The Way It Use To Be

Tarboro is still a one-school town. It is still small enough when the local high school team makes a splash in any playoff, the entire town goes loco.

This week Tarboro has gone crazy over their Tarboro Vikings. The eastern regional 2-A champs had the pleasure of playing four home playoff games.

The Vikes took care of business and their reward is a trip to Chapel Hill Friday night and a chance to play for the NCHSAA state 2-A title.

Rocky Mount is a city with seven area high schools that play sports. Whenever one of them goes as far, as Rocky Mount did this year, there is simply not much support for the other schools.

Rocky Mount is much like State-Carolina- and Duke are. Whenever one advances further than the others, the others hope they lose.

That's not the case in Tarboro.

The entire population of Tarboro has gone coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.

The first hint that this team might be special was in their county rival game against SouthWest Edgecombe.

It was a loss but the Vikings were in it all the way.

They steamedrolled through conference play. The four playoff games were never in doubt in the second half of any game.

Jeff Craddock and some of the Tarboro administration went to Chapel Hill on Monday to the state championship media day.

The week before the big game, Craddock has found out he has cousins he didn't know existed.
His phone has rung off the hook.

He even got a call from yours truly inviting him and and few players to be on the Stretchlon Sports show Sunday night on WHIG-TV at 8 p.m.

The team will be leaving at 10.30 Friday morning to head to Chapel Hill for a trip of a lifetime. They are not planning a pep rally as of yet, but I can't believe that when the team leaves, the entire school won't be there to send them off and I bet half of the town will be there too.

Back in 1988 while I was still in Ahoskie doing the games for Hertford County, they played for the 2-A title and left at 10 a.m. to go to Thomasville. What I remember most about that day was it was snowing like crazy when the team left with all the students lining the parking lot and the band playing the fight song as the team drove off. I had chill bumps on top of chill bumps watching the snow fall and the excitement of the upcoming game later that day.

Tarboro is the last team still standing in the Twin Counties.

Right now our area is No. 1 in the state for the unemployment rate. There is no better remedy for the economic misery our area is having than for the Tarboro Vikings to bring home a crown.

Good luck Vikings

Git'er done!!!!!!

Run The football

The Carolina Panthers looked like world beaters last night as they take over sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

The two headed monster of Hall and Stewart running the football and Steve Smith keeping the secondary of teams from putting eight in the box are a terrific combination.

It is hard to believe after the start that the Giants have had but if the Panthers win out they are NFC's #1 seed instead of the Giants.

The Panthers will see the Giants in a couple of weeks.

Look at the best teams in the NFL and they all run the football. What has happened to the West Coast Offense?

Last night I was at Rocky Mount Prep doing a boys basketball game for TV. Hey you had better look out the Prep can play with any body ing the area.

They have good size and speed. they are now 9-2 on the season.

I need to take a minute this morning and do some preaching.

I wish that newspapers and anyone who allows comments to be added to anything published would do a better job of filtering comments.

It has been embarrassing to read some of the comments relating to the coaching ability of coach Holt since Friday night.

Even in the news section people slander other people that are not even involved in the story that was written.

It is as if this is where you take free shots at someone.

There is an old saying that people can find out a lot about you when you open your mouth and in this case open you mouth through a comment in the newspaper.

Quite frankly the attendance was very poor in the opening two rounds. People have taken for granted that the quality that the football team has produced over the last six years is a right to have.

Fans never give the other team any credit as to why their team didn't play well.

Before B W Holt arrived at Rocky Mount the football program was average on a good year. He has not produced anything close to average in winning 85% of his games.

Those of you that are blaming him for the defeat should go shake his hand and thank him for what he has given to you.

A football tradition.