‘Six seconds of control’: Behind the Hurricanes’ 2026 season

At Pamlico County High School there is no junior varsity football team. With the school’s enrollment totaling 423, there simply isn’t the option to split the 29-player roster.

Outnumbered against every team they played this season, what the Pamlico County Hurricanes lacked in size, they made up for with a sense of dedication that was cultivated through the season.

This year, the team went 3-8, ending the season Thursday with a loss against Rosewood High School in the first round of the state playoffs. But the stats don’t tell this football team’s full story — a tale of communal growth paired with personal responsibility.

Photographed and Written for Down in the County.