By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
About the only pretty aspect of Friday night’s football game between Washington and White Oak was homecoming queen, Holly Davenport.
While it may have been ugly, the Pam Pack used a staunch defense to hold off the White Oak Vikings, 7-3, at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium. The defense, which bailed out a sputtering offense, helped Washington snap a two-game skid in Coastal Conference play.
“This was great,” said Pam Pack senior linebacker Cole Hartley, who helped limit the Vikings to 123 total yards of offense. “I think this is a confidence-booster for our next three games, and we’ll use this as a stepping stone.”
Trey Harris scored the game’s only touchdown, coming on a 1-yard keeper early in the second quarter.
The defense of the Pack (4-4, 2-2) allowed just a 28-yard field goal by Josh Walter on the game’s opening drive. Walter missed two attempts of 40-plus yards later in the game.
A swarming and relentless defense came up big in crucial situations. The Pack had a goal-line stand in the second quarter after the Vikings (4-4, 2-2) had driven to the Washington 1-yard line. Going for it on fourth-and-goal, running back Darrius Edwards was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
“We just said that we had to hold them,” junior defensive lineman Marquin Hill said. “We didn’t want a three-game losing streak. We knew we had to get this win.
“The guys just came together. We were tired, but we just had to fight.”
The Pack defense, led by the likes of Hartley, Hill, Ronnie Woolard and Kevin Chapman, came through again in the third quarter. The Vikings got as close as the Washington 4-yard line, but the Pack turned them back once again. Going for it on fourth-and-2, Tamari White (27 carries for 130 yards) was stopped a yard short of the first-down marker.
“I’m very proud of my guys,” Washington defensive coordinator Jon Blank said. “I challenged the guys. I thought we lacked a little bit of heart last week (in a loss) to Havelock, and I really challenged them this week to get their swagger back.”
The Washington defense forced a White Oak punt with 4:28 to play in the game. After so many three-and-outs — the Washington offense gained just 96 yards of total offense, it appeared the defense would be called upon again. However, sophomore quarterback Trey Harris broke off first-down runs of 17 and 14 yards, and senior running back Josh Brown added another first-down run, as the Pack was able to eat up the clock.
“That was definitely positive,” Washington head coach Sport Sawyer said. “The offense sputtered all night, but with the last four minutes and our backs against the wall, the boys came through.
“It was very important to get this win. It was good to even up the conference mark.”
White Oak drove down the field rather easily on the game’s first possession. White rushed for 67 yards on seven carries to set up Walter’s field goal.
The Pack’s lone scoring drive started at the White Oak 30-yard line. Harris hit Tony Turnage for an 18-yard gain. Moments later, Harris (16 carries for 52 yards) capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge behind center.
The Pack plays its final away game next Friday night at D.H. Conley. Washington concludes the regular season with home games against South Central on Oct. 30 and against West Carteret on Nov. 6.
White Oak Washington
9 First Downs 8
41-110 Rushes-Yards 32-71
13 Passing Yards 25
12-5-0 Pass-Comp-Int 11-3-1
5-36.2 Punting 6-31.6
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-1
10-57 Penalties 5-50
White Oak 3 0 0 0 — 3
Washington 0 7 0 0 — 7
Scoring Summary
WO — Josh Walter 28 field goal, 8:10, 1st
W — Trey Harris 1 run (Hatteras Brooks kick), 9:31, 2nd