By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
A little bit of home cooking could go a long way for the Washington Pam Pack football team in 2008.
Coach Sport Sawyer and his team will play seven of their 11 games at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium. That includes an endowment game in the season-opener Aug. 22 against North Pitt.
Prior to the season-opener, the Pack will scrimmage at Farmville Central on Aug. 12 and then at home Aug. 15 against First Flight and Plymouth, last season’s N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A state champions.
After playing at Tarboro on Aug. 29 in the annual Victory Bell Bowl, the Pack returns home Sept. 5 to take on the Northside Panthers.
Washington will close out its non-conference portion of the season Sept. 19 against Nash Central.
Sawyer’s team will open Coastal Conference play with consecutive road games, traveling to D.H. Conley on Sept. 26 and to South Central on Oct. 3.
The Pack will play host to West Craven on Oct. 10, which will be homecoming.
The Pam Pack will then take on J.H. Rose at home on Oct. 17.
Washington’s final away game of the regular season will be Oct. 24 against New Bern, the defending 4-A state champions.
The Pack will conclude the regular season with a pair of home games. Washington will battle Havelock on Oct. 31 in the annual Walk of Fame game, then end the season No. 7 on Senior Night against West Carteret.
The games against Rose and New Bern will be the last, at least for awhile, after realignment takes place beginning in 2009. Those two teams will be replaced by Jacksonville and White Oak, both 3-A members.
Sawyer said it’s unlikely the Rampants or Bears, both 4-A schools, would be picked up as non-conference opponents.
Price increase
Single-game tickets for all football games will go up from $5 to $7. WHS athletic director Darin Vaughan said conference schools voted in favor of the increase because of the mounting cost of fuel, officials and booking agents.
Season passes will be available to students and boosters. Prices have yet to be finalized, but Vaughan said the season passes will allow those holds to save some money.
Tickets for all other sporting events will go up from $5 to $6. Again, season passes will be available.