Four Rings For Battle

The men's tennis teams of the Big East that made the state playoffs have played their first round matches.  The top seed Fike defeated West Carteret 7-0 to advance to next week's second round.  Rocky Mount was not so lucky falling to Northern Guilford 6-0 to end their season at 12-3.  This weekend starts singles and doubles competition and Fike will not play a second round match until next week.

It is now official that Nash Central will drop to 2A and Franklinton will join what is now called the Big East 3-A.  Each one of these four year realignments when ever new teams come into a conference they sit down and one of the first things they do is decide what the name of the conference should be. With only Franklinton joining the now existing Big East 3-A there should be no need to change the name of the conference.  So as it stands now the school year 2016-2017 is the last as the Big East as we know it now.

Another change made by the NCHSAA board of directors is every sport but football can now have unlimited amount of players during off season workouts.   The past any workout could not field a full team during the the workouts.  They are limited to one hour and a half per workout.

Tonight the Rocky Mount High school football players and coaches will receive their state championship rings which they have all awaited since winning the state championship December 12th.  It is a private dinner with players, coaches and family members.   Not only will they all have memories for the rest of their lives of what occurred during the football season of 2015 but they will have proof on their fingers of their accomplishments.

Head football coach Jason Battle is a relatively young man.  Tonight as the head football coach of the Gryphons Battle will have to make room for high fourth state championship ring.  He was an assistant coach on the 2008 baseball state championship team.  2010 and again in 2012 he was on the sidelines for both basketball championships as an assistant.  If he has as successful next seven years as the past he will need to start finding room on his toes.