For the second-consecutive season, the Pam Pack will be playing football in December. Another overpowering defensive performance lifted Washington to a 28-0 victory over Roanoke Rapids in the third round of the 2-AA state playoffs Friday night.

Next week, Choppy Wagner Field will have to salvage whatever grass it can spare, as it will bear the brunt of a regional final meeting with Northeastern, a team that knocked off Southwest Edgecombe in its third round matchup.

‘Defense wins championships and we have a great defensive group,” said head coach Sport Sawyer. “We’re trying to get better each week and we’ll see how next week roles.”

The win also marked a notable milestone for the Pam Pack’s leading rusher. With a 153-yard performance, senior Markel Spencer eclipsed Travis Daniel’s record of 5100 yards, making Spencer the all-time leading rusher in the Sport Sawyer era and one of the best in school history.

“He battled through the injury and was hampered the first could weeks, but this week had great practices,” Sawyer said. “He felt good tonight and it showed, him hitting the holes.”

Roanoke Rapids, the champions of the Northern Carolina Conference, entered as the No. 4 seed in the bracket with a 10-3 record, all three losses coming on the road by two-or-more touchdowns.

On Friday, the Yellow Jackets struggled to move the ball against a Washington front seven that kept quarterback De’Juan Walker under constant duress. Even sophomore running back D.J. Jones, who entered having recorded over 1500 yards, failed to notch a single double-digit-yard run.

After both teams exchanged possessions to open the contest, Spencer and Stepfon Rodman worked the ball to midfield. Then, aligned in a wildcat formation, Rayekwon Satterwaite received the direct snap, fought his way right up the gut, shook off a host of Yellow Jackets defenders and broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run with 2:24 remaining in the quarter.

A medley of offside penalties moved the ball for Roanoke Rapids, but the running game was still dormant, as the Washington defense picked up three sacks in the second quarter. Following a nine-yard run from Spencer, this time it was Xzavier Clark who found an opening and took it up the sideline for 49-yards, giving the Pam Pack a 14-0 lead.

After a quick three-and-out from the defense, Washington struck again on its ensuing possession. On the second play of the drive, Spencer went up the middle, untouched, for a 61-yards touchdown. And just 1:30 later, following yet another three-and-out, Clark, Spencer and Rodman began to pick up yards in bunches, eventually working their way into the red zone. Quarterback Patrick Thompson would later connect with receiver Zac Bridgeman for an 8-yard touchdown, giving Washington a 26-0 lead heading into the break.

Fresh off an ankle injury, Sawyer has content with Spencer and Clark’s performance in the first half. Spencer took his place on the sideline and Clark was limited to just four carries through the final 24 minutes.

With junior Clinton Pope taking over as the primary back, Washington continued to move the ball, but would fail to find the end zone in the second half. However, the first team defense remained on the field and did not hold back. A Brandon Jackson-forced safety being the only score, Roanoke Rapids was held to under 50 yards of total offense through the final two quarters, as Washington drained the clock on offense.

On top of Spencer’s standout performance, Clark also finished with 115 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. For Roanoke Rapids, Jones finished with 30-yards rushing on 17 carries.

With the win, the Pam Pack has now won 13-straight games and will host Northeastern at 7:30 p.m. next Friday with a spot in the state championship on the line.

“Home field advantage is big,” Sawyer said. “We like our fans, we like our players, we like everything. It’s big to be right here at home and we’ll see where things fall. There are some things to correct, but overall it’s about the team. When we play hard, I like what we do.”