Vike's Winning Streak Over

*****Gryphon varsity Football moved to Thursday night at Bertie.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7.30pm.  The home JV football game has been moved up to Wednesday at 7.00pm


The Tarboro Vikings 24 game winning streak came to a screeching halt tonight as the Bulldogs of Nash Central upset two time defending 2-A champs Tarboro 38-28.

The Vikings brought into the game the top rank college recruit in the state in Todd Gurley but what the Vikes found out that Nash Central had two guns in quarterback Jalen Richardson and back Kalil Macklin.  Those two easily were able to post numbers to match Tarboro's Gurley.

Nash Central was able to push out to a 38-20 lead in the second half and  kept the Vikes at bay when it counted.  The Nash Central coaches were disappointed when the game got rained out Friday night because they thought the Bulldogs were razor sharp Friday and the delay they didn't know whether they would be able to get the focus for Monday like they had Friday but obviously they did.

Down the road at Northern the Knights hosted the Bruins of Beddingfield and the Knights stopped the Bruins three straight plays from the one yard line and forced an early field goal to give Beddingfield a 3-0 lead.  By half time Northern started three times from within the Bruin 40 yard line and could only muster on field goal to tie the game at the half 3-3.

A six  yard short passed turned into a 43 yard touchdown to give the Bruins the lead in the third quarter and Northern never threaten after that and the Knights are stunned at home 13-3 by Beddingfield.Kendrick
 Richardson of Northern the starting quarterback may have been injured in the first quarter and with out their starting QB Northern never got any  offense going.  Dillon Hodges field goal was the only points for Northern.

I see that since Raymond Cobb came to SouthWest that Friday night 0-43 lost was his worst ever at Cougarland.  I find it hard to believe with all the success that Cobb had at North Edgecombe that he ever lost one worse than Friday.

You may have to help me on this one but with Dickie Schock winning his third straight opener Rock Mount has not lost the first game of the season since 2001 when they were blown out at home by Douglas Byrd. That would be ten straight years they have started out 1-0.  The 2002 year I did the season opener at Byrd on the radio and Rocky Mount upset Byrd 20-19 and the streak was on.  I do realize they had to forfeit the 2008 opener but on the field they still won.

My daddy's best friend growing up was a Friday night football partner Randolph Britton. He like my dad are both long gone, in 1967 Ahoskie had gone to Roanoke rapids to open the season after 1965 they went 10-2 and won the 2-A title in 66 at 12-0.  Ahoskie lead Roanoke Rapids 19-6 only to lose their opening game 25-19 in 1967.  All of us getting in the car to come back home Randolph said something that I still remember today.  He said "boys we may have lost tonight  but if we win 22 out of every 25 games  I think we will take this lost tonight"

The point for me at that time as a 13 year old is winning streaks don't happen everyday  be proud of what you did  and Tarboro fans remember tonight's loss  was the first one in a while.  The Bulldogs are good  and this doesn't in any way prevent you from winning another title in 2-A this year if the cards fall right.

Washington Meets Brian Goodwin

The big question last Wednesday night during the Brian Goodwin celebration in Don and Ashley Fish's  back yard was when and where  will the Nationals send Brian. Slyvester Goodwin told me that Washington wanted to bring their top three picks into Washington today and meet the press.  If that schedule is on then the Goodwin clan is in Washington this morning. It is so late in the minor league season as the regular season ends at the end of the month that Brian may wait until Winter ball or a rookie instructional  league this winter in Florida.

Former Goodwin teammate in Babe Ruth Baseball Xavier Macklin has hit the proverbial Wall while playing for Vermont in the New York Penn Rookie League.  You see in college they normally play a Wednesday game and then Fri-Sat-Sun.  Pro baseball players get one day off every three weeks unless there is a rain out and then you are probably at the ball park when it gets rained out.  X has  leveled off at around 235 and after finishing second in D-1 in home runs he has yet to yank one in the NY-P League.

Most Monday night high school football  games don't get much of a crowd but I bet there will be a great crowd tonight at Nash Central.  Two time defending State 2-A champs the Tarboro Vikings kick off their season against the Bulldogs of Nash Central.  This is a tough start for either one of these teams.  What ever happened to finding a easy one for opening night.  Northern Nash will kick off their season hosting Beddingfield.  Both games wills start at seven.

Just a final follow up on the Renegades the little league team that played last week in Cooperstown New York.  If you go on line the MLB folks rated  every team  from one right on up to the 104th position of all the teams that took part last week.  The Renegades finish sixth.  They played 9 games in five days  and finished 7-2 for the week.  The team that knocked them out in the quarter finals lost to Cherry Hills New Jersey in the championship game.