Pikesville Football Pack-ing a Punch at Wide Receiver

Pikesville High School wide receiver Devin Pack sprinted off the line of scrimmage, quickly gaining separation from the New Town defensive back covering him, before breaking his route toward the middle of the field.

Seeing Pack open, and quickly separating from the defensive back more and more, Panthers quarterback Julian Barnes let go of a pass in his direction.

Pack caught it in stride about 25 yards down the field, outran two defenders to the sideline and raced the rest of the way for a 90-yard touchdown.

Pack finished the game last week—Pikesville’s season-opener—with three catches for 145 yards. Each of his catches produced gains of at least 20 yards.

And in the Panthers’ aggressive, pass-oriented attack, Pikesville head expects Pack to continue putting up big-time numbers throughout the season.

“He’s going to be huge for us this year,” Willis said. “He’s just a playmaker.”

The 5-foot-6, 145-pound Pack, a senior, is in his second season as a varsity starter for Pikesville, having also excelled at wide receiver as a junior last year.

“He may not be the biggest, the fastest or the strongest kid, but he catches everything thrown to him and just makes plays," Willis said. “If we didn’t have Devin, we might not put as much emphasis as we do on the passing game."

Pack, a big NFL fan, says he tries to model his game after New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, a former Pro Bowl player for the Cincinnati Bengals.

“He’s a great route-runner and has great hands,” Pack said, adding that he prides himself on being strong in both areas as well.

A former tight end, Pack also shined at the junior varsity level prior to switching to wide receiver as a junior on varsity last year.

Willis credits Pack’s success to the work he’s put in off the field, touting him as one of the hardest workers on Pikesville’s team.

He said Pack, among other things, has significantly improved both his speed and his conditioning.

“He’s worked his butt off,” Willis said. “He has a lot of gifts that God gave him, but he’s really worked at becoming a football player and has made himself into a great high school football player.”

And now, Pack is hoping that hard work translates into a big senior season, both individually and as a team.

“I’ve worked really hard,” Pack said, “and I’m going to keep working hard. I just hope we have a great year."

He said he hopes the team will win more games this year, get to the playoffs and possibly even compete for the Class 1A state championship.