The definition of a stereotypical football player has evolved through the last century. A game once reserved for gentlemen and college students is now ridden with distrust, delinquency and just plain stupidity.

From receivers dropping the ball in celebration before crossing the goal line to sexual misconduct among a certain faction, generalizations that were once reserved for the few are now applied to all of the NFL and, you can argue, all of football.

But not everyone deserves to be thrown into the same mixing pot. Overall, football players get a bad rap.

In high school, football players are commonly known as jocks or “the bullies,” their intelligence always in question. That typecast probably emerged due to a collection of youth-targeted movies released in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, but that’s beside the point.

This season, on a broader basis, misconduct’s relationship with football was exemplified at the high school level when the defending 4-A state champion, Dudley (Greensboro), was banned from the playoffs and later forced to forfeit 10 wins for rules violations and fielding an ineligible junior varsity player.

On Friday, the Pam Pack football team will host the first regional championship in school history, lining up against Elizabeth City Northeastern at 7:30 p.m.

Yesterday’s front-page story title “Paint it blue” discussed Washington’s “Long Blue Line,” the ethereal ancestry of Pam Pack football that stretches into the far reaches of history. Along that line are former college athletes, former NFL players and, most importantly, great people who continue to contribute to society.

It’s only fitting that this team, at this moment, sits on the cusp of a state championship appearance.

Sure, there aren’t many Division I athletes on this team and the likelihood of any player making the NFL are slim to none, but when talking about what it means to play for the Pam Pack, none of that matters, none of that is relevant. Like Bartow Houston, the originator of the “Long Blue Line,” said in yesterday’s article, it’s about playing for yourself and for those who came before you.

The 2014 version of Washington may or may not chisel its name into history this December. However, what this team has already accomplished is noteworthy.

The players “don’t get in trouble, their grades are very good and really represent the community and school very well,” said vice principal Ted Melton. Contradicting the widely accepted stereotype of what a football player should be is an accomplishment in itself. There’s more to the Pam Pack than successful football. There’s character and a great group of individuals.

Markel Spencer, a senior running back and Washington’s leading rusher, is an admirable leader for the team. Everything from his production on the field to the “yes sir, no sir” he uses in even the most casual of conversation is worthy of recognition. Quarterback Patrick Thompson, much of the same. Jamond Ebron, E.J. Peartree, Rayekwon Satterwaite … and the list goes on. Great kids raised by great parents learning to be men by great coaches — a recipe for success and the personification of Pam Pack.

Regardless of whether or not the Pam Pack win on Friday, this team and coaching staff has already etched their names along the “Long Blue Line.” They’ve made a community proud not simply for what they’ve done on the field, but for how they carry themselves.