Tarboro tops Mount Airy in NCHSAA 1A football championship game

Tarboro football boasts multiple legends that have gone on to play in college and in the NFL, but most of all, it is proud of its state championship teams.

Well, the Vikings added their fifth state title with a 32-7 victory over Mount Airy in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1AA state final Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

“I can’t tell you how happy I’m for the whole senior class,” Tarboro coach Jeff Craddock said. “Our community relies heavily on Tarboro football to be successful. They take great pride in us. I’m happy to be able bring back another title to them. It’s a great feeling.”

It remains to be seen if any members of this year’s team joins luminaries such as Kelvin Bryant, the former North Carolina and Washington Redskins running back for whom the Viking Stadium concession stands is named for, Shaun Draughn (also a UNC product, played in NFL from 2011-2017) Todd Gurley (Georgia/Los Angeles Rams) or more recently Tyquan Lewis (Ohio State senior and two-time first-team All-Big Ten defensive lineman).

But Tarboro’s unbeaten 2017 team has secured a place in history with a 15-0 record. The Vikings had to win a battle of unbeaten and top-seeded teams to defeat Mount Airy (14-1).

Tarboro overcame a slow start to ground out 303 yards rushing on 41 carries. The Vikings won without attempting a pass behind their “Tarboro T” a different moniker for the old T-formation that’s rarely used anymore by high school teams.

“We kept doing what we’ve been doing all season,” said senior quarterback Tae Randolph, a third-year starter. “We knew the points would start coming on the board. I told my offensive line keep pushing and the backs to keep running hard. That’s what we did and we put points on the board.”

Senior Deontae Williams carried 12 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns, Clifton Joyner 10 for 87 and junior Keon Caudle four for 53 and a TD. Fullback Jaquez Edge (eight carries, 34 yards) added the final TD with an 8-yard run with 3:32 to play.

“It’s the scheme Tarboro has run since the 50s,” Craddock said. “If you don’t run the Tarboro T, you’re not going to last at Tarboro very long. It’s one the town believes in. They run it at a young age. They come to the varsity. We’ve added wrinkle, but it’s the base T.”

He continued: “Tae is the one who makes it all work. He’s so calm. He checks out of the plays that we make that aren’t good and he remind of some things. He’ll call some audibles. You just don’t replace experience. When things go a little array, I know he’s in the huddle telling the boys, ‘Just relax.’ That’s what he brings to the table.”

Mount Airy had been moving the ball with a 21-yard run by Johnathon Smith and an 11-yard pass from quarterback Ian Holder to Tanner Jackson to the Tarboro 41-yard line. But when Holder tried to go deep, Tarboro’s Devonta Davis intercepted the pass along the sideline at the Vikings’ 12-yard line.

Tarboro subsequently mounted a seven-play, 88-yard touchdown drive with the big gains of 16 and 47 yards run by Williams. Caudle finished off the drive with a 6-yard run with 9:32. The PAT was missed for a 6-0 lead with 9:32 left in the second quarter.

The Vikings soon pushed their lead to 12-0 on one of the more bizarre punt returns for a touchdown that any fan will see.

Mount Airy faced a 4th-and-10 punt from Tarboro’s 49-yard line when the snap soared over punter Robert Brown’s head. Brown retreated inside the 20-yard line and was able to scoop the ball and turn to punt it. However, with the ball traveling less than 20 yards, junior linebacker Jyron Albritton caught the ball on the run at the 36 – 16 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Albritton veered to his left, picked up a couple of blocks and found the end zone. Tarboro went for a 2-point conversion, but the run was stopped for a 12-0 lead with 7 minutes left until halftime.

Mount Airy’s vaunted passing attack was held in check as Tarboro maintained its lead. Holder entered the game having rushed for 1,056 yards and 13 touchdowns and passed for 1,882 and 23 touchdowns with a 74.8 completion percentage and only three interceptions.

But at halftime, Tarboro’s defense had limited the Granite Bears to 48 yards rushing and 35 passing. Holder had rushed five times for minus-2 yards and was 4-of-7 for 35 yards with one interception.

Holder finished the game 13 rushes for minus-14 yards (sacks are counted as yards rushing in high school football). He was 11-of-20 for 135 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Tarboro defensive end Ja’viyes Massenburg batted down two Holder passes at the line of scrimmage. Melik Ward had a sack in the first quarter and added another in the fourth period.

Tarboro protected a 12-0 lead with strong defense and its “Tarboro T” that can eat time on the clock is a hill to climb. Third-year starting quarterback Tae Randolph’s deft ballhandling makes it difficult to pick up who has the ball.

Once the Vikings forced a Mount Airy punt to start the fourth quarter, Tarboro drove eight plays and 83 yards to score on a 1-yard run by Williams. Joyner had three big gains of 32, 26 and an 18-yarder to the 1. The kick failed for an 18-0 lead with 6:38 left in the game.

Mount Airy got on the board with a 36-yard pass from Holder to Donovan Greene to trim the deficit to 18-7 with 5:50 left in the game. Greene made a nice over-the-shoulder catch in traffic in the end zone.

“The kid made a great catch,” Craddock said.

The Granite Bears got the ball right back when kicker Robert Brown recovered his own onside kick at the Tarboro 49-yard line. But two plays later Tarboro’s Zion Brooks intercepted a short pass at the Vikings’ 46.

Tarboro scored three plays later with Williams’ second touchdown run on a 14-yard gain around the left side.

After a blocked punt, Edge scored the final touchdown on an 8-yard run.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Tarboro tops Mount Airy in NCHSAA 1A football championship game."