Gryphons Snooze And Lose

Whether it was there was no Gryphon player who had ever been in a playoff football game or what it might have been the Rocky Mount Gryphons played as if they were suppose to win and Jacksonville was suppose to let them .  There was only one problem with that theory is that Jacksonville did not cooperate and jumped on the Gryphons from the get go and never let up until they had a comfortable 27-0 lead.  The Late rising Gryphons came out of their sleep mode in the fourth quarter and made the score respectable in the end 27-14.

In any game that is basically a tossup as this game was you need to come out of the locker room roaring and tonight the Gryphons didn't.  The best perspective on this playoff loss is I don't think too many Gryphon fans expected to be in the playoffs three  months ago and despite a loss tonight Jason Battle has had a very good start on his coaching career.

Hunt once again was the best team in the second half and they are moving on to the second round after the Warriors dump Southern Nash 28-7.  Just like the first time when these two teams met the score was 14-7 and up for grabs but the final two scores come from Hunt.

One of the big wins of the night comes from SouthWest Edgecombe who wins on the Road 30-26 win over East Duplin.  The coaching career of Raymond Cobb is still alive for at least another week.

Tarboro let everyone know that the state title for any 2-A team will have to pass through Tarboro as the Vikings didn't stumble any at all having to play a team they just drubbed last week.  They drubbed them even worse tonight as Tarboro breaks the 50 point barrier and takes out Beddingfield again this time 53-13.

Nash Central girls tennis team plays for the team championship Saturday against Charlotte Catholic  Should the Bulldogs win they will have taken out the top two private shools in the state in three days having beaten Cardinal Gibbons Thursday.

The second round of the boys soccer playoffs will be in Bailey Saturday afternoon as West Brunswick will play Southern Nash at 4pm.

The State Cross Country state championships will be run Saturday in Kernersville.

Got to our motel room in Lillington tonight and cut on the tv and who do I see but Andrew Morales the former Rocky Mount Gryphon playing soccer for SMU on Fox Sports South

November Football

                                                               URGENT
 RMA JV's have won the State Championship beating St David's of Raleigh  44-16

The State football playoffs begin Friday night and for the first time this century the state champions will start the process of crowning champions in November with most being crowned on December first.  Three teams from Edgecombe, two from Nash and two from Wilson County get to play at least one more week and in two games they will meet up with each other.

Tarboro begins  their quest for their fourth straight state championship and the first round should be a cinch as they take on Beddingfield a team they just took to the woodshed last Friday 34-0.  This  game will go one or two ways.  Tarboro will either show up ready to demolish Beddingfield or be asleep from the get go.  Here is what I suspect.  Tarboro will show up get a working lead and coast.  35-0 Vikings.

Southern Nash will hope to have a full team for the first time in a couple weeks as they will need everyone on hand as Hunt host the Firebirds.  I think both of these teams will come out firing all of their weapons because they both know this game will be a take no prisoners game.  Hunt will be hard to beat at home and I think that will be the deciding factor in this one.  If you look at every close game that Hunt has been in they won the fourth quarter and I think they will in this one too.  Hunt 35 Southern Nash 27


Two conference foes match up once again when North Edgecombe and Weldon square off.  Have a feeling it will be low scoring and defensive.  The Warriors make it to the second round in this squeaker.  NE 16 Weldon 14.


They have had a week off to heal injuries and hit the road as SouthWest Edgecombe travels to East Duplin to open up the 2-AA playoffs.  This could be the last game in the legendary career of Raymond Cobb as I think SWE will scared EP to death but playing at home EP prevails  34-28 over the Cougars.

Rocky Mount returns to the playoffs after being absent for two years as they host Jacksonville from the Coastal Conference.  I believe the Gryphons will win but I will be shocked if this one isn't competitive right down to the end.    Rocky Mount advances 26-20 over the Cardinals.

Once again on Friday night I will be in Buies Creek as Campbell has their last home volleyball weekend of the year.  Just found out today that Morgan will again sing the National Anthem Friday evening.

Bulldogs Bite Aycock

It took two days to get it in because of weather but the third round of the 3-A tennis playoffs finished today at Nash Central was all Bulldogs.  Nash Central wins and advances to the East regional winning 6-0.  They meet the winner of the Union Pines 17-0 against Cardinal Gibbons 18-6 who are playing tonight as I write this.  So far in the three rounds of the team competition the Lady Bulldogs have lost only one game.

Over in Bailey the Firebirds the Big East Conference champions in Soccer got off on the right foot winning over Havelock 2-1.  They will now face the winner of the West Brunswick 11-5-1 and Southern Wayne 10-7-3 which was played tonight in West Brunswick.  The Firebirds are now 16-4-1 after their first round win.

The other two Big East teams playing in the soccer playoffs were play at 7pm tonight.  Hunt had to travel to Currituck while Fike was hosting West Carteret.

Last night Cardinal Gibbons beat D H Conley in volleyball to move on to the State Finals.  I heard this stat today on the radio and this will just absolutely shock you.  Since Cardinal Gibbons was brought on to play in the public school volleyball which I think 2006 was the year they joined the NCHSAA they have played in the volleyball finals every year since.  In fact they have play in every final they have been eligible to be in since 1998 which cover when they played in the private school  playoffs.

Don't forget the State Championship JV game at 6pm Thursday at RMA.

You may have heard that starting with this years freshman class in high school all athletes will have to have a grade point average at a certain level in order to meet new academic standards being implemented by the NCAA which will be required of all athletes as college freshmen in 2016. Listening to David Glenn's Statewide radio show during my lunch today he asked the question how was that going to effect State and Carolina during their future recruiting?

His answer may startle you.  He says they are already recruiting by theses standards and everyone else will now have to recruit the same way they do.  Just maybe that explains why they can't win consistantly in football   They do require more than others in order to play sports at our state institution.

RMA Plays For The Title

The junior varsity baby Eagles of RMA will play for the Independent State Championship for jv teams Thursday at 6pm at RMA.  The 9-0 Eagles will host St David of Raleigh.

It doesn't matter what level it is when you play for all the marbles but the fact they will be giving away a trophy  there is history in the trophy case and the RMA shoots for the gold.  Things are really looking up for the Eagles after having one of their best varsity  teams in years  and help is on the way from the jv team.  I think I saw somewhere that they only lose one player off the varsity team and that is a big hole in Adam Bayless.

The third round of the 3-A tennis duels are Wednesday as Nash Central will be hosting.  You had better bring your long johns if you plan on attending.

The fourth round of the volley ball  is this week with D H Conley the team that beat both Rocky Mount and Fike will be playing that professional amateur team Cardinal Gibbons.

Southern Nash will be starting their quest for the state soccer title as the opening round is this week.

Still can't figure out this POD system with Southern Nash the #2 from the Big East facing the #1 from the Big East Hunt.  I can't understand why in the 2-A bracket they were  rated 1-16 with Tarboro getting the #1 seed and Beddingfield the #16 and yet in the 3-AA Hunt is seeded 3rd and Southern 6th.  Three against six should be a second round game.

I understand why Fike did not get in as the Big East #4 since they did not win the required four games.  Sure does look like the people who put the brackets together said we are not going to let the Big East have a team in the East Regional final for what 7th year in a row.  Either Hunt or Southern will have be get by that pro amateur team Cardinal Gibbons 10-0  and Cleveland 9-1 to make it this year.  The road for the Big East back to the Regional will be about as  hard to drive on as the beach road in Nags Head is now after Sandy past through.

It is almost basketball time and for the defending 3-A Champs Rocky Mount they have a decent nucleus coming back.  The problem most of the team plays football so  when practice cranks up most will still be doing something else.  I am hearing that Rocky Mount  just might have one of the best wrestling teams around this year too.

Not The Same Cardinal Team

Several years ago during the B W Holt era Rocky Mount drew Jacksonville in the opening round game and the Cardinals came into that game 2-8.  I think that was one of the years when Rocky Mount was undefeated and after being ahead by 40 the clock ran the entire second half of that game.  If you are expecting that kind of game you had better take an aspirin as that ain't going to happen this time.

Jacksonville is 4-3 in the Coastal 3-A and 7-3 over all.  Their three losses were to Washington 35-0, Havelock 42-12 and D H Conley 31-14.  Nobody has touched Havelock and Conley has lost to only Havelock and the rule makers after having to forfeit two games.

They are coached by Beau Williams who has a very familiar father in Chip Williams who just might be on the side lines helping his son this Friday as Chip is of course the former, Bertie, Rose and New Bern coach  who has coached against Rocky Mount with all three of those teams.

Their high water mark on the year was scoring 28 points against South Central and White Oak and on the year are averaging just 14 points per game.  The Gryphons on the other hand are averaging 24 per contest and they have scored at least 25 the last three games.

Both defenses are yielding near the same Jacksonville at 21 per ball game and the Gryphons just over 19. The undefeated team Havelock laced the Cardinals for 42 points while the undefeated team on Rocky Mount's schedule Hunt produced 28.

All in all this is a very good match up in the opening round but that should be expected when you have a four seed in Rocky Mount matched up against the five seed.  This is suppose to be a close game by seedings.

I am completely lost as to explain the POD system.  Jacksonville is coming a 100 miles to Rocky Mount while Currituck is traveling 165 to play Havelock.  Should the Gryphons win they probably would go to Havelock which is 110 miles.  Wouldn't be much better if they had to go to Currituck.  Lord help if Jacksonville had to go to Currituck.  All this travel and Southern Nash is going 10 mile to play conference foe Hunt.  I honestly feel like  they are trying to make the seedings this year so bad that the coaches will vote to do away with the POD next year.

Every Team Needs A Williams Family

I was so glad to see the article last Thursday in the Telegram on Northern Nash's David Williams having been given a spot of the Duke baseball team for next season.  David and has family are A typical sports family of the 21st century.  David's  life is baseball and his entire family has lived that dream with him from his grand parents right on up to mom and dad.

Like so many sports families of today whether it  is AAU basketball, soccer you name the sport  David and his family have traveled many miles over the years watching David play ball.  David came up through the Rocky Mount Recreation baseball program and they have been to many tournaments representing Rocky Mount and the older David got Northern Nash.

.David is not the best player on the team but his efforts make him close to the top.  If every team was full of David Williams type players any team would be hard to beat.  It is great to see that Duke has taken notice.  David is near the top in Academics at Northern Nash and Duke spotted that first.  Yes there is a reward for study and the Williams family has given the proper focus to both.

Not only has Northern Nash had a baseball player but with him comes parents willing to help out the program in what ever way they are needed.  I am so proud of who David Williams is and what he has left to be.  I can't wait to drive to Durham and watch David play ball and I know when I get there Jeff and Nan will be there as always helping Duke in what ever way Duke needs their help.

Since this has been about family today and just have to gloat just a little.  Yesterday at Campbell was Military Appreciation Day.  Daughter Morgan sang the National Anthem.  Morgan has done a lot of singing in her life but it took a bus ride to a volleyball game before any one at Campbell knew she could sing a little bit.  During one of those Freshman have to perform in front of the team deals Morgan had to stand up on the bus and sing while traveling home one weekend.  Campbell's coach's  husband is a Army Helicopter pilot in Afghanistan right now.  Kind of a special moment in the Doughtie family's life.

Somebody Got To Do Some splaining

Let's all throw our hands up in the air as the football brackets have now reached the ridiculous and somewhere the
 Big East has made somebodies list of let's take them out to the woodshed.

3-AA Hunt is undefeated and 10-0  seeded third  in their pod.  Southern Nash 8-2 the #2 seed from Big East has been seeded 6th in their  pod and will play Hunt in the first round.  Now I don't know whether this is a punishment for Southern or Hunt but this just can not be right.  I can see a 1 from a conference play a 4 but hold the phone here.

Tarboro after beating Beddingfield last night 34-0 will play them again next Friday they will play in Tarboro.  As long as the Vikes win they get at least three home games.  I  can understand this game bracket but there is no way the NCHSAA can explain SN and Hunt first round no better than President Obama explained the other night in the debate why gas prices are $3.50 a gallon now over four years ago when they were $1.90.

Rocky Mount as the third team from the Big East gets a home game against Jaxsonville in the 3-A bracket and should they win they will meet the Havelock-Currictuck winner.  How does the second seed from our league hit the road and the third get a home game.  It's  time for more splaining.  By the way where is Fike the Big East number 4 seed isn't in  the tournament. 

SouthWest Edgecombe 5-5 gets about where they thought as they draw in the 2-AA East Duplin  9-1 and North Edgecombe plays at home against Weldon.

The Price sisters of Nash  Central finish second in the state finals in tennis as they lose to a team from Charlotte Catholic another one of those private schools that wins a lot of titles  6-0-6-1

The Regional Cross Country  Northern Nash finished third to qualify for the state finals next week.  Rocky Mount finished fifth and didn't qualify.  However Mason Holt did as he finished second with a time of 16:52  and he beat out Steven Whitehead of Northern who was third and he is also headed to the state.

Nash Central's Michaela Williams is heading as an individual runner in the girls   but no team made it.  Rocky Mount  finished fifth.