By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
Washington will be seeking a little revenge, and hoping to reclaim the prize, when it battles Tarboro in the annual Victory Bell Bowl.
The Pam Pack (1-0) and Vikings (1-0) will clash at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium tonight. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.
“It’s a tradition between Washington and Tarboro with the bell,” Washington coach Sport Sawyer said. “You’re playing for a little something there to add something to the game, but it’s an important game for us, period.”
Tarboro, last year’s Class 2-A state runners-up, ran all over Washington in last season’s game. The Vikings, who play in the Eastern Plains Conference, ran for 349 yards in that 2008 victory.
It was the second straight Victory Bell Bowl win for the Vikings. Washington last won the bell in 2006 with a 27-10 victory.
“They have a solid team,” Sawyer said. “They have a lot of seniors and a lot of starters that returned from last year.”
The Vikings run out of the “T” formation. The Pack will have to be prepared for a lot of deception and misdirection.
“It’s a difficult offense for us to prepare for because, typically, we don’t see that too much,” Washington defensive coordinator Jon Blank said. “Basically, we’re just looking for our guys to play their responsibilities.”
Tarboro is coming off a 39-0 victory against Nash Central. Quarterback Markel Pettaway led the Vikings’ 240-yard rushing effort with 67 yards on the ground, which included a 60-yard scoring jaunt. Pettaway also had two scoring tosses to Lakevious Battle, which covered 53 and 47 yards.
Damarius Harper added 58 yards rushing and a pair of scores.
The Pack is coming off a 27-0 win over North Pitt. Washington ran for 312 yards, led by Dakuan Spencer’s 92-yard, one-touchdown effort.
Kashief Foreman ran for 67 yards, while quarterback Trey Harris added 61 yards and a touchdown.
Harris (4 of 9, 54 yards) and Spencer (1 of 1, 51 yards) both threw touchdown tosses.
Ronnie Woolard had a solid game defensively for the Pack. The senior linebacker had nine tackles and three fumble recoveries.
“He’s around the ball all the time,” Blank said of Woolard. “He just has a very good nose for the ball, and he really brings an element to the defense that we didn’t have at linebacker last year.”
Amiar Johnson added nine tackles, including three tackles-for-loss, while Marquin Hill and Raphael Gibbs had seven tackles apiece. Tony Turnage and Josh Brown each had interceptions.
Sawyer is hoping for that same type of effort tonight.
“We have to minimize our mistakes, minimize our turnovers and minimize our penalties,” Sawyer said. “We have to come up big on plays.
“If we do, I think we have a team that can play with (Tarboro) and beat them. At the same time, if we have a lot of turnovers, penalties and mistakes, it could be a long night.”