I couldn’t have asked for a better time to start as the new sports editor of the Washington Daily News. I got to follow along and tell the story of a special group of young men that made up the Washington High School boys’ soccer team. These gentlemen — led by a strong contingent of seniors — built a championship program. It took years to get to that level and culminated Saturday.

I had the pleasure of seeing the Pam Pack work their magic long before I arrived in Washington. I saw them handle an admirable Greene Central squad over a month prior to starting this job. Kyle Hodges struck first and Greyson Schmitt and Rob Zerniak turned in multi-goal efforts as they cruised to a 6-0 win against the Rams.

I knew then and there that this was a special team.

That was on Sept. 14. Fast forward over a month and I was watching the Pam Pack decimate Beddingfield in their regular-season finale. They sent a warning to future playoff opponents in the form of an 8-1 win over the Bruins.

They followed through on that, too. No. 2 Washington then went on to knock down each obstacle en route to the title game in Raleigh. The Pam Pack won their five playoff games by a combined score of 26-5, earning the right to challenge No. 1 Salisbury for the 2-A state championship.

The title bout didn’t go the way the Pam Pack probably would have liked, but that one game doesn’t define their season. It doesn’t take away from the history they made. They established themselves as one of the most dominant 2-A programs long before being named the runner-ups to the state champions.

The seniors that played their last game in Saturday’s defeat will likely feel that sting for some time. Once that pain subsides, there should be nothing but pride for what they accomplished in their time in a Pam Pack uniform. Their lasting impact will be the winning culture that they’ve developed in the past years.

The turnaround began with the 2012 season. Washington was coming off a bad campaign the year before. Jorge Rodriguez — who was part of a sizeable group of seniors — averaged over a goal per game and the Pam Pack bounced back in an impressive way. They didn’t lose a game in conference and made it to the third round of the state playoffs. It kept building the next year. Despite graduating a large senior class, Washington went undefeated in conference and powered its way through the playoffs in 2014 before losing in the fourth round.

And that culture will continue to grow. Washington has become a soccer powerhouse in eastern North Carolina. Head coach Jim Kozuch has already shown his willingness to seek challenges outside the area. The Pam Pack traveled to take on an elite First Flight team during non-conference play. The 4-2 loss was one of just two blemishes on Washington’s record this season.

Kozuch has outlined his desire to continue scheduling top-tier opponents in the future. That will only continue to cultivate that winning culture for Washington soccer.

As much fun as this playoff run was to cover, the writing is on the wall and the future of Washington soccer is bright. The 2015 Pam Pack accomplished something special and will have a lasting effect on what has become a championship program.

Suffice to say that I’m excited for what the future holds.