WINDSOR – The panic button hasn’t been pressed, but Bertie head football coach Willie Roberson knows where it is.

&uot;First, of all, we desperately need a win Friday night,&uot; Roberson said. &uot;We are almost at the point of pushing the panic button.&uot;

Roberson, whose team fell to 1-4 on the season following Friday night’s 24-8 loss to Edenton, said his club must think of Friday night opponent Pasquotank as the best in the league.

&uot;Right now, we’re looking at them as a top contender,&uot; he said. &uot;They’re 1-0 in the league and they are part of the group that’s leading the conference. &uot;We have our work cut out for us if we want to beat them and look to extending our season.&uot;

That work got even more difficult last week when starting quarterback Desmond Williams went down to what at the time was believed to be a hip pointer. Further examination showed there are chipped bones in the hip, which means Williams will be out indefinitely.

In Williams’ stead, the Falcons will look to junior Charles Newsome. He was the starting quarterback on last year’s junior varsity squad, but will be making his first start on the varsity level when the Panthers visit Windsor Friday.

&uot;I’m confident in Charles’ ability,&uot; Roberson said. &uot;I think he has a better passing arm than Desmond and will help us vary our attack a little. We’ll miss the running ability Desmond brings to the table, but I’m excited about what Charles can do for us.&uot;

Coming back from injury will be the Falcons’ best offensive lineman in Deven Saunders. The senior standout played some last week at Edenton returning from surgery on his hand.

&uot;Deven’s return should help us on the offensive line,&uot; Roberson said. &uot;We certainly have been missing his leadership ability.&uot;

As far as preparing for Pasquotank, it shouldn’t be too difficult for Bertie.

&uot;They are kind of mirror images of what we do except they don’t run the Power-I,&uot; Roberson said. &uot;They do a good job of trapping up the middle and have an excellent fullback.&uot;

The Falcons’ preparation is key not only to this week’s success, but also to how the rest of the season turns out.

&uot;If we want to extend the season, we’ve got to win some games,&uot; Roberson said. &uot;If not, we can get ready to roll out the basketballs.&uot;

The Falcons will host Pasquotank at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening in a Northeastern Coastal Conference matchup.