MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — The Mount Airy Granite Bears football team is returning to the 1A State Title game.
In 2022, the Granite Bears knocked off Tarboro to bring home the program's 8th state title in school history (1935, 1938, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1968, 2008, and 2022).
Mount Airy and Tarboro are two programs that know each other very well. Saturday's matchup marks the third time these two teams have met with the State Championship on the line.
In 2017, Tarboro beat Mount Airy 32-7 on their way to the 1AA (before the NCHSAA shifted from eight classifications to four) championship, but in 2022, the Granite Bears got their revenge with a 20-7 win over the Vikings at Carter-Finley Stadium.
However, if you talk to the Granite Bears Head Coach JD Adkins, last year's title is a thing of the past, and he and his team are focused on the present.
"Everyone talks about defending a state championship. I think it's more of a cliché than anything. We aren't defending anything," Adkins said.
"2023 is a brand-new season and we had a goal to get here and win it. That's our focus. Doing it last year means nothing, and I think our guys approach it that way. That (state championship) was a whole year ago. Our focus is on the here and now,"
Adkins and the Granite Bears are currently on a 29-game winning streak and dominating both sides of the ball. They outscored their opponents 733 to 176 in their 15 games in 2023.
The Granite Bears offense is electrifying, averaging close to 50 points per game (48.9) while the defense has suffocated its opponents all season, only allowing 11.7 points per game.
"I think the mindset as to who we are as a team, changed as the season went," Adkins said.
"Early on, I was a bit concerned about our chemistry as a group, as crazy as that may sound. But as the season went on, I think we had some players who bought in about what they could do for this team."
"Not as much about what they can do for themselves. Once that change started to take place. Our production on the field got better and it's allowed us to get back where we need to be," Adkins said.
This Mount Airy team features two seniors you'll see all over the field on Saturday. First, the quarterback on both sides of the ball, Ian Gallimore (#15).
Gallimore not only is the man under center for the Granite Bears, but he's also the Middle Linebacker as well, who leads the team in tackles per game.
However, the most important player on the field for Mount Airy is their All-World running back and Virginia Tech Commit, #5 Tyler Mason.
Mason has rewritten just about every offense record while at Mount Airy, a program that has been playing football for over a century. Including becoming the program's All-Time Leader in Rushing Touchdowns and Rushing yards this year.
With only one game remaining in his Mount Airy career, Mason's career numbers are astronomical. He's scored 119 (rushing, receiving, and special teams) touchdowns in just 54 career games while racking up 6,231 all-purpose yards, and there's no better way to end your high school career than by winning back-to-back state championships before he takes his talents to Blacksburg for college.
This year's game will be played at Kenan Memorial Stadium, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, kickoff is at noon on Saturday, and if you want to purchase a ticket. You can do so by clicking this link.