Friday, August 23, 2013

Perfect

Last year playing all of their season on the road Rocky Mount Prep fail to win a game.  Tonight playing a home game for the first time Prep threw a shutout and the old wives  Tale that if you don't let'em score it  is hard to lose and they didn't as the JAGS win their first game ever 6-0 over Kipp Pride.  Way to hang in there coach Don Reams and his Prepsters.
       
Rocky Mount's Gryphon used big play most of the way but when the pressure was really on used ball control to beat South Granville 27-14.  RaShawn Harris had a big night scoring on a 65 yard punt return in the first quarter and then in the 3'rd quarter caught a Josh Carter screen pass and took it 52 yards to the house for a 17-7 lead.   Micah Varnell kicked two field goals and a kick butt 4th quarter drive sealed the game with a touchdown.

South Granville scored with 1.1 seconds to a make it 10-7 at the half and then scored to make it 17-14 before the Gryphons put the game away.

They may now be called 1-A but don't think it is not the same old Tarboro Vikings at the Vikes handle Nash Central with ease 21-0.

Other scores
Southern Nash 27 SouthWest Edgecombe 14
Hunt 28 South Central 12
Fike 36 Bunn 17
North Edgecombe 40 Northwest Halifax 6

Prediction Time

Let me say right up front that I expect to do 100% better this year on my first week high school football predictions than I did last year.  0-6 opening night.  I have all the confidence in the world I will get at least one of the seven right this go round.  You know first night is the hardest night of the year to predict any score when half the teams playing you don't know one thing about.  Let's see if we can get off to a better start this year.

Rocky Mount Academy-  His first year he had no idea the concept of eight man football but by playoff time his Eagles had earned the respect of Word Of God.  B W Holt will put his second team on the field at Halifax Academy which I have no idea about but I know the way the RMA Eagles finished up last year you had better be prepared this year when you play them.  RMA 45 Halifax 34.

North Edgecombe at South Creek.  Let me remember South Creek use to be Roanoke High School and last year as the new South Creek they won one game.  Put one in the books for NE as Danny Parisher and the Warriors start the year off right 26-12 over the Creek.

Rocky Mount Prep hosting Kipp Pride.  Now last year the Jags went 0 for the season in their first year of football,  Pride won one game and that was a 38-6 victory over Prep.  I think we see that having a home game makes a big difference and the Jags tear down their new goal post in winning 26-21 over Kipp.

Northern : The Knights starts with four straight road games and Wendell is the first stop at Corinth Holders. This is their 3rd year after being winless in 2011.  A nice 5-7 campaign in 2012.  I just think that Randy Raper has the touch and if they were playing say Tarboro tonight I'd pick the Vikings.  Not quite as tough of non conference schedule as the past and the Knights take advantage.  26-20.

Nash Central At Tarboro.  The past two seasons I thought the Bulldogs had the best talent in the Big East.  I don't know if they have as good of talent as four or five other teams in the league this year. Seems to me Nash Central program is going backwards.   Despite being a little bitty 1-A school Tarboro opens with a win.  34-20.

Rocky Mount: opens on the road at South Granville a 2-A team that finished 9-4 last season.  This could very well be the best game of the night and in a slug fest the Gryphons win their opener on the field this year instead of getting a forfeit  a week later.  Rocky Mount 34 South Granville 26.

SouthWest Edgecombe at Southern Nash:  New coach in Cougar land but the old one still patrols the sidelines as an assistant.  By years end last year the Cougars were a handful for every body.  If this is really the Firebirds year they need to make a statement tonight.  Firebirds 35 SWE 22.