Friday afternoon at Legion Field there was a baseball tournament going on that had just started when shots rang out just a block away. The Rocky Mount police advised all there and mostly players and family members to get into the dugouts until the situation was under control.
Now the next time the possibility of those teams looking to come to Rocky Mount to play baseball is never. Just in the last three months two football players have been shot in drive by shootings. One the SouthWest Edgecombe player survived only recently being able to return to action for the Cougars.
Those visiting Rocky Mount heard that the JV Gryphon football player did not survive. My wife Pat and I while living in Fayetteville in 1994 were in a restaurant on a Friday night and about half mile in another eating establishment a Fort Bragg soldier shot and killed eight with an AK-47. After thinking it could have been us it wasn't long before we moved. I doubt you will ever see those visitors here in Rocky Mount again.
I feel safe living here in Rocky Mount after our police chief told us all last week there was no gang activity in Rocky Mount and there was no need to join a coalition to work combating gangs in Rocky Mount.
If we are going to stop all of these killings first of all the officials whether it's the mayor, city council or police chief have got to want it stopped. Apparently nobody wants to stop it. The most important people who need to help stop all this violence is the people who live in the combat zone.
You can no longer peep through the curtains looking out on the street corner and when shots go off close the curtain and act as if you didn't see anything. I Understand the retaliation for being the person who turned in the guilty but you can call crime stoppers and no one knows who called.
I have a great idea. Let's build a 58 million dollar convention center that no one will ever go to because they will not feel safe to want to come to Rocky Mount. We as citizens must demand that our town officials do something besides look like buffoons. They are really doing a good job looking like they could care less.
Monday, November 9, 2015
The Future Is Now
Once the playoffs start for every team there is only one in every bracket that will win every game. That sudden loss ends it quickly for those that lose. We have seen how true this is with the undefeated Lady Gryphon tennis team losing in the third round this week for their only loss of the season.
Any team like the Rocky Mount Gryphon football team who is rolling heading into the tournament thinks they can win it all and the way they are playing right now there should be no one who says they can't. Since only one team will win it all, there are more teams who think they can win it all but when they don't the end comes quickly.
This Gryphon team at 9-2 is better than their record. They lost to one of the best 4-A schools in the state by a field goal. Middle Creek according to the average daily attendance has 2268 students. That is almost twice as Rocky Mount 1281. You would think with more than 500 more boys in school Middle Creek should be unstoppable playing a school the size of Rocky Mount.
So from game one Rocky Mount showed everyone that they didn't care how big of a school you are we can beat you and they almost did. Take away the Rose game Rocky Mount has played as good as anybody anywhere in this state.
We have so much access today. You can see the highlights of every game on You Tube. Several have been live over the internet or taped and replayed on WHIG TV. Rocky Mount has a backfield full of backs that don't fall down when they see you coming. Very few times this year does one man bring down any one of them. Nick Bynum, B J Sanders and Terrell Forbes has all had highlight runs with people trying to hang on. He may not be the all Conference quarterback but there is no better quarterback in the Big East as far as being a field general and knowing how to direct the team than Forest Bell. If the Gryphons go far they will need to complete some passes which for the last three weeks has not been clicking.
The defense has two studs in Sherrod Green and Artavious Richardson but have you watched this defense lately. This team has speed to get into the backfield before the handoff or pass. I have heard this many times standing on the sidelines on the chain crew whether it was a coach or player but the Gryphon defense gets folks attention by the getting after you with the defense and their aggressive hard hitting they are playing.
He hasn't been used a lot this season but Chase Miller might be a vital player with a field goal late in a tight game down the road. The reason has hasn't been needed is because the Gryphons score when they get close but now in the playoffs a 45 yard field goal is not out of reason.
This team has won six straight games which is the longest streak since the 14 in a row in 2008. That team in 08 lost in the Eastern finals. This team has a chance but there are so many teams just as good, Havelock and Eastern Alamance are undefeated. A cart load of teams only have one loss. I have said this many times "nothing could be finer than Thanksgiving Friday football." If this Gryphon team gets that far and are still alive there is two weeks after that. The road to a championship is long ways away and defeat is like a lightning bolt. SUDDEN!
Any team like the Rocky Mount Gryphon football team who is rolling heading into the tournament thinks they can win it all and the way they are playing right now there should be no one who says they can't. Since only one team will win it all, there are more teams who think they can win it all but when they don't the end comes quickly.
This Gryphon team at 9-2 is better than their record. They lost to one of the best 4-A schools in the state by a field goal. Middle Creek according to the average daily attendance has 2268 students. That is almost twice as Rocky Mount 1281. You would think with more than 500 more boys in school Middle Creek should be unstoppable playing a school the size of Rocky Mount.
So from game one Rocky Mount showed everyone that they didn't care how big of a school you are we can beat you and they almost did. Take away the Rose game Rocky Mount has played as good as anybody anywhere in this state.
We have so much access today. You can see the highlights of every game on You Tube. Several have been live over the internet or taped and replayed on WHIG TV. Rocky Mount has a backfield full of backs that don't fall down when they see you coming. Very few times this year does one man bring down any one of them. Nick Bynum, B J Sanders and Terrell Forbes has all had highlight runs with people trying to hang on. He may not be the all Conference quarterback but there is no better quarterback in the Big East as far as being a field general and knowing how to direct the team than Forest Bell. If the Gryphons go far they will need to complete some passes which for the last three weeks has not been clicking.
The defense has two studs in Sherrod Green and Artavious Richardson but have you watched this defense lately. This team has speed to get into the backfield before the handoff or pass. I have heard this many times standing on the sidelines on the chain crew whether it was a coach or player but the Gryphon defense gets folks attention by the getting after you with the defense and their aggressive hard hitting they are playing.
He hasn't been used a lot this season but Chase Miller might be a vital player with a field goal late in a tight game down the road. The reason has hasn't been needed is because the Gryphons score when they get close but now in the playoffs a 45 yard field goal is not out of reason.
This team has won six straight games which is the longest streak since the 14 in a row in 2008. That team in 08 lost in the Eastern finals. This team has a chance but there are so many teams just as good, Havelock and Eastern Alamance are undefeated. A cart load of teams only have one loss. I have said this many times "nothing could be finer than Thanksgiving Friday football." If this Gryphon team gets that far and are still alive there is two weeks after that. The road to a championship is long ways away and defeat is like a lightning bolt. SUDDEN!
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