Team of the Week: Pender Patriots

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — The winless Pender Patriots were an underdog last week against South Brunswick on the football gridiron. Sometimes the underdog comes out on top. In fact Pender snapped a 9 game losing skid. As a result, the Patriots earned our team of the week award for the first time in four years.

UPDATE: It’s been 14 years since Pender has defeated a Mideastern Conference team in football. Earlier we reported it was the first ever. Our apologies on that.

South Brunswick is a Mideastern Conference school and the Cougars were not able to hold their own with the upstart Pender Patriots last Thursday. “We came out the gate full throttle, gave it all we had,” junior Trell Brown told WWAY. “We came out with a chip on our shoulder. Everyone was thinking we wouldn’t win, but we proved them wrong.”

Justin Hooper was a one-man wrecking crew for Pender. Hooper scored on the first play from scrimmage. He had 3 touchdowns in all. More than 200 rushing yards and 333 all-purpose yards. Hooper was on fire. “We came out mentally focused and tough and we had a chip on our shoulder,” Hooper said. “We knew we were better team that we played the first week so we came out mentally and very intense and ready to play and we came out with a w.”

Pender beat South Brunswick 34-12. ” I was proud how we sustained things for 48 minutes,” Pender head coach Bob Via told WWAY. “When you looked at the guys at the end of the game you could they gave it everything that they’ve got.”

Pender High is this week’s WWAY-Farm Bureau Team of the Week!