One play makes a big difference for Vikings' chances

Tarboro running back Damarius Harper had only 1 yard to go. After the snap, Harper received the handoff and his outstretched hands held the football inches from the goaline, but Harper fumbled.

SouthWest Edgecombe recovered the ball with five seconds remaining in the first half.

The score could have put the Vikings within one possession of the Cougars, but Tarboro had to settle for a safety on the final play of the half.

“I’d take two points over seven anytime,” SouthWest Edgecombe coach Raymond Cobb said about the final two plays of the first half, “but it was still big that we stopped them down there. It was a big momentum swing for us.”

The momentum stayed with the Cougars as they went on to secure a 22-16 victory against the visiting Vikings.

The Vikings scored twice in four trips to the red zone. One was a result of Cougars quarterback Chris Ellerbe’s fumble inside the Cougars’ 10-yard line.

“I think it was huge,” Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock said about his team’s last offensive play of the first half. “That right there could have been a six-point swing. I mean, if you look at the final score, it’s big. You have to take advantage of that. Something’s not happening, and I’ve got to fix it because we’re not getting it done (near the goaline).”

The fumble silenced the crowd of more than 4,000 fans that attended the game — a little shy of 3,000 bought tickets in advance — until the referee signaled a first down for the Cougars.

Craddock said outside of the state championship game the Vikings played in last year, this game ranked in the top three games he had ever been a part of as a coach.

“It was right up there with the regional championship with (Jacksonville) Northside coming to our place,” Craddock said. “As far as a conference game, there isn’t anything that has come close to what this one was like.”

Trevor Seibert can be reached at 407-9952 or tseibert@coxnc.com