Here's what winning will do for you.

I have to ask this question.

Why is it that all-of-a-sudden it seems that Rocky Mount High is going through a period of great athletes?

I personally don't think there has ever been a shortage of good athletes, but if you look back into the past, winning opens up opportunity that losing doesn't present to athletes.

The more often you make it to the 3rd and 4th round of any sport, college coaches can watch an athletes perform against top caliber competition and make better judgements about how that athlete will perform in college.

Looking back in the 60's, Jim Clack and Danny Talbott got noticed not because they were good athletes but good winning athletes.

In the 70's and 80's, Phil Ford and Buck Williams found their way to the NBA from the foundation of winning that they achieved at Rocky Mount High.

Do you think Brian Goodwin would have played two major baseball All-Star Games this past summer if the Gryphons had lost in the first round of the playoffs, instead of being the state champs. Winning provided him extra games to showcase his ability.

Whit Barnes, the Gryphons' starting center, has already committed to play football at Wake Forest next year. Four playoff games helped put him in a spotlight during the playoffs last year.

In 2004, Terrell Hudgins at quarterback and Stephan Virgil as a do-it-all player were given the opportunity to play at the next level.

Both players, Terrell, a redshirt junior and Stephan, a true junior, are proving that winning in high school can lead to success later in college.

Hudgins has found a home at Elon, where he was named an All-American wide receiver the last two years. In his first game this past Saturday, he picked right up where he left off last season -catching 10 passes in Elon's opening game against Richmond (a 28-10 loss)

If this season is anywhere close to the last two seasons, Terrell may have to decide whether the NFL is a possibility or come back to play his senior season.

Stephan has been on the special teams at Virginia Tech his first two season. In the season opener agaist ECU, Virgil found himself as the starting cornerback almost single handedly beat the Pirates scooping up a fumble and rambling 30 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, he took a blocked extra point out of the air and raced 90 yards for a two-point defensive conversion.

Before you Pirate fans get upset, I know you all won the game, but this is a Stephan Virgil story. I will have to say that Skip Holtz is doing a great job in Greenville.

Winning is an attitude and that is provided by the coaching staff. In order to talk about the coaches that is another story but there is no doubt that Rocky Mount has excellant coaches in all sports.

Finally, I am convinced that dropping to 3-A level has made a more balanced field to play sports. In the late 80's and 90's, Rocky Mount was caught being a school with 1,400 students playing in a conference where other league members had 1,800 to 2,000 students. Even Northern Nash was pushing 1,700 kids in school.

Yes, we were able to win in certain years back then, but they were few and far between. We have had a few athletes who made it to college level sports, but nowhere like the period we are going through now.

WHY? We didn't win then like we are now.