For the 1956 Pam Pack football team, the 370-mile, six-hour trip from the mountains of Canton to flatlands of Washington in December was the longest any of the 33 players had ever experienced, an uneasy silence resonating throughout the bus, augmented by a gloomy, overcast evening and subfreezing temperatures.

As the bus pulled away, the bitter smell of the Champion International Paper factory slowly faded and the harsh reality of what had just occurred took its place.

It was supposed to be a team of destiny, a team that would bring the first state championship back to the banks of the Pamlico River. Washington entered with an unprecedented 11-0-1 record, boasting a defense that had allowed just a handful of touchdowns and a high-powered, dual-back offense accustomed to foiling opposing schemes and tracking down the end zone.

But instead of a trophy, head coach Choppy Wagner’s team returned empty handed. Memories of what could have been, along with a couple of black-and-white photographs, were, and still are, all that remain of the most successful team in Washington history.

The bus, which eventually arrived in Washington, took a detour down Main Street before heading back to the high school.

“I remember looking out the window and just seeing all these people there to greet us,” said Fritz Tanner, a senior right wingback. “They had the band out there and everything. Suddenly, you didn’t feel like losers. Then you started thinking about the great season you had. All of us relive that game quite a bit.”

Canton 33, Washington 6. It’s a score line that even 58 years later still echoes in the minds of the players and hundreds of fans who made the journey across the state.

“I think about it just about every day,” Tanner said. “I carried the ball on the very first play from scrimmage. They were running a seven-man line against us. I took a handoff — I was right halfback — and just as I got through the line, some guy caught me right by my ankle and pulled me down. If that hadn’t happened, I would have gone all the way in.”

For the first time that season, the Pam Pack entered underprepared for an opposing defense. Fielding a seven-man line, Canton limited Tanner and left wingback Bartow Houston to just a handful of big plays, as Washington failed to find the end zone in the first half.

Luckily for coach Wagner, his resolved front seven, which hadn’t let an opposing team within the 35-yard line in the previous six games, had done its job, allowing just one touchdown.

But halfway through the third quarter, two errors on special teams marked the beginning of the end for the Pam Pack. Canton outscored Washington, 27-6, through the final 15 minutes and took the title.

Washington had won the Northeastern Conference, considered one of the better 2-A groupings in the state, and had plowed through formidable teams like Jacksonville, Rockingham, Henderson and Williamston in the playoffs. It was a team that would ultimately send a collection of players to the collegiate ranks — N.C. State, East Carolina, Wake Forest, Army and The Citadel, among others.

And as for its Hall of Fame coach, it was the closest he would come to achieving the ultimate goal.

Today, there are nine players from that 1956 team still living in Washington, as the 2014 edition of the Pam Pack sits on the brink of history, three days away from competing in the first state championship since that brisk December day in 1956.

“Some memories fade, but you still remember the locker room, the different sights, the smells, the guys,” Houston said. “You had a bond and that’s what I hope these young men realize. It might sound cliché, but they’re a band of brothers and for those lucky enough to live as long as I did, they’ll look back and they’ll remember. They don’t know how much they’re going to remember yet, but they’ll remember.”

Bound by the “Long Blue Line,” Houston, Tanner and a collection of other players still meet on occasion to discuss the glory days of Pam Pack football. In 1996, a reunion was held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the championship run. The team was also recognized 10 years ago for the 50th anniversary.

Now, those 33 players are honored simply by the performance of the current team, one that is a win away from being deemed the best to ever wear the blue and white.

Whether its coincidence or fate, head coach Sport Sawyer’s Pam Pack bears a stunning resemblance to the 1956 team. The defense is considered one of the best in the state and the offense is carried by an arsenal of talented running backs, including senior Markel Spenser, who is among the area’s best.

The game of football has changed through the years. Today, the athletes are bigger, faster and more involved, but every Pam Pack player shares a common bond along the “Long Blue Line,” one that stretches 108 years into the past.

“My team is getting a second chance to go win that state championship,” Tanner said. “I feel like these guys have the talent and the strength to do it.”