Tall Trees Do In Gryphons

I have told you this before and it is true again the Coastal Conference has different drinking water than what we have when it comes to growing volleyball players. Tonight in the opening round of the Volleyball 3-A Playoffs the third place team from the Coastal not quite as tall as South Central or D H Conley but plenty tall   handle the Lady Gryphons as White Oak out of Jacksonville wins  3 games to 1.

The Lady Gryphons fell behind in every game but did manage to win the first game 27-25.  The next three games trying to catch up and that is hard to do when the other side is slamming the ball at the net in your face.  White Oak wins those close battles 25-22,25-21 and 25-19.  This is the fourth straight year that Rocky Mount has been knocked out by the Coastal and only once in those four years have they beaten a Coastal team.  In that same period they are 2-0 against any other conference.

The rest of the seeding came out today and the #1 seed from the Big East Northern Nash plays Saturday at 6.00pm against South Johnston.  The #3 seed from the Eastern Carolina.  Their probable next game could be against D H Conley the #2 in the Coastal.  #3 Seed Hunt plays Saturday against C B Aycock the #2 from the Eastern Carolina.  Fike the #4 from the Big East probably has the easiest game as they travel to #1 from the Northeastern Coastal Currituck  Fike has a better overall record than Currituck.

Rocky Mount Soccer finished it's regular season today against Tarboro in a game that was scheduled all the way back during the hurricane.  Rocky Mount won 4-0.  They play Northern Nash in the 4/5 first round game in the Big East Soccer Tournament Monday at Rocky Mount.  4.30pm is game time.  This more than likely will be the last soccer game played at the MOUNT as the rest of the tournament would be played at the higher seed.  Next year of course at the new school  will have soccer lights for the first time.

Now on to Football:

Regardless of the winner of the Hunt-Nash Central game Friday they still have to win next week to claim the Big East title outright.   Unbeaten Hunt and once beaten Nash Central collide at the Dawg Pound  I made the predictions in the preseason that everyone would lose at least on in conference play and the only way that happens if the winner of this game loses next week.  It could happen as Hunt still has Fike at Fike and Nash central has Southern at Southern.  This is a toss up and when ever that happens the team with the most turnovers will probably lose.

Fike travels to Northern Nash and in order for the Golden Demons to grab a share of the Championship they must win this game. Rocky Mount plays the last game ever at the Athletic Complex  and Southern Nash would like to move up in the standing.  If Rocky Mount and Northern both lose that would set up a final game of the season next week and both teams would be playing not to go winless in the conference.  I think that would be the first time that has ever happened.  Hope they have enough players to suit up both of these final two games as both squads have been decimated by the injury bug.

Wicox-Seniors Have Been On a Journey Together

The head coach of the Volleyball team at Rocky Mount High School is Tabitha Wilcox.  She teaches science at Edwards.  Several years ago she was the Volleyball coach at Edwards when five seventh graders came along and wanted to play volleyball. 

I  don't care whether it is little league of junior high at the lower age groups you have to learn how to play the game.  Wilcox had one demand in order to play volley ball at Edwards.  You had to be able to serve the ball over the net over handed.  There was one of those seventh graders that when she walked up to the net she just could stand tall enough to touch the net and asking  her  to serve the ball  from way back on that back line and get it over the net was impossible.  Morgan Doughtie became the team manager.

Four other girls Tia Hudgins, Precious White, Emily Jacobs and Samantha Westphal could.  When they went to matches they were beaten by teams that had to underhand the ball to get a serve in but even then you could tell they were doing it the right way even though wins were not coming at a rapid clip.

They grew and moved on to Rocky Mount High School and after the retirement of Debbie Webb   Tab Wilcox moved on to varsity too.  Two consecutive undefeated conference  seasons and now a three loss conference year and the road is near it's end.  These five who have spent what seems like a life time with Tab Wilcox will end soon.

Today Rocky Mount Volleyball starts the road to the playoffs with a home game tonight against White Oak from Jacksonville.  They have reach the point when one loss and it is over.  The older these girls get they will remember back at something Wilcox said and will come to appreciate her teaching.  Wilcox has many more volleyball players to teach but this group will ever be special to her as this is the group that she took on as skinny seventh graders and help mold into  two time conference champions. A group of five seniors who were a part of a 27-3 conference record.

Coaching is a part of life that you teach them while they are in your charge and when they move on there is another group on the way.  Tab Wilcox will always remember this group as the one she rode with all they way from 7th to the high school finish.  Seldom do you start with a group as young pups and travel with them during their maturity for six years.  Regardless of the number of championships Tab Wilcox has in her life this group was part of her first and will ever hold  a spot in her heart  forever.