A Lustrum To Remember

Next Saturday the Tarboro Vikings head to Winston Salem where they will attempt to win their fourth straight 2-A State Championship.  There is no way if you are a Tarboro Viking fan that you could ever expect that there to ever be a five year period as great as the past five. 

But do you remember that five years ago Jeff Craddock was on the hot seat.  The previous four years Tarboro had a record of just 24-22.  They had not in the previous fours scored 300 points in any one season.  In one short Lustrum Jeff Craddock has gone from hot seat to the Pent House as he is now the greatest coach in Tarboro High School history.

The Vikings will attempt Saturday to win their fourth straight State Title.  They will be shooting for their 23rd straight win.  Since the beginning of the 2008 football season Tarboro has won 72 football games and lost only five. They have not lost a home football game since September 21st 2007 when they lost to SouthWest Edgecombe 28-14. Their home winning streak has reach 44 straight games, the last two in 2007 and all 42 during this five year run to greatness.  The Vikings are 27-3 on the road during this stretch.  So far 3-1 on neutral fields where the state championships are played.  Saturday will be their 25th playoff game in five years and right now they are 23-1 just in playoff games.  25 games that is an extra two and half years of extra games added to the schedule.

They lost two years in a row to SouthWest once the Cougars returned to 2-A.  2008 the Cougars won a non-conference game and the next season Tarboro returned back to SWE and lost again in a conference game..  Two of their five losses have come from their top rival SWE.  Kinston put 54 on the Vikings in 2011 so during this five year run the Vikings are 28-2 in conference games.  Nash Central gave the Vikes their fourth loss in 2011.  The fifth loss was the State Championship game to Newton-Conover  in 2008.

Out of no where the Tarboro T has exploded during this five year run and the worse of the five they still scored 496 points  in 2009.  That's more than 200 more points than any year from 2004-2007. Should the Vikings score nine points Saturday they will hit the 600 mark for the second time in five years.

There is no doubt that Tarboro is a football town.  Over the years as other football towns have lost their identity  with County schools Tarboro is still Tarboro High.  The purple and gold reins in the city.  There are many in Tarboro and Edgecombe county out of work  but there is one thing they can say.  They sure do know how to play football in Tarboro.