There’s a storm brewing in Beaufort County. The final third of the football season has arrived. Washington and Southside, each still with their bye weeks ahead, have three games apiece left before the end of the regular season.

The Seahawks don’t get any time off until they finish their slate. The Pam Pack will get to regroup after Friday’s trip to a winless South Lenoir.

Northside already had its bye. It returned rested to earn its first win in a month in Friday’s homecoming conquest of South Creek. Now the Panthers set their sights on by far their toughest matchup of the season. An untouchable Tarboro team visits Pinetown on Friday, but Northside may be looking a bit ahead.

After the Vikings, the Panthers make the short, familiar trek to Chocowinity to take on Beaufort County rival Southside in 1-A Coastal Plains Conference action. There’s plenty of anticipation for the Oct. 20 contest. This is the first time in a few seasons that Northside and Southside haven’t met earlier in non-conference action.

What’s more is that game will have a significant bearing on how the conference standings shake out. Of course, Tarboro is a runaway favorite to sweep the league and win the title.

Southside, with home wins against Riverside this week and Northside the following week, could challenge Pamlico County for second in the conference. The Hurricanes have South Creek this week, are off next week, and wrap up the season with road games at Riverside and Northside. There are plenty of chances for Pamlico County to stumble down the stretch, which would let the Seahawks swoop in and claim a share of second.

Northside, on the other hand, could put its fate and its bid for second place into its own hands. The Panthers will likely fall to 2-2 in the Coastal Plains after Friday’s encounter with Tarboro. After that, road wins at Southside and against a struggling Jones Senior club would set the table for them to tie for second when they host Pamlico County for senior night on Nov. 3.

There are a lot of moving parts. Barring some sort of collapse from Tarboro or Pamlico County, the always-exciting Northside-Southside showdown will set up a dramatic conclusion to the season.

Elsewhere in Beaufort County, a Pam Pack win at South Lenoir, which has one win on the season, this Friday could create some excitement in the waning weeks of the 2-A Eastern Carolina Conference’s season. Washington will get its bye week after Friday, giving it plenty of time to prepare to possibly upset a rival in the undefeated Kinston Vikings.

That would turn the entire league upside down and give Washington a strong chance at finishing in the top half of the standings.