Home > Jessie Nunery > Archives > 2008 > December > 05 > Entry
Two winners, one with a chance to win a state title
Well, it’s on to Chapel Hill next Friday to watch Tarboro play for the 2-A state championship. Congrats to Vikings coach Jeff Craddock and his team. I’ll have to ask Craddock myself, but I got the feeling from other media that Jacksonville Northside was the favorite coming into this contest. For some reason, Tarboro, now 14-1, seemed to be a bit overlooked.
Sure, Jacksonville Northside had a Division I recruit on its team. The visitors had only allowed double digit scoring once this season. But Tarboro scored a season-high 28 points against Jacksonville Northside’s defense and prevailed, 28-14.
Tarboro showed it was worthy of the No. 1 seed. They played like it, too. Check back in all week for coverage of the Vikings leading up to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill against Newton-Conover.
On to Rocky Mount High: Rocky Mount lost once again in the 3-A Eastern Regional final, but this 22-19 loss to West Craven hurts the Gryphons the most. This year’s Rocky Mount team was the most dominant of any of coach B.W. Holt’s squads. They held the lead for a majority of the contest, but could not put West Craven away.
D-block, the self-given name to the Gryphons’ defense, kept West Craven scoreless the entire second half, but could not stop the visitors’ on the last drive.
Rocky Mount will not play for a state championship. Players seemed to truly believe a championship was their destiny. That’s why this loss was tough for the Gyphons to handle.
Comments
By macdaddyd5
December 6, 2008 4:06 AM | Link to this
RM is snake-bitten. I don’t think the better team won Friday night but West Craven won the intangibles: turnovers, kicking and field position. That along with RM beating itself and some curious calls/no-calls by the officials doomed RM. This was RM best and possibly last hope in making state finals in the near future. It was a great ride in 2008 but one that ended too soon.