Tarboro tops Goldsboro

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on October 12, 2008 1:26 PM

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TARBORO -- A slow start put Goldsboro behind early and the offense never found its footing as state-ranked Tarboro High claimed a 40-6 victory Friday evening at Viking Stadium.

It was the Class 2-A Eastern Plains Conference opener for both teams.

The No. 7-ranked Vikings (6-1 overall, 1-0 EPC) scored on their first two possessions of the contest en route to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage.

Goldsboro's run-first offense never recovered.

"We got behind early and that took us out of our comfort zone," said Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid. "We never got anything going, and even when we did, something would push us back like a turnover or a penalty."

Behind 20-0 at halftime, the Cougars found a brief moment of enthusiasm when a Viking fumble led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Andre Montgomery midway through the third quarter.

The jubilation was short-lived, however.

Tarboro marched methodically down the field for a momentum-seizing score on its ensuing possession.

"I think coach (Jeff) Craddock and his staff did a great job of game planning for us," said Reid. "They were coming off a loss and we were coming off a win, and tonight they played hungrier than we did."

On the night, the Cougar defense allowed 331 yards on the ground and a nine yards per carry average.

Quarterback Tyrelle Jackson led the Cougar offense with 66 yards passing on nine completions. Devante Waters threw for an additional 54 yards.

"We had to put it in the air more once we got behind, so we went with Devante to give us a spark," said Reid. "He throws a nice deep ball, but we couldn't get much going."

Lamar Hicks led the Cougars with 79 yards on nine carries. Montgomery added 37 yards on ten totes.

Goldsboro (4-2-1, 0-1) travels to Greene Central next Friday.

The Rams (2-4, 0-1) started league play with a 31-point road loss against North Pitt.

"We knew that last night was essentially for the conference championship," said Reid. "But that doesn't mean our season's over. We still want to continue to improve and make the playoffs."