Football Recap: Eli Williard and Tanner Waddell Pace North Johnston Defense + How To Watch

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but North Johnston had no problem doing just that on Friday. They walked away with a 42-35 win over the Washington Pam Pack. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 28-14 back in October.

North Johnston had a senior duo take command as Tyrece Hicks rushed for 78 yards and two TDs on only seven carries and Kaleb Pone rushed for 117 yards and one score on only 13 carries. Pone has become a key player for the Panthers: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 2-3 otherwise.

North Johnston's run defense was locked in: Washington could only muster 1.6 yards per carry. The team can thank Eli Williard for the heroic effort on defense: he. North Johnston didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged eight.

Eli Williard

Total Tackles

10/10/25 @ West Craven	2
09/19/25 vs Eastern Wayne	4
09/12/25 vs Princeton	5
10/24/25 vs North Lenoir	5
09/26/25 @ North Pitt	6

North Johnston's defensive line didn't let Evan Makepeace, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for 6.5 sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Williard and Tanner Waddell, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them. Williard also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 14. Pone got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Several Pam Pack players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jarryn Payne, who picked up 137 receiving yards and one touchdown. Calek Smaw was another key rusher, rushing for 59 yards and a pair of scores.

North Johnston's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 39.3 points over those games. As for Washington, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-9.

As of now, neither North Johnston nor the Pam Pack have any future games scheduled.