Some things in life are unavoidable: death, taxes, Tarboro football playing in the 1A football championship. OK, maybe the last one isn't quite as certain as the first two but it's been a staple of the N.C. High School Athletic Association as of late.
Tarboro's football team won its fourth state title in five seasons and its second in the 2021 calendar year with a 28-7 win over Mitchell in the NCHSAA 1A state championship game at UNC's Kenan Stadium on Saturday.
(1) Tarboro is back in the state championship game for the fifth straight season after a 22-12 win over (6) Pender on Friday night in the 1A eastern regional championship game.
The fourth round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association football playoffs is complete, and we now know which eight matchups next week will determine the title-game participants. Here's a breakdown of all the action that took place across the state Friday night.