As the high school football season enters its final weeks, two of the three county teams continue to bolster their resumes, as a high playoff seed and potential conference championship lie within reach.

For No. 6-ranked Washington (7-1, 2-0 EPC), last week’s seven-point win over Southwest Edgecombe gave the Pam Pack the keys to locking up its second-straight division title with three games remaining. Despite being held scoreless in the second half, defensive coordinator Jon Blank’s defense, one that has allowed less than seven points a game through the last five contests, got the job done in the second half and cut the Cougars comeback short. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Pam Pack’s performance over the last few weeks is a testament to its balanced and overtly successful approach.

So far, the storyline of the season lies in Chocowinity, where Southside (6-2, 2-0 CPC) has completely transformed its philosophy. Head coach Jeff Carrow has resurrected a program and turned it back to its proud but young history of winning football. But while Washington has its toughest conference games behind them, the Seahawks have yet to face the teams that make up top half of the table.

However, Southside, a team that began the season relying on its high-powered wing-T offense to outscore opponents, seems to have found, like the Pam Pack, a more equalized approach to winning ballgames. While the offense has remained consistent, the defense is averaging just six points a game in conference play, thus far. Southside has limited costly turnovers and racked up very little penalty yardage over its last few games. That’s a trend that needs to continue in order for Carrow’s team to continue its success.

On the north side of the county, it’s been a rough stretch of games for the Panthers (2-6, 0-2 CPC), whose lack of size up front is preventing them from containing, well, just about anything. The defense has given up 40 or more points in five of the last six contests and the offense, which has shown flashes of brilliance at times, is having trouble consistently moving the football. Obvious struggles aside, players like tailback Rockne Butler, quarterback Noel Howson and scatback Kermani Slade have an unrelenting desire to win football games. Their resilience and positive attitude are evidence of that. The trio of seniors will be instrumental in turning Northside’s season around and making sure every player is giving 100 percent, regardless of whether or not they’re winning.

 

WASHINGTON AT BEDDINGFIELD @ 7:30 P.M.

WILSON — Beddingfield, a squad that finished 4-1 in conference play last season, had a golden opportunity to improve to 2-0 in the Eastern Plains last week in Bethel against a struggling North Pitt team. However, the Panthers were able to steal a win, holding the Bruins’ offense to just 12 points.

It’s a run-heavy attack that has fluctuated between dynamic and inconsistent. Against a Washington defense that has been stellar of late, the Bruins can ill afford the latter, especially against one of the best players in the conference.

Running back Markel Spencer is coming off his biggest game of the year — a 188-yard, two-touchdown performance against a formidable Cougars defense. Head coach Sport Sawyer has admitted he’s been waiting for his senior back to break out. With 361 yards in his last two games, it appears Spencer has reached the peak of productivity.

Defensively, Washington captain Jamond Ebron suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of last week’s game and did not return. Sawyer says the Pam Pack linebacker will likely be sidelined for three weeks — a tough loss for the front seven.

 

NORTHSIDE AT JONES SENIOR @ 7 P.M.

TRENTON — This is the first of a three-game slate of very winnable games for the Panthers. Jones Senior, which is just 1-7 this season and coming off a blowout loss to Southside, is a great matchup for a Northside defensive line that needs a confidence boost.

The numbers are a bit skewed, considering the quality level of competition the team faced in out-of-conference play, but the Trojans offense is averaging just eight points a game this season — the second lowest in the Coastal Plains only to a winless Lejeune.

Despite a poor start to conference play, the Panthers, more than any other team at the bottom of the table, have the talent to turn their season around. Depth, on the other hand, is not something head coach Keith Boyd has the luxury of having.

 

SOUTHSIDE VS. EAST CARTERET @ 7 P.M.

CHOCOWINITY — With its play over the last five games, Southside is garnering some regional attention, deservedly so, but the Seahawks have a long way to go before they start thinking about the postseason. It begins tomorrow with the Mariners, who have experienced a slew of problems on the defensive side of the ball this season.

Offensively, junior Brennan Lewis is sporting a quarterback rating of 80.9 and has thrown nine touchdowns to five interceptions this season. He’s served as an excellent compliment to a deep core of running backs, including three (Markel Miller, Dominic Carter and Tydecian Simmons) who have notched over 400 yards on the ground.

Luckily for Southside, they have four to five backs capable of having a big night. However, defensively, the Hawks have yet to face an opponent that can beat teams through the air. This game will come down to whether or not coordinator Andrea Quinerly’s linebackers will be able to register plays and drop back into coverage when needed.