is different.

Carried by a duo of dynamic running backs, paired with a game-managing quarterback and a front seven that lights up the stat sheet, the junior varsity team is having its best season in 15 years.

“The talent is there. We set our goal at the beginning … we wanted to go 10-0. We felt like that was realistic,” said head coach Steven Flowers.

Like the varsity team, the JV squad traditionally faces Tarboro to kick off the regular season. Repeatedly, the Pam Pack has suffered a series of blowouts at home and on the road. This time around was no different, as the preseason goal of an undefeated season was quickly erased by a 26-6 loss at home.

However, the team pledged to stay together and put the past behind them. The result? The Pam Pack junior varsity team has won its last eight games — it’s longest win-streak since the team went undefeated in 1999.

“They don’t mind working hard,” Flowers said. “We tell them to run sprints and they get in there, run hard and are enthusiastic about it. They seem to realize the harder they work, the better they’re going to be.”

Following the loss in the home opener, the Pam Pack went on to shutout its next two opponents on the road — Conley and West Craven, both respectable teams with much larger enrollments. The defensive production, centered around linebackers Mark Halbert, Logan Little, Anderson Cooper and Nazir Hardy, stayed consistently strong throughout the season. The Pam Pack went on to hold Riverside to just one touchdown, shutout Kinston on the road and did enough to edge every Eastern Plains Conference team, thus far. In total, the defense gave up just 10 points per game. But once conference play began on Oct. 9, it was the offense that stepped up and kept the team in every ballgame.

Quarterback Sharwan Staton limited turnovers down the stretch, while running backs Hykeem Ruffin and Sueshawn Poe continuously ran over opposing defenses, contributing to Washington’s 31 points per conference game.

Tomorrow, Washington seeks revenge against the reigning conference champion North Johnston, a team that has struggled on both sides of the ball. Last season, a 6-0 win over the Pam Pack locked up the championship for the Panthers. In 2014, the tide has turned and it’s Washington who can secure its first Eastern Plains Conference title with a win at home.

“We work hard and we set our goals and right now out goal is within reach. It would mean a lot to them to pick up this big win,” Flowers said. “I am just very proud of these kids, very proud.”

For Poe, Staton and the rest of Flowers’ playmakers, their time on junior varsity is likely coming to a close, as they prepare to join the varsity ranks once the playoffs begin.

“The running backs we have dominate at a JV level,” Flowers said. “Attending a real varsity practice, they’ll see what a varsity defense can do. They know what kind of work they need to do. It gives them confidence and that’s really all they need.”

Junior varsity’s success hints at a bright future for Sawyer’s program, even with 26 seniors graduating in May. And while the chances of Poe picking up where Markel Spencer left off are slim, the outlook is favorable for Washington.