The old guard will meet the upstart in Saturday’s NCHSAA 1A state championship football game.
Tarboro High, which has been playing football since 1881 and has appeared in the last eight state title games, will face Corvian Community School from Charlotte, which started its program just three years ago.
The 1A finale will kick off at 3 p.m. at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium.
Here are 10 things to know about the most unique showdown of the North Carolina high school football championship weekend:
1. How Tarboro Got Here: The Vikings (13-1) only loss of the season came against a 3A opponent, a 47-23 defeat against Havelock. Otherwise, Tarboro has been dominant most weeks, with an amazing eight shutouts. The Vikes cruised past Wilson Prep in last week’s 1A East Region title game 59-6. Have mercy.
2. How Corvian Community Got Here: The Cardinals, coached by Chris Amill, have quickly become a powerhouse program at the small-schools level. Corvian Community will enter the state championship game 15-0. The most notable triumph came Dec. 6, when the Falcons beat Mount Airy 14-7, knocking out the two-time defending champs and ending the Granite Bears’ 43-game win streak. Corvian Community beat Mountain Heritage 28-19 in the 1A West finale last weekend. The Cardinals had to rally from deficits twice.
3. Only Independence High School in its heyday in the early 2000s has matched Tarboro and qualified for eight straight state championship games. Tarboro won 2A titles in 2017, 2018 and 2020-21 (spring) and captured the 1A title in 2021. Mount Airy beat them the past two seasons. Tarboro, which lists 1881 as the first year it played football, also has state championship banners from 1984, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
4. Tarboro football uses the run-heavy T-formation on offense. This strategy — don’t call it the Wing-T unless you want to get chided — gives a lot of players touches. Two players have rushed for more than 1,000 yards – Kamerin McDowell-Moore (1,394 yards, 17 TDs) and Mason Satterfield (1006 yards, 18 TDs). Caiden Everett has added another 856 yards and 13 TDs. As a team, Tarboro rushers have collectively earned 4,194 yards and an amazing 67 touchdowns.
5. The Tarboro defensive numbers are equally as gaudy. The Vikings have allowed only 12 points in the state playoffs and own a 723-116 scoring advantage for the season. Cole Craddock has 132 tackles for the defense and 11 tackles-for-loss. Keivous Bridgers adds 112 tackles. Tyler Powell leads the team with 21 TFLs.
6. Jeff Craddock has coached the Tarboro program since 2004. In a 2021 interview with the Tar River Times, Craddock admitted he never foresaw himself coaching the Vikings – and for this long. His early teams struggled, and Craddock said he turned to Raymond Cobb (long-time North Edgecombe coach) for help on how to run practices and establish disciple and culture. By the 2007 season, the “Tarboro T” offense began to take shape, and Tarboro has established itself as a true Eastern North Carolina prep dynasty.
7. Corvian Community School becomes the first charter school to play for an NCHSAA title. This comes at a time when the state high school board of directors are debating whether to separate charter/parochial schools from traditional public schools in state playoff tournaments. So far, the board has taken no action on any measure that would separate charters from the rest.
According to the Charlotte Observer, no other school from Mecklenburg County has ever qualified for a state title game in football at the smallest classification. Corvian also played for a 1A state title in boys basketball last winter, losing to Wilson Prep.
8. The Corvian defense lives in opposing backfields. The Cardinals, according to their stats posted on MaxPreps, have recorded 222 (!) tackles-for-loss and 70 sacks. Jayden Summers has been a monster, amassing 21 TFLs and 133 total tackles. Cam Johnson adds 126 tackles and 25 tackles for loss.
9. Cam Johnson and AJ Jackson are two-way threats for Corvian. In addition to his defensive prowess, Johnson leads the rushing attack. He’s scored 25 touchdowns and galloped for 1,436 yards on the ground. AJ Jackson quarterbacks Corvian and has thrown for roughly 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for another 752 yards. Defensively, Jackson has six interceptions.
10. Noah Best has recorded more than 2,000 all-purpose yards for Corvian. Best has eight TD receptions and adds another 900+ rushing yards to the stat sheets. Best transferred from Lake Norman Charter and went from seldom-used backup to one of the top all-purpose players in 1A football.
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