TARBORO — By the end of this high school football season, there will few, if any, tangible memories of the Tarboro Jamboree. A total of four video cameras were pointed toward the field, after all. Only one man bothered to keep statistics, punching them into a computer small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. And no one knew the score, at any time, because, well, no one was keeping score.

But weeks and months from now, coaches and players might be able to think back to what happened Friday at Tarboro High as a spark for the rest of their season.

During an event that featured six teams, including three from Edgecombe County, and clocked in at a little less than three hours, SouthWest Edgecombe coach Raymond Cobb said his team needs to "communicate on both sides of the ball."

North Edgecombe coach Danny Ward pointed to the group of a dozen seniors who were dressed on the sideline but were unable to play, either because they had not attended enough practices or because of disciplinary problems, and said, "We have a lot of work to do."

And Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock, the architect of this annual event, analyzed the big plays his offense and defense turned in during four scrimmages, then said his Vikings needed to improve their gap blocking and their defensive reads.

"Am I overly pleased?" Craddock said. "No. But am I pleased? Yes, I am pleased."

Each of the three Edgecombe County teams shined, at least during stretches, Friday. SouthWest Edgecombe scored on its first play of the night, a 40-yard rumble up the middle by running back Roger Evans, then scored two more times during its next six plays.

North Edgecombe, fresh off its first postseason win in three seasons, flashed its old "Orange Crush" defense, limiting most opponents to short yardage and only a few scores.

But Tarboro running back Brandon Richardson might have turned in the top moment of the night. Against Roanoke, Richardson grabbed the football on a set play, sprinted left then, with a wall of defenders in front of him, turned right and ran from sideline to sideline, down to the 3-yard line. When he jumped up from the fresh turf, the front of his jersey was ripped in two places, but he smiled. He has missed parts of the last two seasons with a broken ankle and a groin injury. And even though his run will not count toward season statistics – afterward, no one could answer just how far he had rushed – it was a good sign.

There were a lot of good signs, perhaps a lot of good omens, on Friday night.

"This is a work in progress," Cobb said. "Always is."

Matt LaWell can be reached at 407-9952 or mlawell@coxnc.com