Mercy Mercy

The NCHSAA on Wednesday adopted a mercy rule for football and basketball.  Football in the past the teams could agree or not agree once one team lead by 40 to start running the clock.  The rule was changed to a 42 point lead and running the clock is now require in all games.  Coaches can call time out or the clock will stop after a score or player injury.

Basketball for the first time will institute the mercy rule once a lead hits 42.   The only difference in  the rules the clock in basketball will continue after scoring but will run during foul shots.

Deep down in the rule changes is soccer will now go to a shoot out after teams have played the two ten minute ovenrtimes and are still tied.  There was another item talked about but no action was taken is there is on the table to go with four state football championship sites instead of three.  Last year Winston Salem, Chapel Hill and Raleigh were the three sites.

I would see no problem what so ever if ECU, App State or any college that has a stadium  of 20,000 hosting a championship.  Anyone who has ever been to a football game at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone would be a great memory for a team with snow on the ground. I would assume if it does go to four sites each year a site would host both the 3A and3AA  game.

There has been a change made in the Rocky Mount make up finish with Southern Nash which stopped in the top of the third inning Tuesday.  Since it will be the last regular season game of the year they have decided to play the JV game at 4pm and push the varsity finish back to 7pm.

This weekend if you love baseball Rocky Mount and Nash County will be loaded with baseball. All four public high schools plus Legion Field will be hosting baseball travel league teams from all over .  Games start at 8am and last well into the night.  The Sports Complex will be thriving with nine year old to 14 years old players.  I understand you can't get a motel room within 50 miles of Rocky Mount.