Had the pleasure of watching all 4 state title games this year for the first time. Have made the 1a venue every year since 2000. Seen some really great games over the years and dynasty teams as well. We used to attend these games to see championship football and see what those programs had that we didn’t have in Surry county with the exception of Elkins run. Nothing makes me happier now than to see Surry county at the pinnacle of Western North Carolina football. To the naysayers on hear questioning coach craddock and staff I have to question your thought process. 8 championships a record that has only 4/5 losses throughout those years. What an awesome job and you keyboard cowboys need to step back. Tarboro just faced what I would consider one of the better 1a defenses in the modern era. What Darren Taylor does year in and year out is nothing short of incredible. Bears match tarboros speed on defense. Bears have had trouble in the past of shooting the gaps so fast that they over run the play. A great Tarboro team met a dynasty defense yesterday. The one thing that stood out to me most was the confidence the coaching staff had to go for it on 4th down no matter where they were on the field. They knew the Vikings wouldn’t score a touchdown on this defense. They also knew the offensive line would wear the Vikings down in the second half. Unsung hero of game was Caleb Reid. He Ran the ball hard and changed the dynamic of the run game. Vikings were well prepared for 4 . Bad matchup for 4 with so many similar athletes on the field. Vikings came out with the energy of a team that had something to prove. As good as the Defense was playing after the first score in the second half I could feel the game was over. I always set on the visitors side. The fan base for the Vikings felt it to. Great job for the bears team and coaching staff. Never felt like the bears were losing yesterday, not even at halftime. Vikings team / coaching staff great season and class act. That backfield is gonna be nasty. To the naysayers in the west that say that this team or that team would beat the Vikings this year or they wouldn’t survive the western playoffs , I say that until you face the Tarboro T and beat the Tarboro dynasty then shut up. Cause it’s easier said than done. This offense is dynamic, explosive and quick. It’s not an easy task to stop. Tarboro is still 4-3 vs the west in championship games. Those 3 loses are against surry county foes , 3 wins are against surry county foes. That other team in the county is 1-2 vs the vikes and the Bears Are 2-1 against the vikes. Back to back State championships, 9 overall., always in the title conversation , top 60 in the nation in winning percentage all time, 30 game winning streak ( longest current streak in state ) umpteen conference championships and been playing since 1915. So I ask everyone out there , is that tradition enough?
Early prediction Round 4
Bears vs Vikings for state championship 2024. Cause at this point these juniors and talented sophomores have won two and a third IS EXPECTED. Don’t want to be the group that it ended with. Plus quite frankly they just know how to win. Winning is a habit right?