PLAYOFF PREVIEW ROUND 2: Pack, Hawks fighting for survival

Published 12:51 pm Thursday, November 20, 2014

SAVANNAH LUCAS | CONTRIBUTED OPTIONS UNLIMITED: After senior running back Markel Spencer went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, Washington used seven different rushers in the win over North Pitt last week in the first round of the 2-A state playoffs.

SAVANNAH LUCAS | CONTRIBUTED
OPTIONS UNLIMITED: After senior running back Markel Spencer went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter, Washington used seven different rushers in the win over North Pitt last week in the first round of the 2-A state playoffs.

Heading into second round of the 2-A state playoffs, the Washington Pam Pack and Southside Seahawks are the only county teams left standing.

Northside’s playoff run ended early in Pinetown last week at the hands of North Duplin, a team the Panthers knocked off 44-27 in the second week of the regular season. The Panthers defense allowed 28 second-half points en route to a 56-28 loss last Friday, as head coach Keith Boyd’s boys finished the season with a 4-8 record.

Even with running back Markel Spencer sidelined in the first quarter with an ankle injury, No. 1-seeded Washington went on to blast North Pitt at home, 35-7, utilizing seven different backs in the pistol offense. Stepfon Rodman, Xzavier Clark and Clinton Pope all finished with 50-plus yards in Spencer’s absence.

The real story was the defense. For the third-straight game, the Pam Pack has held opponents to just one score or less. The return of senior linebacker Jamond Ebron to the front seven seems to already be paying dividends.

Southside had very little trouble knocking off Creswell last Friday at home. The Seahawks recorded well over 400-yards of total offense in a 47-12 win, even without junior fullback Dylan Lewis. Matt Baxter finished with a season-high 173-yards rushing.

The secondary forced three interceptions and one fumble. It’s a defense that has looked shaky in recent weeks, but it’s a defense head coach Jeff Carrow is relying on moving forward.

 

#1 WASHINGTON VS. #8 KINSTON @ 7:30 P.M.

Head coach Sport Sawyer’s team has proved it can compete without its star running back, but it faces a Vikings team that has figured out how to win in recent weeks.

With a 7-5 record, Kinston enters having won five of its last six games. And the Vikings came just two points away from a conference championship, falling to Ayden-Grifton, 21-20, on Halloween.

Taking a more balanced overall approach, the Vikings have proved they can put points on the scoreboard against decent competition, while their defense has avoided being blown out over the last two months. But it’s a defense that’s been far from flawless, allowing more than 17 points per game in its last five contests.

Even with Spencer questionable for tomorrow, a fully healthy Washington defense that hasn’t given up more than two touchdowns since Sept. 5 should give the offense enough of a cushion to come through the win.

 

#4 SOUTHSIDE VS. #5 NORTH EDGECOMBE @ 7 P.M.

CHOCOWINITY — While Spencer is questionable for Washington, Southside’s Lewis is out for tomorrow’s game, still nursing a lower-body injury.

Lewis has been the most critical piece to Carrow’s wing-T scheme throughout the season, but has missed the last few weeks. As a result, Southside has learned to win without its primary offensive weapon, looking to other backs in the set for production.

Baxter has assumed a new role in the offense as the main ball carrier, a role that will likely continue tomorrow. Baxter is hardly the bruising back Lewis was, but has proved to be more elusive, while also contributing on the other side of the ball.

Both North Edgecombe an Southside share the same 9-3 record and, on paper, have actually shown similar inconsistency, though the Warriors offense has posted 40-plus points 18 times this season.

This game will come down to whether or not Southside’s front seven can contain the Warriors’ running game.