Previewing Whiteville football’s game to win East regional final

Wolfpack travel to #1 Northeastern for a chance to be in the state championship

WHITEVILLE, N.C. (WWAY) – The Wolfpack are back in the East Regional Final of the NCHSAA playoffs for the first time since 1987. There’s a lot of excitement in the city and beyond for the team. But outside of the hoopla, head coach J.P. says the team needs a good week of practice to get ready to answer the bell again.

“When I got here our goal was to get to the East Finals and get to a state championship,” said head coach J.P. Price. “We’ve knocked on the door.”

Many think there have been Whiteville teams in recent years with more talent. When asked why it’s this team that’s pushed to this point, Coach Price pointed to their resiliency.

“We graduated a good bit from last year and lost some players along the way,” says Price. “We just keep finding a way to love another.  That’s what we preach. That’s part of our culture. We find a way to respond. They really pull for each other and they’ve really grown to love each other. And a lot of hard work put in to it.”

Coach adds this opponent brings last years’ team in full circle: The Wolfpack play #1 Northeastern, who knocked out Whiteville in 2023 by a score of 17-14 in the fourth round.

The Eagles provide a unique challenge. Quarterback Trevaris Jones has more than 3,500 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns this season. The air attack is unlike most of Whiteville’s usual opponents. However, Coach Price thinks they’ve adapted a lot throughout this playoff run already. “We don’t see much of that in our conference schedule,” admits Price. “But in the playoffs, we saw Farmville Central that runs an option out of a shotgun and throws it around a little bit. We saw Eastern Wayne who had a good quarterback who could run and throw it and last week wth Kinston airing the ball out. So, the playoffs have really prepared us.”