Tempering the elation of the Pinecrest players and coaches after Friday night’s 23-20 victory over Purnell Swett was an injury to Frankie Painter on the final play of the game. The junior linebacker, who was in on two of the sacks of Ram quarterback Chase Armstrong and knocked down a pass, was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Painter’s father confirmed Saturday morning that he was released several hours later with what was diagnosed as an injury to the nerves in his hip.

Homecoming Queen: Audrey O’Maille was crowned the 2011 Pinecrest High School Homecoming Queen during halftime of the game. She was escorted by her father, Dr. Patrick O’Maille.

Mary Allison Bennett, the 2010 queen, now a student at Meredith College, crowned the new queen and presented the class princesses with their flowers. The homecoming court included freshman princess Alyssa Stroker, sophomore princess Autumn Scales, junior princess Kiera Martin and senior princess Chole Bryce.

Band Shines: The Pinecrest marching band demonstrated why it has been consistently garnering superior ratings at band competitions with its performance of a “Sound of Music” program prior to the homecoming ceremonies.

The 105 members, led by band director Jim Muccio, took first place in the 4-A class at last weekend’s competition held at Triton High School. The senior drum major is Alex Wilson and the junior drum major is Sarah Stellabotte.

“We’re still building, but it’s a wonderful group that is working hard,” Muccio said.

Forcing Turnovers: One of the things missing during the Patriots’ three-game losing streak, leading into Friday’s game, was game-impacting turnovers by the defense.

Late in the second quarter, the Rams had the ball, the momentum and a 14-6 lead when cornerback Josiah Smith intercepted an Armstrong pass and returned it about 15 yards to the Ram 11-yard line. Three plays later, Patriot quarterback Travis Scales scored and then ran for two points, tying the game at 14-14. Smith later recovered a teammate’s fumble.

“I was on an island,” Smith said of the play. “It was just me and the receiver. I knew I had to play him tight. The ball came to me and I just tried to make a play.”

Defensive lineman Josh McMillan was another playmaker, getting in on a pair of sacks.

Two to Go: One of the first things Patriot Coach Chris Metzger said to his players in the locker room was: “What’s our record? They replied, “1-0.” Trying to put the 0-2 record in the conference in the rear view mirror, the coaches and players committed to looking at the remaining games as a three-game season.

If the Patriots had lost, they might have had to look back at the final series of the first half with some regret. A pass play from Scales to Joe White that covered 58 yards gave the Pats a first down at the Ram 13 with 46 seconds remaining. Three plays gained little and time ran out before they were able to line up for a field goal that would have given them a 17-14 lead.

For the Coaches: When it came time for the seniors to share their thoughts in the locker room after the game, Scales gave the Patriot coaches some “luv.” He called the field house their home.

“That game was for you all,” he told them. “As much as you put into it — that was for you all.”