Look Back At 2014

Here is a review of what we covered  during the 2014 year.  Hard to believe that it is a new year all ready.

                                             January

Rocky Mount Little League joins the Williamsport Little League Association leaving the Tar Heel Association making way for any state champion from Rocky Mount to go to further playoffs and possible little league world series in Willamsport Pa.

Northern Nash all Everything Alexus Hill wins the WRAL Extra Effort Award.

                                             Febuary

Nash Central's Damien Silver  wins the State Indoor 55 meter hurdles.

Rocky Mount wrestling team wins the East regionals
 sending six wrestlers to the state tournament.  Rocky Mount's Wilson Smith 120 pounds and Joesph Cooper 152 won regionals titles for the Gryphons.  Southern Nash's Jordan Lacosse won the regional 125 weight title.

Due to such a bad winter the final week of the high school basketball season the NCHSAA lifted the band on playing games on Sunday in order to try to catch up with all the games missed in the 2013/2014.  
                                             March

The Lady Knights of Northern Nash make it to the basketball regional in Fayetteville  and finish the season with a 26-2 record.
                                               
March saw retired athletic trainer at Nash Central die.  Mike Caffey  was famous for giving me rides on his golf cart either going to the press box for football or baseball at Nash Central.  Nash Central surely believes in Cardio vascular health as they have the longest walk of any school in North Carolina to the press box.

Gryphon Brian Goodwin is promoted to AAA Syracuse where he will play until a sholder injury put him down in July.

                                               April

Nash Central's Ni'ya Styles, Northern's Alexus Hill and Rocky Mount's Dante Battle make the NCPreps.com all state basketball team.

Rocky Mount's Mike Gainey wins the Tobey Webb Award as the outstanding coach of high school students in NC.

                                                 May

Herb Greenberg founder of WHIG-TV dies.  I think I have done close to 500 shows either sports, Relay for Life or Nascar shows for Herb.  My fondness Memory is Herb was always a call you at the last minute kind of guy.  1999 right after WHIG got back on the air after Hurricane Floyd Herb  called me on that first Saturday night about 6pm and asked if I would come and just read all the important information like the status of drinking water.  He said most people don't have electricity and nobody will probably be watching but we can be a public service.

 We went on the air at 7pm with him on the control board and me talking and the phone never stopped ringing finally at 2am Herb says to me.  I'm tired let's go home.  That night was the first time Herb found out how important his little community TV station was to Rocky Mount.

Lander University finished 5th in the Division II World Series.  Lander had former Gryphon Thomas Berry as the DH and he lead DII in walks and third base coach Britt "baseball Johnson" another Gryphon.

Damien Silver won twice in the state track and field championships.  Winning 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles.  That along with his indoor victory in the 55 meter hurdles gives him three state championships.  If their was such an award he would be the From the Press Box player of the year.

Rocky Mount's Jaquel Bryant won his second straight Regional high jump and failed to repeat as  the state championship finishing fourth in the state high jump.


We finish up with the review with the saddest news for me of all as Richard Murray Former Ahoskie High and Hertford County Athletic Director died of cancer.  He was the one coach and teacher in my life that I can truly say made a difference in my life.

The second half tomorrow....

• 
  

Playoff Time College And Pro

The greatest two weekends of the NFL season are the next two when they have double headers on both Saturday and Sundays.  Joining the fray this year is the semi finals of the College playoffs on New Years day.

Thursday College Semi Finals:

Florida State and Oregon play in the Rose Bowl.  FSU trying to repeat as the National Champion seems to have nothing going for them except they keep winning ugly.  Oregon has ripped through the Pac Ten and would seem to have the scoring punch to take the Noles down.  The Seminoles get the job done taking down Oregon 38-35.

Alabama and Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.  Quite frankly am surprised Alabama made it undefeated this year.  Ohio State romped in the Big Ten Title game with their third string quarter back.  Despite losing to Virginia Tech the second week of the season Ohio State is primed to knock off Bama.  The SEC Nation will be in shock Ohio State 33- Bama 24

Arizona @ Carolina:  Cardinals can't score.  Panthers have not let too many points get by them in December will be hard for the punch less Cardinals to win this one. The Panthers will get to 500 with a win.   Cam and Company 17-9

Detroit @ Dallas:  If Detroit can keep from stomping on Tony Romo they have a real shot in winning this game.  This is the best Dallas team in  four lustrums.  This game might go down to the final play and I 'll take Big D as I see too much thug toughness coming from Detroit lately which means in
tough situations they will have a penalty to lose the game.  27-23 Dallas.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh:  Get out the band-aids, arm slings and anything else needed by a medical staff.  This will be the slammer game of the weekend.  Despite tough this will be a high scoring game.  Pittsburgh will survive a vicious game 30-20.

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis:  Cincy is the Dallas Cowboys of the AFC.  Everybody expects them to do something stupid at the wrong time.  I thing they have a really good draw here as Indy has won only one game all year against a team with a winning record.  Bengals 38-Indy 34.