It was a strange edition of the Function at the Junction rivalry as Tarboro and SouthWeste Edgecombe were forced to play one another on Saturday at noon. The always-anticipated was pushed to today in response to the rainy conditions experienced in Eastern North Carolina on Friday.

While the kickoff time shifted, the result matched what we’ve become accustomed to: 1A Tarboro defeated its larger 2A counterpart from across Edgecombe County by a score of 27-14.

It is the ninth consecutive victory for Tarboro over the Cougars. The last time SouthWest won the matchup was in 2015. Tarboro has also won 14 of the past 15 showdowns.

The Vikings’ prolific trio of rushers – senior Mason Satterfield, junior Kamerin McDowell-Moore, and junior Caiden Everette – each reached the end zone to pace the Vikings past the Cougars. Senior linebacker/tight end Cole Craddock was responsible for the fourth touchdown. Craddock, the son over 21st-year Viking head coach Jeff Craddock, came up with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown to break the game open midway through the second quarter. Satterfield followed it up with a 32-yard score to make it a 20-8 lead for the Vikings. That margin stayed the same for about 90 minutes in real time.

Both sides struggled with some pre-snap penalties, which didn’t please either head coach. Despite the penalties, each offense was able to find some success on offense. SouthWest found the run game against Tarboro’s front to be tough, but the Cougars began to spread out their formations and sophomore lefty quarterback Devion Mayo Jr. managed to find some openings in the Vikings’ pass defense.

SouthWest’s last best chance to come back in the game came with 4:10 remaining as it faced a fourth-and-10 from the Tarboro 13-yard line. On the play, Mayo Jr. threw a ball far out of the back of the end zone.

After that, Tarboro used an Everette run to make it a 19-point game and SouthWest responded with a late 14-yard touchdown pass from Mayo Jr. to 6-foot-5 receiver Justin Bridgers.

Scoring

First Quarter

• 8:34 – Kamerin McDowell Moore touchdown run. Vikings 8, Cougars 0
• 2:17 – Jakhari Lovely touchdown run. Vikings 8, Cougars 8

Second Quarter

• 6:58 – Cole Craddock 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. PAT missed. Vikings 14, Cougars 8
• 0:54 – Mason Satterfield 32-yard touchdown rush. 2 pt. try no good. Vikings 20, Cougars 8

Fourth Quarter

• 1:12 – Caiden Everette 49-yard touchdown rush. Vikings 27, Cougars 8
• 0:15 – Devion Mayo Jr. 14-yard touchdown pass to Justin Bridgers. Vikings 27, Cougars 14

Source: highschoolot.com