It is a wonderful thing to be able to say I am a champion. Come Monday Rocky Mount High School Gryphons will no longer be the champions of 3A football but the defending 3A champions. Every team that plays the Gryphons this season will have a little more jump in their step when they take the field because there will be a respect paid to the champs. Every team now knows that Rocky Mount has proven they can win the big ones. Every team will give a supreme effort to be the team to knock off the champs. They don't want to be embarrassed by the champs.
Often forgotten when you continue to win each Friday night is how close you came to losing. Ten minutes left in the state championship game the Gryphons trailed 21-14. The truth be told they trailed in every playoff game except the Eastern Finals when they ran into an over confident Eastern Alamance team that the Gryphons slapped in the face early and Alamance had no answer for the Gryphon speed.
Looking even further they trailed almost every game in conference play at some point. Seemed the defense took a quarter to get their stride and the offense just kept pounding on everyone and that pounding takes it's toll after a while.
There is always luck that falls your way. Thought knowing in the fourth quarter we were going to win over south Johnston and heard that Havelock had fallen and another home game coming. Did not hurt at all to play Eden Morehead at home and then took the last play of the game to win after trailing by 9 points in the fourth quarter. I think the crowd at the Morehead game was the biggest crowd ever at the new stadium.
Early on Sherrod Green was the fullback but switching him to middle linebacker only and Nick Bynum to fullback was probably the move of the year. Made both the offense better and the defense more solid. We found out in the state championship game just how good Forest Bell was at quarterback. He was as they say the field general who directed the Gryphons as Jason Battle wanted without mistakes. Seemed every time someone got hurt there was somebody who stepped in to fill a hole.
The fourth year even Jason Battle made great strides as coach. No longer was this team losing games because of penalties of sportsmanship both on the field and sidelines. He made changes in his coaching staff and maybe the biggest was from within himself. When you look at Jason's four year record and already a state championship under his belt the Gryphon nation will now have to watch out for the wanna-a -bees looking a coach in 4A. Remember Wake County is building five new high schools in the next few years. why not get a proven winner as your coach?
This team will have to replace the quarterback. That is the biggest hole to fill before the season starts. Stay away from injuries. The line might not be as good as last year. Saw last week in the Telegram where Coach Battle was preaching staying hungry. There is no doubt about that. Last year's team earn several opportunities to play college football because of the exposure they received during the playoffs. Winning brings college coaches to ask why and they come and look. Right now Rocky Mount has a flock of good athletes that will get their looks. The coaches will look deeper if you keep winning. There is where the six or seventh best players are found out about.
Starting Monday the real get ready for 2016 high school football season gets going.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
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