TARBORO — On a night where the Tarboro High School football program honored the 1984 state 3A champions, the 2024 version of the Vikings defeated Rocky Mount 30-0 in a nonconference contest at Vikings Stadium on Friday night.
Tarboro (1-0) held the Gryphons (0-1) to four first downs and 86 total yards while amassing 445 yards of its own in the victory.
Rocky Mount won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.
Tarboro drove 80 yards in 12 plays behind the running of Caiden Everette, Kamerin McDowell-Moore and Mason Satterfield all while overcoming a pair of penalties along the way. Satterfield’s 12-yard touchdown run and the extra point from Cole Craddock made it 7-0 with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Set back due to a penalty on its first offensive play, Rocky Mount picked up eight yards on three plays and was forced to punt. But the Gryphon defense caught a break when Jack McKellar recovered a fumble at the RM 35 on Tarboro’s next drive.
A penalty on third-and-four pushed the Gryphons back again and after 23 gained two yards, the visitors had to punt again, and Christian Buck booted a 47-yarder to the Tarboro 14.
The Vikings needed just two plays to reach the end zone. Following a 21-yard run by McDowell-Moore, quarterback Tyler Powell hooked up with Jaden Jenkins on a 65-yard TD pass and Craddock booted the PAT for a 14-0 advantage with 38.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Taking over at its own 29-yard line, Rocky Mount overcame a Powell nine-yard sack of Alex Beasley on the first play with big runs from Zion Harris (17 yards) and Tavoris Parker (four and 18 yards) to reach the Vikings’ 35. The Gryphons then fumbled and Brandon Jones’ recovery gave Tarboro the ball at its own 36 with 8:22 left in the first half.
The teams exchanged punts on their next possessions. Tarboro then drove from its own 42-yard line to the RM 9 on a 49-yard scamper by McDowell-Moore, but the Gryphon defense held and forced a 29-yard field goal from Craddock to make it 17-0 with 1:57 left in the first half.
Rocky Mount received the second-half kickoff and was forced to punt. Tarboro drove 56 yards in seven plays. Satterfield went the final two for the score and Craddock’s extra point with 7:01 left in the third quarter gave the Vikings a 24-0 advantage.
After a 29-yard kickoff return from Anthony Williams, the Gryphons managed just one yard on three plays and were forced to punt again.
After Satterfield rushed for 18 yards, Powell found Craddock over the middle for a 53-yard TD pass with 4:21 left in the quarter. The two-point conversion run failed, leaving Tarboro with a 30-0 lead.
The Gryphon offense did not cross midfield for the remainder of the contest.
Tarboro drove from its 13-yard line to the RM 7 in 12 plays during the fourth quarter (Gabe Kassnove had a 29-yard run) but a 23-yard field goal was wide left with 1:44 remaining in the game.
Tarboro finished with 325 yards rushing as McDowell-Moore had 96 on nine carries, Satterfield added 92 and two TDs on 10 carries and Everette finished with 57 yards on nine carries.
Powell completed three passes for 120 yards and added three sacks on defense.
Harris led RM rushers with 30 yards while Parker added 21 yards. All of the Gryphons’ yardage came on the ground as they didn’t complete a pass.
THE REUNION
The Tarboro Viking football program honored the school’s first state championship team, the 1984 squad, during halftime on Friday.
A few minutes prior to kickoff, Head Coach Jim Brett was presented a special plaque commemorating his career and was joined by his wife Terri, his daughter Betsy and his granddaughter Gracie.
Members of the support staff, coaches, cheerleaders and players were then introduced as “The Voice of the Vikings,” Butch Cannon, recounted the season.
The 1984 team then welcomed the 2024 Vikings onto the field. After the game, a special reshowing of the 1984 state championship game film was shown at Tarboro Brewing Company.
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