Big East 3-A Best Sports Conference In the East

Wes Bradshaw pointed something out to me yesterday at the RM-Hunt baseball game that I did not realize.  By the way Wes is now a month in to his married life and he was allowed to go play with the boys yesterday for the first time.  Since 2007 the #2 team in our conference has play for the East regional title in baseball.

2007 Northern Nash lost in three games to C B Aycock.  2008 the Gryphons beat D H Conley in two straight to go from there to win the State baseball title. Northern lost in 2009 to Eastern Wayne and last year Hunt won the East Regional.  They all did it as the #2 seed.  What can I surmise from that?  This is a doggone good baseball conference as well as basketball and football.  Don't forget the other sports like track where the Big East finished 1-2  just yesterday in the Regional  this year.

So who is going to be the#2 this year?  Rocky Mount can get it by defeating Fike Monday night at home or hoping Nash Central beats Northern Nash.  A victory by Rocky Mount or a Northern loss and they are #2.  A Rocky Mount loss and Nash Central win and they would be tied but Rocky Mount holds the tie breaker having beaten Nash Central twice.

Going into Monday night's final game Northern can Still finish second, third or fourth.  They must win to get second or third but only second if they win and Rocky Mount loses. They get fourth if they lose to Nash Central.  The Hunt Warriors are the undefeated team of the conference and have already finished their season and will get at least one home game in the playoffs.  The number two team will get one home game and as long as they survive after that on the road unless there are major early upsets  which have happened in the past.

Rocky Mount will play rest of the season with out utility player Sam Lilley who plays third when Matthew Berry Pitches and has thrown several innings  on the mound.  Rocky Mount is already short quality pitching  except when Benton Moss pitches and the list of pitchers is shorter now.

Gryphon track teams head to North Carolina A&T Friday for the 3-A State Meet.  The boys qualified in 13 events and the girls in 12.  Nash Central boys will head there missing Will Bass who had potential to be the best in the meet but he is sidelined with an injury.  It is sad to see players get injured their senior seasons because there is no redshirt when they can come back next year and make up the missed time.  We all remember Carter Varnell for the Gryphons in 2009 getting hurt in like the third football game  and not only missed the rest of football but all of his senior baseball season.

Gryphon Golfers start play in Pinehurst Monday morning playing in the state championships for the first time.  Big East Softball starts Monday night at Glover Park at 5.00pm