The Pam Pack wrestling team picked up its first conference win of the season in dominant fashion Tuesday night at home, defeating North Johnston, 60-18.

Coming off a respectable seventh-place finish at the Pierce Davis Tournament at North Pitt Saturday morning, Washington came out energized and made quick work of the Panthers in a match that lasted a little over an hour.

“We have some holes without the football guys, but that’s a good problem to have with them playing this weekend,” said head coach Chris Penhollow. “I thought the guys put out a good effort tonight. They’ve been working hard, coming along and did what they needed to do. We talked about a conference championship and I told them we can’t win the whole thing without winning the first one.”

Even down seven wrestlers due to the Pam Pack football team’s state championship run, Washington managed to score the first 54 points of the contest, all via pin.

Returning state qualifier, sophomore Jacob Smith, easily won the 113-pound match, pinning his opponent in just 32 seconds, while it took just 13 seconds for sophomore Simeon Pope to take the 120-pound match over Ian Ekis.

Sophomore Austin Coward fought his way to a win in the 126-pound match. Coward picked up five points in the first period and went on to wiggle his way to a pin 51 seconds into the second.

Freshman Austin Koonce had one of the more reserved matches of the day in the 132-pound matchup. After a scoreless first period with little time spent on the mat, the second period proved to be a back-and-forth affair. Koonce played with his opponent, picking up two points in the process, and in the third period, he was able to pick up the pin in 56 seconds. The win gave Washington a commanding and comfortable 24-0 lead.

“They had four really strong seniors that graduated and the others were more midlevel guys, but they’ve been busting their tail,” Penhollow said. “We’ve had some good success at the dual matches so far. The mind of a high school kid is a weird thing. As long as they don’t know they’re an average guy and keep beating people, they think they’re as good as anyone.”

In one of the more entertaining showcases of the evening, D.K. Credle kept North Johnston’s Tyler Scott on his back for most of the match and picked up five points in the first period. He picked up right where he left off in the second period and secured the pin with 37 seconds left on the clock.

From there, it took senior Cameron Davenport just 22 seconds to pin his opponent. Freshman Mitchell Cobb followed by outscoring Jackson Duckworth, 7-1, in the first period, picking up the pin later in the second, putting the match virtually out of reach for the Panthers.

Senior Jordan Grazier, sophomore Kenny Castaneda and Andrew Ferguson all pinned their opponents. North Johnston’s only win came in the final match, as Tyler Bass pinned Washington’s Brian Romero in 1:49.

“It’s a great first step to getting where we want to be,” Penhollow said. “I don’t know how long it’s been since Washington has won a conference team championship, but it’s been a while. That’s what we’re looking to get done.”

Returning next week after the state championship are seven wrestlers that should give the Pam Pack a boost entering the heart of conference play.

“You get those guys back, along with the strength we have down low, and we’re going to be a pretty formidable team I think,” Penhollow said.

Washington travels to Croatan on Friday to compete in the Beast of the East Tournament, beginning at 4:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday morning.