Once already these two teams had faced each other on a neutral field in Wilson and battled to a 0-0 tie. Tonight the same two school battled for thirty seven minutes and were still tied 0-0 when a corner kick from the right corner was sailing toward the front of the goal when out of no where a Cardinal got his head on the ball and directed it into the right corner of the goal. It would prove to be the only score of the night.
Jacksonville will return home to defend their Eastern 3-A soccer championship and will face Wilson Hunt a 3-0 winner over county rival Fike. Oddly enough Jacksonville is taking the same path again this year to the state championships as last. They beat Roucky Mount 6-0 in the third round last season and followed that up beating Hunt in round four 5-0.
Neither team had great opportunities in the first half and a play which Rocky Mount has been very effective on all year the so call pass and chase where you try to out run the defender to the ball which has been passed up toward the goal never worked tonight at Jacksonville always had the defender in the right location. Neither could the Cardinals get any thing going as Rocky Mount was alway in the right spot.
Drew Gorham had ten saves on the night in goal for Rocky Mount but the Cardinal goal was not a bad play by the Gryphon defense but a great play by the offense which turned out to be the only score.
Rocky Mount finishes the season 21-3-1 while Jacksonville plays on with a 24-0-2 record. The Gryphons rocks just weren't big enough to slay the giant tonight.
As I have been writing this blog tonight I have had a thought that two area team Nash Central Cross Country team and the Gryphon soccer team have been about the best ever at their schools this year. I am going to try to get together with the coaches and of course tomorrow is a school holiday to try to have each team on Sunday night live on the "Stretchlon Sports Show".
I would love to get the seniors from both teams as well as the coaches live Sunday at 8.00pm on the SPS. If you know either coaches number get them to call me a t 903-9767 and we will try to make it happen for Sunday.
