KINSTON — Revenge is a dish best served cold and on what’s expected to be a rain-drenched football field — fall football weather at its finest — the red-hot undefeated Vikings are looking to dish out a little retribution of their own tomorrow.

The state championship run may be a distant memory for the Pam Pack, which graduated 26 seniors last spring, but for a senior-laden Kinston team that returns a slew of first-teamers on both sides of the ball, the pair of 2014 games against Washington is hard to forget. The Pam Pack outscored the Vikings 51-0 in two contests at Choppy Wagner Stadium last season, including a rout in the second round of the 2-AA state tournament.

“They want some revenge from last year,” said head coach Sport Sawyer. “I think they have a little chip on their shoulder as well, so we have to be ready to play. We just want to take it one play at a time, one day at a time, and do what we’re capable of doing.”

This season, it’s Kinston — ranked No. 6 in the Maxpreps poll and No. 4 on CarolinaPreps.com — that enters as the clear-cut favorite at home to continue what’s been a flawless season thus far. Averaging 42 points per game through five games, head coach Ryan Gieselman brings a balanced and well-disciplined offense to the table, spearheaded by two seniors in quarterback Thomas Vermillion and tailback Tavon Herns. Through the last two road games against Southern Wayne and White Oak, Herns has combined for 321 yards and five touchdowns, all of which came against Southern Wayne last week.

“He’s run the ball very well so far and he can make moves once he gets the ball and he’s kind of big with a little power behind him,” Sawyer said. “And they’re capable of throwing the ball. If they spread us out, our D-line will be very important in getting that running game in check. If not, we have to get more people in the box, which means they’ll throw the ball as well. It’s very important to slow him down a little bit. If not, it’s going to be a long night.”

Offensively, the Vikings have been solid, but the Pam Pack’s biggest test will be trying to dissect a front seven that’s been one of the most productive in the East. Kinston is limiting opponents to less than a touchdown a game, a significant improvement over last season’s defense.

On the other hand, Washington certainly has weapons of its own. After a slow start to the season, running back Clinton Pope has been on a tear — 559 yards and four touchdowns through the last two games, while former quarterback Sharwan Staton has made a fine addition to the backfield, rushing for 127 yards on 16 carries last week.

When it comes to the running game, “it starts up front with the offensive line,” Sawyer said. “Those guys have been there the last couple of years and they do a very good job of making holes. Clinton, the more touches he gets the more confident he gets bursting up in the holes. (Senior Jarquez) Keyes is kind of a power back, but he’s fast as well. It’s been good to see those guys get more confidence, as well as Sharwan.”

Kinston has only faced a deficit once in four games, so Sawyer sees the first couple drives vital in establishing a rhythm.

“They’ll come out fired up,” he said. “I told our guys we need to keep playing hard and see where things fall into place. I think they’ll try some trick plays and have a lot of emotion because they’ve been playing very well. Against Tarboro (a 26-7 loss on Aug. 28), we got down and kind of didn’t know how to respond. Against these guys, we just have to be able to respond.”

With a 7 p.m. kickoff, Weather may also be an issue tomrorow, as heavy rain is expected throughout the contest. While other teams in the East have rescheduled to Monday night due to potential inclement conditions, Washington’s Thursday’s night meeting with Plymouth has eliminated the possibility of rescheduling for early next week.

“Football is supposed to be a grimy, crazy atmosphere, so it’ll be fun,” Sawyer said.

 

PREDICTION: KINSTON 29, WASHINGTON 21