Eight Is Enough

It took B W Holt eight tries to ever make it to a state championship game but when he got to his first he had his team ready to win it. RMA almost scored on the opening kickoff and stuck it home to take the lead. By halftime RMA lead and then Holt had to think I have been here before. Nursing a 36-30 lead and all his Eagles had to do was run out the clock you have to think that some where in the mind of this football coaching legend he had to think back just five years ago his Rocky Mount Gryphons team nursing a 19-14 lead against West Craven and driving for one more score and the dreaded fumble and a WC td late. Not tonight however as the RMA Eagles stick a state championship touchdown on the board in the last two minutes to beat the defending eight man football championship 42-30 over Southampton Academy. An estimated crowd of Twenty five hundred were in the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex to see HOLT and the Eagles win their first state title together. Rocky Mount Prep first ever playoff game will be one to remember a 62-0 loss to SE Halifax. Hunt the top seed from the Big East over came a slow start to win their opening playoff game beating Terry Sanford 35-14. Fike over came a 0-26 score and scored three touchdowns the last three minutes of the third quarter to beat Lee County 41-26. Southern Nash fell behind early but romped in the end 51-22 over Swansboro. Tarboro in a cakewalk advanced to the second round with a 52-0 win over Spring Creek. North Edgecombe loses 40-22 to East Columbus. Rocky Mount will be the only Big East team to lose as they fall at Orange 31-3. they knew they had a toughie but SouthWest Edgecombe failed to score in a 40-0 lost to the top seeded T W Andrews. The end of this week has turned the future of several local girls sports stars. Rocky Mount basketball player Carmen Richardson has signed to play basketball at Queens College in Charlotte with her former high school teammate Tia Hudgins. Richardson as a sophomore was the third leading scorer behind J Kyra Brown and Hudgins. As a junior she moved up to second behind Brown but this year she will be expected to take the lead on this year's Gryphon girls team. Over at Northern Alexis Hill has signed with Gardner-Webb where she will play basketball. Hill the last two years has been the main engine to a high powered Lady Knight basketball team having averaged over the last two years 12.9 points. Jessica Ricks a Lady Knight center fielder who just might be the best hitter in the history of Northern Nash hit over 550 last year and she has all next spring to hit some more before she heads to App State.

We Might Find Out About Duke

When you look at the seven wins that Duke has the Virginia Tech win is the the star on their cap. Saturady the Southern Nash of the ACC Miami rolls in to Durham and what do I mean by that is the injured Hurricanes who has had plenty of wind shear to calm the Hurricanes down as the season has grown into November. Last week I was 5-3 which runs me to 52-22 on the college perdiction business. Miami at Duke: You have to give it to the Devils as they have thrown 7 ints in the last two games and won both. This is the Blue devils last home game of the year and a win here elevates this season even higher with every added win. I think this is their last lost of the season until the Bowl game. Miami 31 Duke 26 Georgia Tech at Clemson: You know Clemson can still work it's way into a BCS Bowl game if they don't lose again this year and I suspect they won't lose this week. Clemson 46 Georgia tech 26. Didn't realize that this was Thursday night game. N C State at Boston College. Before the season started this was already in the win column for the Pack but the rotatation quarterbacks for State continue to see who can play worse than the other. Boston College 27-24 Syracuse at Florida State: This is last real good chance for anybody to derail the Noles. Will be interesting to see if the Cuse defense can slow them down or if all the negative pub this week hurts the Noles. I doubt it FSU 38 Syracuse 20 North Carolina at Pitt: This game will surely show us whether Carolina has improved or caught the slack part of their schedule at the right time. Pitt 31 Carolina 28 Maryland at Virginia Tech: Go Gobblers beat the quitters VT 31 Maryland 17 North Carolina Wesleyan at Methodest: The religious folks are good Meth 38 NCW 23 It seems as if the Big East is the second best soccer conference in the east behind the Coastal with Jacksonville. After Hunt had beaten the other Coastal team White Oak looked as if somebody from the Big East just might beat Jacksonville in the eastern Finals. No way Jax 6- Hunt 1.