Gryphons Move On

All year long coach Kent Cox has done every thing in his power to make sure that Benton Moss was not over used and his career ruined because he rode his horse more than what he should have.  Moss pitched seven innings last Thursday in the opening round win over  Hertford County and Moss had four full days of rest heading into tonight's  second round game against the Eastern Carolina #1 seed C B Aycock at Aycock.

Cox agonized over whether to throw his star pitcher or hope we could survive to play  later this week but in the end Cox did the only thing he could do.  Hand the Ball to Moss.  Personally I have no problem with Benton coming back with four full days of rest.

The Gryphons score twice in the first as Jeremy Johnson opened with a walk and scored on a Matt Berry Double.  Benton Moss hit a sac fly to the outfield with gave the Gryphons a 2-0 first inning lead which was shorted lived.  Aycock score two in the second  on three straight hits and a walk and the Gryphons threw a runner out at home then to hold it to 2-2 after 2.

The fifth inning Damiem Smith walked  and Jeremy Johnson walked and Matt Berry now hobbled by a leg injury hit a single to drive in two runs.Aycock score one in the bottom of the fifth on a base on balls and score without benefit of a hit.

Taylor Clontz singled, Andy Morris reach on Aycock's fourth error of the game and Collin Watson made them pay as he hit a three run homer  to give the Gryphons a 7-3 lead.  A solo home run in the seventh cut the Gryphon lead to 7-4 which is the final.

The Gryphons got six hits the homer by Watson,   three hits from a hobbled Matt Berry and three rbi. Taylor Clontz and Thomas Berry also singled and he pulled up lame trying to stretch his single into a double.

C B Aycock got five hits and Moss walked two batters.

The next round game is up in the air right now as it will either be Thursday or Saturday.  Friday night is Prom night at Rocky Mount so that night is not even being considered.

Good news is tempered to some degree as both Matthew Berry and Thomas Berry have legs injuries and both will be limited regardless of when the next game is played.  Sam Lilley being  out that is three Gryphons  nursing injuries  heading into the third round.

Hunt was by far the best offensive team in the Big East all year but tonight at Hunt Eastern Wayne has no hit the Warriors and knocked them out of the playoffs  with EW winning 6-0.  The news is not much better at Nash Central as the Bulldogs have fallen to #4 seed North Lenoir from the Eastern Carolina by a 5-2 score.

This will put the Gryphons up against North Lenoir whenever the game is played later this week.

Multi Sport Athletes And their Decisions

We have all heard on the news lately about Russell Wilson the N C State quarterback who had signed a pro baseball contract but can't give up either.  Wilson is a better football player than baseball player but his future will not be in pro football.  Unless he starts dedicating more time to baseball he might not do that much longer.

I would suspect his love is football but there  is more opportunity in baseball.  A chance to have a better life through the money baseball could bring him and has so far.  His problem is his size for football.  If  you look at the NFL quarterbacks there are none as small as him under six feet. His love for that game and the income that another is providing  puts him in a position where he can't get better in either because he is not dedicating the time to say baseball to get better.

Coaches and teams start pulling if you want to be a better quarterback play football.  Baseball is saying you are floundering in the minors if you want to make it to the majors start playing baseball full time. He is struggling to decide what is best for his life.

Russell Wilson is not a once in a while problem.  Every hall way of any school in this area coaches are asking players if you want to play football for us practice  it 365 days  a year, Basketball, baseball, soccer, track.  There is no doubt that if you are good in football and play basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring that come next football season the only improvement you would have made is in height and weight..  Those that only dedicate to one sport will have left you behind while you while you played other sports.

We have seen this spring what doing one sport does to the body when you do the same thing six and seven days a week.  Your body need rest and recuperation time.  Why are there so many pitchers with arm trouble today can be traced back to having  played ball in the spring, summer and fall and their arms are worn out.

I personally don't believe that weight lifting should be done until the body is through growing.  I can't see a 14 year old lifting weights and then over night grows two inches and all that lifting has to start over to accomodate the new tissue.  Seems to me to be wasted time while still growing.

Athletes who are talented in more than one sport have to make decisions at some point in their life.  Is this something that might be my life's work?  Am I good enough to even think about doing this in college?  When I leave high school  am I through as an athlete or will I become a two night a week softball player.  Everyone has goals in life, as a high schoolers it is hard to imagine beyond getting past Chemistry much less what am I going to do in life.

The hard cold facts are this, not many ever get paid to play sports.  I believe since there are not  many who will even play sports in college  you should do any  sports as your talent will allow you to make the team with in high school.  Who knows you may find out that cross country was more for me in my life than I ever thought it could be.  You will never know if you don't try it.