The Matchup

Tarboro High School goes for their 4th straight 2-A state football title Saturday in Winston Salem where they will meet East Lincoln High School.  It will be the third meeting in four years of the Eastern Plains conference(Tarboro) and the Southern Piedmont.  The Vikings met Lincolnton last year and Mountain Hertitage in 2009 who also represented the Southern Piedmont. 

East Lincoln is located in Lincoln County population 78,000.  East Lincoln High is in the unincorporated town of Denver population 13,000 which is located 25 miles west of downtown Charlotte.  Tarboro population of 12,800 of course is located in Edgecombe County populations 58, 000.

Tarboro's five visits in a row to the state championships this is the second time they will face off against another team that comes into the game undefeated.  The 2010 game against Carver they were 14-0 and East Lincoln will be 15-0 at game time.  East Lincoln  beat Lincolnton in conference play this season 13-8 and of course Lincolnton and  Tarboro had a classic 39-36 game last season for the state title.  Lincolnton finished the season this year 7-6.

 Here is one of those meaningless stats that is a fact.  East Lincoln played on their schedule this season three of the four teams that Tarboro has faced in the last five championship games.  Newton-Conover, Mountain Hertitage and Lincolnton.  The only team missing off of East Lincoln schedule is Carver.

This games looks to be a game where it should be and offensive show. East Lincoln has score 629 points in fifteen games and is averaging 41.3 points per game.  In their fourteen games Tarboro 42.3.  The defense just might be where this game is won and that will be which team stops the other once in a while.  East Lincoln is giving up 16.4 points per game while the Vikings 15.7.

If stats can give us any indication at all this one could be a high scoring nail biter just like last year if not even more scoring if that is possible.  I am of the opinion that of the five teams  in a row that Tarboro has sent to the state title games that this team is the best of the bunch.  That does not however guarantee  victory.    I have to say this any team that has won 23 in a row since their last lost and have won in the past five years 23 of 24 playoffs game it will be hard to bet against.  I'll take the Vikings 42-34 over east Lincoln. 

GO VIKES