Some are calling it the prep football game of the year. Others say it was the turning point for a young Pam Pack. Last Friday, Washington took its first step towards cohesion in a season-defining 35-34 win over D.H. Conley in Greenville, a breath of fresh air for a coaching staff that’s scrambled to find the winning formula.

Despite the much-needed victory and various personnel changes, the team’s youth and inexperience was exploited by the Vikings offense in the second half.

“Our kids needed to learn how to believe in themselves,” said defensive coordinator Jon Blank this week. “We have a lot of kids with inexperience at the varsity level. With that comes the lack of winning maturity and right now, we’re letting the mistakes affect our play. Hopefully, Friday night’s win will teach our guys that if you hang in there for four quarters it’ll work itself out at the end.”

Junior Tripp Barfield has assumed the role of field general for Washington moving forward, taking first-team reps this week and looking to improve on a solid first game under center. The Pam Pack will take advantage of the week off by building on the current blueprint and easing players into their new roles.

In the first meeting between two county rivals, Southside’s defense came through once again, lifting the Seahawks to a 22-8 victory over the Panthers, though head coach Jeff Carrow was hardly pleased with his team’s performance after the game. The Seahawks offense played well in between the 20s, but struggled to close in the red zone, an issue the coaching staff addressed during practice this week.

Allowing just seven points a game through three weeks, the Southside defense has exceeded most preseason expectations — 336 total yards of offense combined from North Duplin, Dixon and Northside. The Seahawks will look to continue that trend tomorrow when they take on Riverside in Chocowinity.

In a losing effort, Northside head coach Keith Boyd saw his team’s performance against a loaded Southside as promising. In retrospect, his team came just a few dropped passes and a pair of turnovers away from possibly pulling off the upset.

So far, Jackson Midgette has looked like the top quarterback in the county, completing over 50 percent of his passes and notching 348 yards through the air in three games. The running game is still a work in progress and has lacked consistency, but feature back James Barrow has looked sharp, averaging 5.7 yards a carry. For the second-straight week, Northside lines up against a quality 1-A opponent in South Creek, this time on the road in Robersonville.

 

NORTHSIDE (2-1, 0-0 Coastal Plains) AT SOUTH CREEK (2-1, 0-0 Two Rivers)

Location: Robersonville

Time: 7 p.m.

After a 7-7 finish last season, second-year head coach Grantley Mizelle returned a slew of talent on both sides of the ball this season, players he’s hoping well carry South Creek to it’s first winning record in quite some time.

Senior Aaron Little, a dual-threat quarterback, is coming off a solid performance against rival Riverside, completing 7-of -12 passes for 137 yards, testing the Knights’ secondary. But it was senior running back Roman Frayer who made the biggest statement, barreling his way through the defense for 223 yards on 13 carries, scoring all three of South Creek’s touchdowns on 13 carries.

Northside’s undersized defensive line will have its hands full tomorrow against not only Frayer, but senior Rondrell Andrews as well. Andrews is averaging 8.7 yards a carry and has complimented Frayer nicely in the offense. South Creek has had some success defending the pass, so look for coach Boyd to lean on his stable of power backs to take on the Cougars’ D-line.

PREDICTION: SOUTH CREEK 37, NORTHSIDE 15

 

SOUTHSIDE (3-0, 0-0 Coastal Plains) VS. RIVERSIDE (2-1, 0-0 Two Rivers)

Location: The Nest

Time: 7 p.m.

CHOCOWINITY — Coming off a competitive 21-20 win over South Creek last week, Riverside head coach Asim McGill will face his toughest defensive challenge yet tomorrow on the road. But the Knights’ offense is certainly no pushover.

In a balanced, spread offensive attack, senior quarterback Jeremiah Wilson has completed 30 passes for 487 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, but has also thrown four interceptions, including two against the Cougars last week. Wilson will matchup against a Seahawks secondary that has essentially been the key to the team’s success through the first three weeks, allowing just nine completions and 152 yards through the air.
Wilson also leads the Knights in rushing, carrying the ball 43 times for 173 yards, while junior Tyler Carr and senior Malik Smith make up the rest of the Riverside running game.

Riverside’ defense, which is averaging 23 points per game, will look to stymie the dynamic Seahawks running game, which recorded 311 yards on the ground against Northside last week. This should be the toughest nonconference test for Southside.

PREDICTION: SOUTHSIDE 25, RIVERSIDE 21