The path back to winning football at Topsail has been anything but linear.
After three straight losses, however, the Pirates (2-3) finally broke through again Friday, Sept. 18, defeating Ashley 27-12 in Hampstead despite a lengthy lightning-related delay.
Topsail’s second victory of 2026 represented the team’s first win over Ashley since 2022, snapping a three-game losing skid to the Screaming Eagles.
The Pirates' Week 1 win over Dixon snapped a 14-game losing streak, igniting the TJ Albert era and offering an early glimpse of what could be possible in Hampstead.
The last three weeks tested that optimism.
Topsail endured one of the area's toughest nonconference
stretches, falling to three teams that entered Week 5 with a combined 9-1 record. The team showed glimpses of improvement throughout that stretch, but none of it showed up in the win column.
That changed Friday night.
Topsail's unrelenting defensive dominance, which resulted in the Pirates intercepting five Ashley passes, was more than enough to keep the Screaming Eagles at bay.
“It feels really good," Senior Preston Plunkett, who scored on a pick-six, said. "Last year, (Turnovers) were one of the main things we lacked on defense. That was one of our team's main goals this season: Force a lot of turnovers."
Lightning and rain postponed several Week 5 matchups in the Wilmington area. For the Pirates, a nearly two-hour delay at the end of the first quarter kept players and fans off the field.
Once the game resumed, Topsail believed the energy had shifted in their favor.
“I think we wanted it a lot more," Plunkett said. "This team, compared to last year, has a lot of energy. We're really excited for this year."
Topsail outscored Ashley 20-9 in the second half as running back Luca Van Der Lee rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier as conference play intensifies. But after navigating a brutal early-season schedule, Topsail believes those growing pains have prepared it for what comes next.
Halfway through 2026, the difference from a year ago is becoming harder to ignore. Topsail has already turned two nights in Hampstead into victories after going winless last fall.
For a program still learning how to win again, Friday night was another step forward.
“We're (Still) learning how to do this a little bit," Topsail coach TJ Albert said. "It's kind of been the message all year: Finish. Tonight the kids responded."
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Topsail football ends 3-year drought against Ashley with Week 5 win
