Coaches Pick Tarboro to Win Eastern Plains; Kinston, Greene Central Eye Breakthrough in New Conference
GREENVILLE — The Eastern Plains Conference held its first football media day Wednesday morning at Parker’s BBQ, as coaches and athletic directors from across the new 2A/3A league came together to finalize schedules and vote on preseason predictions.
Tarboro, the lone 2A team in the conference, was selected as the preseason favorite by the league’s coaches, receiving 24 points in the poll. Kinston followed closely with 22 points, while Ayden-Grifton (15), Greene Central (12), Farmville Central (10), and Beddingfield (6) rounded out the voting.
Tarboro enters 2025 coming off a 45–24 win over Corvian Community in last season’s 1A state championship game. It marked the program’s ninth state title and eighth consecutive appearance in a championship game.
Kinston head coach Ryan Gieselman acknowledged Tarboro’s standing but is focused on building off a strong offseason.
“I think Tarboro is on top right now and everyone is trying to knock off them,” Gieselman said. “We got a lot of work to do. I’m ready to get to work.”
“We have had a great summer and we built our team with a lot of camaraderie,” he added. “Things are progressing a little faster this year with having so many guys coming back and building off momentum from last year’s playoff run.”
The conference features a mix of experienced and first-year coaches, something Gieselman noted as a strength.
“A lot of familiar faces, a lot of good football, a lot of great football coaches,” he said. “You got a Shrine Bowl coach, you got an East/West coach, you got some young first-year guys that are going to mirror the place they’re from... it feels like a good place to be back.”
Greene Central head coach Jay Wilson said he’s encouraged by the development of his current roster, which includes several players who were part of successful JV teams in recent years.
“We were blessed with two really good JV years, and those guys now are juniors and seniors,” Wilson said. “We’re looking forward to a good year.”
“New conference — we got Tarboro, Kinston, Ayden-Grifton — that’s teams that went to the fourth round, state championship,” Wilson added. “Ayden won the conference last year. It’s going to be a battle, but I think the guys are battle-tested. The guys have seen a lot of these teams throughout the years, and I am excited to see what we’re going to do.”
“I think we are going to finish fourth or fifth in the ballot right here, and that’s OK,” he said. “It don’t matter where you start — it’s where you end it.”
Kinston and Greene Central both have preseason action Friday, with both traveling to Havelock and Greene Central playing White Oak, Kinston vs Havelock.
The regular season begins next week. Greene Central will open at home against 4A North Lenoir, while Kinston travels to face 7A South Central.
