TARBORO, N.C. – On the heels of a one-point rivalry loss, Havelock head football coach Brent Wooten wanted to see more resiliency from his team.

He did not have to wait long. Friday was his team’s turn to own the second half.

Trailing 15-14 in the third quarter, the Rams exploded for 33 straight points to hand Tarboro a 47-23 loss in a showdown of the 252’s top teams.

Thursday night was Tarboro’s first loss on its home field since a 21-14 third-round playoff defeat to James Kenan on November 27, 2015. The last time the Vikings dropped a regular season game at home was over a decade ago when Washington went to Viking Stadium on August 29, 2014, and earned a 42-7 victory.

The opening quarter looked a lot like Tarboro’s previous 68 home wins. Kamerin McDowell-Moore took the Vikings’ first offensive play of the night 63 yards for an 8-0 lead.

Caiden Everette and McDowell-Moore gave Tarboro two more opportunities to find paydirt thanks to a pair of early interceptions.

Havelock’s defense would hold after forcing a missed field goal early in the second quarter and converting the ensuing drive into six points.

Jalen Morgan hauled in a pair of first down catches to set the stage for Jayden Howard’s 13-yard run.

Trailing 8-6, Jonathan Williams took a direct snap to the right side and in to push the Rams ahead 14-8 following a successful two-point attempt.

That lead held through the halftime break.

Mason Satterfield opened up the third quarter by marching the Vikings into the red zone. Tyler Powell plunged forward on a 1-yard keeper to give Tarboro a 15-14 advantage.

Havelock instantly answered back. Morgan went up over two defenders and hauled in a first-down grab. Two plays later, Howard made a vicious cut inside of the 5-yard line to dance in for the lead.

The Rams were just getting started. Kendrick Kelly owned the next drive with a trio of grabs to move the chains. He was rewarded with a Jaylen Hewitt touchdown pass to push the score to 26-15.

Following the touchdown, Tarboro fumbled the ball on its first offensive play. Havelock recovered at midfield, and Hewitt wasted no time throwing a 51-yard pass into Kelly’s arms to inflate the lead to three scores.

The ensuing kick-off? Fumbled by Tarboro.

Three plays later, Hewitt parlayed that turnover into a quick pass to Morgan for a 14-yard touchdown. In the span of 7 plays, Havelock had found the endzone 3 times. It comfortably led 40-15 after three periods.

For good measure, the first play of the fourth quarter was an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hewitt to Williams.

Satterfield stopped the bleeding with eight minutes left when he ran in to trim the deficit to 47-23.

The Rams have their eyes set on claiming the top 3A seed from the Big Carolina Conference. Now 4-1 overall, Havelock travels to D.H. Conley in search of its first win of the year in league play.

Tarboro, an annual favorite to claim the 1A state title, takes its 4-1 record to Bertie next week. Despite the loss, the Vikings now have the experience of a marquee matchup under its belt, and the benefit of the RPI points that come along with it.

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Source: highschoolot.com