By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
The Pam Pack will look to get back on track tonight when it hits the road to take on reigning NCHSAA 2-A state champions Tarboro.
Last week Washington opened its season with a 28-15 road loss to North Pitt. The young team did what young teams do: showed signs of promise, but made a few key mistakes.
The fatal flaw in last week’s loss was turnovers, as the Pack gave the ball away four times to the Panthers.
“I think overall we had a lot of young people that learned a lot, they played hard and learned a lot,” Washington coach Sport Sawyer said. “On the negative side, we did have a lot of turnovers, and we can’t have turnovers and win ball games.”
Aside from working to cutback on turnovers Sawyer and his staff tinkered with the starting lineup on the defensive side of the ball, putting some familiar faces in old places.
“We put Marquin (Hill) back at defensive line, C.J. Cobb at linebacker, and we got Raphael Gibbs back; he couldn’t play in the first game,” Sawyer said.
Hill, who was an WDN all-area defensive tackle last season will be heading back to that spot after a brief stint as the team’s middle linebacker, while Cobb is shifting from defensive end to linebacker. Gibbs will be back at defensive end.
The Pam Pack offense has leaned towards being more of an I team this year, and when it didn’t turn the ball over, the offense had its moments.
Senior running back William Ellegor highlighted the unit’s effort as he rushed for two touchdowns and 130 yards on only 19 carries against the Panthers.
“The offensive line is pretty much a new group except for Kevin Chapman and they were firing off (the line of scrimmage),” Sawyer said. “I also liked the way our backs were hitting the holes. They hit the holes hard. (Quarterback) Jimmy Williams had some play-action passes and I thought he threw the ball well, and (TE) Johnny Broadway caught a few. I did see a lot of positives from the other night, but you just can’t turn the ball over.”
Tonight, the Pack will look to hold on to the ball as the face a Tarboro (2-A Eastern Plains Conference) team that won its season opener over Nash Central by the score of 20-0.
“Tarboro likes to run a 4-4 defense and on the other side they run the wing-T,” Sport said. “They are coming off of a state championship run last year and are very well coached.”