Football fans in the area are familiar with their favorite teams facing adversity. In most cases, it has come in the form of major injuries to key players. Losing a star to a season-ending injury can be debilitating for a team, especially when it takes place early on in the year.

East Carolina knows this all too well. The Pirates lost quarterback Kurt Benkert to a season-ending knee injury. Benkert had spent two seasons under the tutelage of Shane Carden and former offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley and was about a week out from being handed the keys to the infamous Pirate “Air Raid” offense.

Benkert’s absence put head coach Ruffin McNeill and new offensive coordinator Dave Nichol in a bind. They initially turned to junior-college transfer Blake Kemp — an accurate left-handed signal caller. The situation quickly evolved into a dual-quarterback system. Receiver-turned-quarterback James Summers burst on the scene, putting his playmaking abilities on display in a win over Virginia Tech.

The offense has since sputtered with the carousel under center. ECU has lost three in a row and seems out of contention for bowl eligibility.

Things are unfolding in a completely different way in Charlotte. The Panthers lost ace receiver Kelvin Benjamin, also to a preseason knee injury. Despite his absence, they’re 8-0 to start the season. Everyone from Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn Jr. to rookie Devin Funchess is getting involved in the passing game. Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton running the ball further spreads the defense, making Panthers fans almost forget about Benjamin.

Two teams with big preseason injuries. The key difference between the two is that one is finding a way to win.

State football playoffs begin on Friday. Washington and Southside both begin their journeys toward a championship. The objective this time of year is to simply find a way to win — a way to survive and advance.

Neither the Pam Pack nor the Seahawks are faced with notable injuries, but Washington coach Sport Sawyer is familiar with how hard it is to stay healthy at this stage in the season. He recalled the third round of the 2012 state playoffs. The Pam Pack, set to square off with defending 3-A state champion Havelock, lost quarterback Jimmy Williams to a back injury.

Washington ended up falling to Havelock in that game. Should something similar happen this year, Sawyer is confident in his team’s ability to rise to the occasion and find a way to win.

“We had to change things we were doing offensively,” he said. “We ended up losing that game … I think that’s something good about this team. You’ve got several guys that, if one man goes down, someone else comes in … One man doesn’t make a team. It takes several. I think these guys have got that mentality.”

Injuries aren’t a source of adversity as the Pam Pack enters the playoffs. That doesn’t mean they won’t face challenges. The players know it’s necessary to find a way to win this time of the year. If they can’t, then it’s the end of the road. It’s a mentality — arguably a game-changing mindset — that Sawyer has worked all season to instill in the Pam Pack. Mistakes have to be at a minimum and the team has to be able to rebound from any hardships it faces on the field.

“Physically, you’re as strong as you’re going to be and as fast as you’re going to be,” Sawyer said. “You’ve got to be on your A-game mentally, no matter what. That’s the biggest challenge: getting the guys mentally prepared. We’ve been trying to do that all year … Just building up to these moments.”

Washington and Southside will both host their first-round playoff games. The Pam Pack hosts Northside-Jacksonville and the Seahawks will duel with Southeast Halifax. Yet another challenge — albeit a welcomed one — arises in preparing for an unfamiliar opponent.

“It’s kind of exciting,” Sawyer said. “The last few years, we’ve seen some teams that we’ve played before. In the first couple of rounds, if it’s someone you haven’t played before, you look forward to the challenge.”

The true mark of a quality team is the way it responds to these different challenges. It’s what has allowed the Panthers remain undefeated through their first eight games, even without their best receiver. It’s what may hold back ECU and its stagnant offense from finishing with a winning record.

And it’s what may play a role in whether Washington and Southside are championship material.