Team of the Week: Topsail sweeps Pender County to start 2-0

HAMPSTEAD, NC (WWAY) — It’s the Topsail football Pirates who are our 5th Quarter Team of the Week.

Normally the Team of the Week recognizes an outstanding performance for one week, but when you sweep Pender County in back to back weeks to start the year 2-0, it’s pretty special.

“It feels really good,” Topsail tight end Harrison Wright. “Everyone knows that last year we kind of got upset by Trask. It feels good for my senior year to beat Trask and Pender to get a good start for the season.”

Through two weeks, Topsail has scored 58 points, but almost more impressive has been the work of the defense who has only allowed 6 points while forcing multiple turnovers.

“They’re playing hard and playing aggressive football right now,” Topsail Coach Wayne Inman said. “They’re not the most talented kids as far as defensively, but they play very good as a group.”

At the beginning of the season Coach Inman told us this young group with veteran leaders was going to be a force to be reckoned with. So far, i’d say he was right. A big part of that has to do with who’s been standing in the backfield.

“Our running backs have been great,” Wright said. “We have really good depth at running back. A couple guys got hurt against Pender but they should be back in the next few games. We’re going to be really solid at running this year. We are a running offense so it’s going to be good.”

In that backfield you’ve got names like Hersey “Munchie” Fennell and DJ Montano toting the rock. But the star in the victory over Pender was Sophomore running back Noah Lavalle. He recognizes the fast start, but he says his team has to keep working.

“We’ve got to play better, definitely and just keep doing what we’re doing,” Lavalle said. “We’re doing pretty good but I think we’re going to do a lot better once we start conference. We’ve got to do better but I think we’re doing good right now.”

Topsail will play Thursday Aug. 31 at home against Dixon. You can see all the highlights from Week 3 of the High School Football Season on WWAY’s 5th Quarter this Friday at 11 p.m.