Washington loses heartbreaker to Ayden-Grifton; Columbus comes up big in Northside win

Published 2:38 am Saturday, November 2, 2024

By Jason O. Boyd

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It was an outcome that Washington’s football team has seen far too often at home this season. Once again, it wasn’t without a lack of trying.

Ayden-Grifton scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:53 left, then held on as Washington just missed out on a dramatic finish in a 35-31 loss on Senior Night on Friday in the regular-season finale.

The Chargers (5-4, 5-1 EPC) wrapped up the regular-season title as the outcome and Farmville Central’s 72-56 win over North Pitt paved the way. There is now a four-way tie for third between Washington (4-6, 3-3), North Pitt (5-5, 3-3), Greene Central (6-4, 3-3) and Farmville Central (7-3, 3-3).

Next week is the extra bye week created by the NC High School Athletic Association to help schools in the western part of the state impacted by Hurricane Helene. It gives the Pam Pack and others a week to regroup before the state playoff pairings are announced on Nov. 10.

Washington has lost each of its home games this season, four of them by a combined 17 points and three in the EPC.

“We just made too many mistakes,” Washington coach Matt Taylor said. “When you’re playing a team and you’re that balanced, and I thought the better team lost tonight. “I thought we went out there and we played and executed and we just didn’t … we just made too many mistakes and they capitalized and that’s what good teams do. 

“And they’re well coached and they had a good game plan and they made some adjustments and they did a good job stopping our run in the second half and we could never get it going. Hats off to the conference champs.”

In the first quarter, it appeared as if the Chargers and Pam Pack were trying to one-up the Farmville Central-North Pitt game for points. The two teams swapped four touchdowns in the first quarter. EJ Ruffin picked off a Washington pass for a 52-yard touchdown before Washington’s Tyquez Nelson scored from 8 yards out to tie it at 7-all. The Chargers got a passing touchdown for 28 yards about two minutes later before Pam Pack running back Keondrick Melton pounded the ball in from 15 yards to tie it at 14-all.

Melton rushed for 169 yards on 17 carries in the first half but was slowed by an injured thumb and an Ayden-Grifton defense that held him to 27 yards on 11 carries in the second half.

“Keondrick was talking about his thumb was not well and so … The very first run play, he got it jammed really bad and then a guy stepped on it the second run play and it just made it difficult. But that didn’t affect him any. He ran his butt off.”

Ruffin and Melton traded touchdown runs in the second quarter to keep the game close at 21-all at the half. The Pam Pack put together a four-minute drive to start the third that ended with a 28-yard field goal by Gabe West with 7:14 left. The field goal came after Washington recovered an onside kick to start the second half.

That ignited the offense for both sides again. Ruffin scored another touchdown from 30 yards out five minutes later before Jarryn Payne caught a pass, twisted and broke free for a 44-yard touchdown and a 31-28 Washington lead with 1:07 left in the third.

Loyalty Fuller capped the scoring with 4:53 left when he darted in from five yards out for the Chargers.

Washington had two cracks to take the lead after that. The first resulted in a fumble by Melton that the Chargers recovered. The Pam Pack got the ball back with 1:44 left after stopping Ayden-Grifton at the Pack 7.

Washington quarterback Evan Makepeace converted four passes to Payne that got the ball to the Chargers’ 26. Payne fell down in the end zone on double coverage as Ruffin got his second pick, this one with 6.6 seconds left, to seal the outcome. Payne hobbled with help off the field.

“I mean, they won the game and it’s just, it’s tough,” Taylor said. “We’re three and three in the conference and all three of our games have been absolute heartbreakers. They’ve been absolute heartbreakers and then we won three games all by double digits.”

Northside 43, Lejeune 0

YEATESVILLE, N.C. — Northside wrapped up the No. 1 Class 1-A seed in the Coastal Plains Conference with an impressive victory.

The Panthers (7-3, 3-1 CPC) were led by an incredible ground game, led by Sincere Columbus’ 268 yards and six touchdowns on 22 carries. He scored on runs of 63, 37, 53, 8, 1 and 12 yards. Malachi Moore had Northside’s other touchdown run.

The Panthers finished with 426 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Panthers were led by Max Vansant (6 tackles, pass deflection) and Jack Dehoog had four tackles. 

East Carteret 41, Southside 7

BEAUFORT, N.C. — East Carteret scored all of its points in the first half in wrapping up a perfect Coastal Plains Conference season.

The Mariners (6-4, 4-0) are the only 2-A team in the league. Northside won the 1-A bid after beating Lejeune.

East Carteret jumped to a 14-0 lead with about 3 minutes left in the first quarter after a passing touchdown. The Mariners got four touchdowns in the second quarter, three via rush. Three of their touchdowns covered 65, 42 and 67 yards.

Southside (1-9, 1-3) scored a rushing touchdown as Devonelle Brimmage ran in from 22 yards out near the end of the game to avoid the shutout.

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