This week marks the end of the regular season. For some teams, it’s an opportunity to gain a last-second edge heading into the postseason. Moving a rung up the conference ladder can mean better playoff seeding. For others, though, it’s the last chance to prove something.

Northside kicked off the season in a promising way by winning its first two games. The Panthers haven’t done anything since. Despite coming off a shell shocking 58-6 loss at powerhouse East Carteret, they would like to finish on the right foot by topping a winless Lejeune squad for their first conference and only conference win of the year.

Washington and Southside, on the other hand, are chasing second-place finishes in their respective leagues. The Pam Pack host a struggling North Johnston squad. A win would mean a chance at a share of the conference title should Southwest Edgecombe knock off No. 1 Beddingfield.

Southside hosts Pamlico County with both set on finishing second in the league. Each team has only one loss in conference and East Carteret seems poised to finish a perfect 5-0.

 

WASHINGTON (6-4, 3-1 EASTERN PLAINS) VS. NORTH JOHNSTON (5-5, 1-3 EASTERN PLAINS)

Location: Choppy Wagner Stadium

Time: 7:30 p.m.

North Johnston comes into this matchup with a deceptive 5-5 overall record. Its five wins this season have come against teams that combine for five wins going into this last week of the season. The Panthers have the blueprint for a strong offense. It features a sort of duel-quarterback system. Senior Dallas Krob has appeared in every game and sophomore Trey Whitley has played in all but two.

Krob is the running threat under center. He leads the Panthers with 132 carries for 647 yards and five touchdowns. Fullback A.J. Edwards can pound Washington on the ground, too. The 230-pound senior has also hit pay dirt five times this season and has nearly 600 rushing yards.

Expect Krob to spend most of the time at quarterback. Whitley has thrown for 310 yards and four touchdowns, but he’s also been picked off nine times. That has hindered a North Johnston offense that has struggled in conference play. Plus, Krob can be a red-zone threat in the air. He’s thrown five touchdowns this year.

Even with those weapons available, North Johnston has only scored once in its last three games. A 7-6 win at North Pitt on Oct. 23 is sandwiched between shutouts at the hands of Farmville Central and Southwest Edgecombe.

The defensive plan will remain very much the same for the Pam Pack. The front seven should be able to contain the run effectively. Eliminating the ability to move the ball on the ground could result in the Panthers taking to the air. That could result in a couple of turnovers. The Pam Pack proved their ability to capitalize on turnovers in a 53-13 stomping of a strong Southwest Edgecombe team on Oct. 16.

Washington will utilize a similar dual-quarterback setup. Sharwan Staton will likely play most of the game because Washington shouldn’t have too much trouble rushing the ball. He, along with Clinton Pope and Jarquez Keyes, should have success against the Panthers’ front seven. Tripp Barfield may play a few snaps to give the opposition a different look.

PREDICTION: WASHINGTON 49, NORTH JOHNSTON 7

 

SOUTHSIDE (8-1, 3-1 COASTAL PLAINS) VS. PAMLICO COUNTY (5-4, 3-1 COASTAL PLAINS)

Location: Chocowinity

Time: 7 p.m.

Pamlico County visits Chocowinity with quite the challenge for Southside’s defense. Dual-threat quarterback Josiah Simmons will force the Seahawks defense to spread out and guard the pass and rush. Simmons has thrown for just over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. His favorite targets have been Lamont Murray, Jawaan Coffey and Caleb Barron.

He also makes up half of a skilled one-two punch with running back Jacobie Simmons. Both have run in eight touchdowns apiece.

Indeed, there are a lot of facets to Pamlico’s offense. Southside will be hard pressed to stop the Hurricanes. Turnovers will be rare considering that Simmons has thrown just two interceptions in nine games this year. It will be up to the Seahawks’ offense to keep up with the pace of the game.

As usual, Lawrence Brown and his prowess for moving the ball on the ground will be important. He will need Matt Baxter, Dylan Lewis and Amari Peele all to step up in the running game. Pamlico’s front seven is stout, but no one player jumps out on paper.

Southside should be successful should it follow the blueprint Jones Senior left. The Trojans distributed the ball evenly to a group of five rushers and were able to amass 271 yards and a touchdown because of it. The Trojans also proved it’s possible contain Pamlico’s run. Simmons’ 89 yards were the only thing the Hurricanes got on the ground last week.

PREDICTION: SOUTHSIDE 42, PAMLICO COUNTY 35

 

NORTHSIDE (2-8, 0-4 COASTAL PLAINS) AT LEJEUNE (0-9, 0-4 COASTAL PLAINS)

Location: Camp Lejeune

Time: 7 p.m.

Northside and Lejeune share the same objective when they meet in their respective season finales: win a conference game. Whichever team escapes with a win in this one will pull itself out of the basement of the Coastal Plains standings.

On paper, Northside has a slight edge on defense. The Panthers have allowed 136 points in their four league games compared to the Devil Pups’ 202. The Panthers coughed up 58 points to a deadly East Carteret offense last week, but Lejeune hasn’t scored in two games. All signs point to those problems continuing to plague the Devil Pups.

Five Panther rushers have over 200 yards on the ground this season. James Barrow will be the team’s featured running back. He has the capability to make big plays for an offense that is struggling in its own ways. Getting Jackson Midgette, Cashmir Blount, Chris Slade and Tyrece Taylor involved will help them take advantage of Lejeune’s defensive woes.

Limiting whatever big plays the Devil Pups are capable of will be a defensive key. Jones Senior was able to make a 35-yard run against the Panthers two weeks ago. Other than that, the defense was relatively stingy.

PREDICTION: NORTHSIDE 28, LEJEUNE 7