Saturday, February 11, 2012

Banner Time For Rocky Mount

There is nothing that could be better in life to graduate from school and years later return and look up on the wall and see you name as State Champion.  Today that list has grown of names on the wall at Rocky Mount High school as senior Paul Lilley has won the one mile at the State Indoor Track championships in Chapel Hill. His winning time was four minutes and thirty three seconds a full two seconds ahead of second.

Lilley is one of those athletes that is good at any thing he does.  He played soccer for the Gryphons in the fall and when opportunity and timing was right ran Cross Country in his spare time.  After a hard day of soccer practice is is hard to go run the necessary mileage to train for XC.  Yet during the Regional in XC he finished in the top ten as a part part performer.  This winter with no other sport  but running dedicating to one sport has made him a champion.

The day was not over for Lilley as he ran in the 1,000 meter race not long after his championship and finished fifth.  I am sure that if I had of just won a State Championship my feet would not yet touch the ground and fifth is a great effort after all the emotion of a championship. 

Sunday night WHIG TV is starting their new version of the show that use to be the Stretchlon Sports Show.  It will be called the all NEW Sports Show. We will try to cover games closer to the week that they are performed and there will be more live shows each month.  Sunday Night Wes Bradshaw will be live with Todd  Gurley the Tarboro Viking football player and then next Friday night our cameras will be at Northern Nash to record the Big East Basketball Tournament Championship.  I am sure in the future we will have Paul Lilley as a guest.  The newest Gryphon State Champion.