In boxing, when there is a championship fight, it goes 15 rounds. The judges give the winner of each round 10 points and the loser either gets eight or nine points.
Tonight, the Gryphons won the first round 10-8. From rounds two to 15, two champions slugged it out with each team winning seven rounds each by a score of 10-9.
Then, the judges added the scores up and that first round was the difference.
Tonight, two quality teams went tooth and nail against each other and the difference was the first drive of the game - a 46-yard march that took over six minutes off the clock. But it was gold for the Gryphons as they outlasted SouthWest Edgecombe 7-0.
The Gryphon "D-Block: survived a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone and a fourth-and- inches from the goal line, but in the end, it was the second straight shutout for the Gryphons.
For the game, Rocky Mount had the ball six total times. Two punts, three fumbles and an interception and won the game. One of those fumbles on an attemped punt return kept us from getting another chance as we gave it back to the Cougars before we had a chance to get it.
The only time that we didn't punt or turn it over, we scored.
Until the last desperation plays by SWE with 1:25 left to play, each team got at least one first down or more on every drive.
The defenses played great, but neither side could stop the other.
Those in attendance tonight saw two of the best teams in the state square off and if they had of played four more quarters, I don't think there would have been a touchdown difference between the two.
The Cougars' first drive of the game was 14 plays and covered 65 yards and ended with a blocked field goal.
SWE's opening drive of the second half was 20 plays long and went 79 yards and two feet and ended with no points.
Both offenses move the ball just enough to keep it away from the other.
Rocky Mount 7, SouthWest Edgecombe 0.
Riding home tonight, Charles Alston, Wes Bradshaw and I were discussing the game and I said "boy, that stop at the goal line saved the game." I want to steal this line from Wes, but I will give him credit for it.
He said, "The L'var Silver third-and-10 with the ball laying on the goal line and then he picked up 24 yards off tackle won the game for us."
I agree, if SWE makes us punt from the goal line, they were probably close enough to score, but with that 24-yard run, the Cougars never got the ball on our side of the field again.
Tonight's victory was No. 64 for head coach B.W. Holt at Rocky Mount. He is now all alone in second place on the all-time Rocky Mount victory list.
That touchdown on the first drive meant that Rocky Mount has scored in 97 straight games.
The seven points is the lowest point total for Holt since he has been at Rocky Mount - lower that the 10 RMHS scored against Western Alamance in the 2005 3-A east finals.
The seven points also stops a 76-game streak in which Rocky Mount had scored double figures in a game. The streak started on Sept. 2, 2002 with a 7-0 win at Hunt - a game in which I called the play-by-play and Wes did the color.
FYI, Charlotte Independence has the longest double-figure scoring streak at 140 games, followed by Reidsville's 102. RMHS' was the third longest in the state until tonight.
The streak ended tonight oddly enough with another 7-0 victory. Most of the time, if you don't score in double figures you would think you would lose. But both ends of the streak are 7-0 victories.
Don't you think that's kind of odd.
I am still numb from this game. Just think we now have to recover to go to Southern Nash Friday night!
But we will go there Friday as the leaders of the NEW 6. There is now a four-way tie for second between SWE, Nash Central, Fike and Southern Nash.
I don't know what more I can say. Whenever two teams walk off the field having given everything they had, you can't ask for more!
