The Cast of Characters

One of the worst things that can happen to the Rocky Mount Gryphon football team is to start believing all the press clippings.

If at any time during the next seven regular season games they think they have won the game before they step on the field, that will be the game where five fumbles occur and they'll never get on track and a loss slaps them in the face.

The varsity Gryphons have won 17 straight games on their home field. The JVs have won 25 games in a row.

The culture of winning is in the air for the Gryphon Nation. Coach B.W. Holt will not accept anything less than their best effort. Now in his sixth year leading the Gryphons, coach Holt has spread his Gospel through the entire program now and no one that plays football at Rocky Mount knows no other way.

Teams that lose regularly at some point in each game have the thought "what's going to go wrong tonight"? Winners think what can I do to help us win?

Let me show you some examples from this past Friday's game against Hertford County.

Jordan Ford's 57-yard touchdown run was highlighted by the pancake block that was thrown by offensive lineman Torey Lee around the Bears' 20-yard line.

Torey is a 255-pound lineman whose job it is to make hole way back up the field at the line of scrimmage. This play, the line of scrimmage was the Gryphon 43. What he is doing way down there?

Hustling!

During the third quarter, there was a running play on the HC sidelines in which back Ron Gatling, the Bears' best runner Friday night, took off around the end and seemed headed for the end zone. Trailing the play by five yards, linebacker Chris Pittman put on a burst of speed and ran Gatling down before he could score.

Even though Chris was out of the play, he was hustling.

Hiawatha Bunn was the Gryphon quarterback last season. Coach Holt can afford to move Bunn to the defense with the emergence of Collins Cuthrell as the signal caller. Hiawatha leads the team in pass interceptions (four).

Bunn playing defense has strengthened the defense and Collins gives the offense a weapon with the pass.

Hiawatha Bunn is a team player.

These are just a few examples of players doing what they have to do for their team to win.

There are many other examples by others members of the team which go unnoticed, but it is all part of winning.

The last two victories by Rocky Mount over Rose and Hertford County speak volumes about how good this team is.

Just remember this....

We have only played four games. Two-thirds of the regular season is still to be played. If we should make it to the state championship game, that contest is 12 games away.

That's still a whole season to play!