Time To Say Goodbye

My vision when I was 25 years old of retirement was I would play 18 holes of golf every day that I wanted to and would go see the grand kids when ever we wanted.  Today I don't even own a set of golf clubs.  The closer I get to that wonderful words Social Security Benefits the less I want to retire.  Yet I find my life busier today than ever before.

There was a time when Charles Aslston was riding with me when doing games on the radio and he had his Gryphons Grapevine.  I talked him in letting me do a commentary about once a week on his blog.

I have always tried to be positive with every comment  I have ever said.  One of the first comments on the Gryphons Grapevine was the year Terrell Hudgins won the North Carolina NCHSAA Male athlete of the year. There was a baseball game with Rocky Mount and Northern Nash at Northern that night and Terrell and the Rocky Mount group who went with Terrell were late getting back that night.  Northern delayed the game until he was able to get back from receiving the award in Chapel Hill.

• Northern did not have to do that but that was a true act of sportsmanship well worth pointing out.

I can't remember all the state championships I have covered and didn't pay to see it.  I have truly been blessed.

I find it hard to believe that teenage boy that had trouble finding the words to call up or look at girls and ask for dates has become this loud mouth that I have become because radio taught me to project.  I use to have trouble that every mistake I made troubled me but in order to continue you have to keep going.  If you keep going those listening may not even know you made a mistake.

Has it all been worth while?  Pat and I were in Wal-Mart one day standing in line and a lady behind me in line asked me if I was the man that did the games on TV.  She said to me thank you So much for what you do.  I am too old and to slow to go to the games and you covered my grandson who goes to SouthWest Edgecombe and you were doing their football game.  I was able to watch him play and you even talked about him. I want to thank you for letting me watch him play.

I had a tear in my eye as we walked to the car but I was ready to go find another game to do.  I hope what I have done had been a blessing to someone whether it was this blog or any radio or TV.  It is time for me to slow down.  You may not believe this but working a full time job and then going to do a game on radio,TV or PA is work.

Today  will be my last blog.  Once little league baseball ends in a couple of weeks I will no longer do radio or TV.  I hope if they will continue to have me that I keep doing North Carolina Wesleyan football and basketball PA and Rocky Mount high baseball.

I have so  many to thank who have feed me information in order to give you information that I have used on this blog.  It is a network of people indeed.

I hope we will see each other at a ball game and that's the way It is Monday May 29th 2017

A Look Back At The Gryphons Sports Year

The sports year is now completed and it is time to reflect on the results.  There are some outstanding performances to think about.

Football:  State runners up in 3A.  13-3 record. This season will always have a game that as long as any person is alive to tell about it will be worth telling.  No written information will ever give you the feeling of having been there to see it.  Rocky Mount 34- Havelock 33.

Havelock ahead 17-10 running out the clock with less than a minute to play.  The Gryphon defense holds with 25 seconds to play at the half yard line.  As great of a stand as that was we were still down  No way Jose the Gryphons can win this one.  Havelock figuring a sack or hurry would cause a safety or  an incomplete pass or maybe and interception  rushed everybody and had told the secondary to cover the short pass in front of you because our rush will not allow a deep pass.

Detrelle Revis was open the second he came off the line but instead of going short he was headed long.  Shabios Lynch had no choice throw it now or get sacked.  Revis had to wait for the ball to get to him between the 20-25 yard line wide open.  Then had to turn around and run for glory.  An extra point away from  tying a game we should not win.  Those Havelock fans cheering block that kick is another moment to remember.  Chase Miller the field goal winning kicker from the 2015 state championship needing the extra point to tie motioned to the crowd as if I can't hear you and calmly tied the game with a kick down the middle.  About a half hour later after Havelock has missed and extra point in the third over time there stands Miller the Havelock fans at it again Block that kick and Miller urging them to get louder calmly sends another one down the middle  sending  the Gryphons back to the state championship game for the second year in a row. Gryphon fans in disbelief of what they saw happen and Rams fans asking what happen.

I don't know that I have ever before seen a game that a team had no chance to win an yet they did.

Indoor track brought home two state champions  Keyanna Spivey and Sherrod Greene

Girls basketball was conference champion  undefeated in the conference regular season.  Made it to the Eastern Semi finals this year played at Northern Guilford instead of Fayetteville.  A statement of six playoff games being too many the Lady Gryphons won their opening playoff game 70-9.

Girls tennis was the conference champion advancing to the third round.  I know that third round Round playoff game had the largest soccer crowd .since the new school was built.

Baseball the Gryphons won the conference tournament title and made it to the second round.  Pat Smith stepped down as coach having served two stints and bringing home a state baseball title in 2008.  Then gave a tearful goodbye at the awards banquet.  Thanks coach  for what you have done with Gryphon Baseball.

Boys tennis going unbeaten in conference play making the third round in team play.  Won conference tournament as well as singles champ Tyler Brice and doubles champs in George Shannon and Landon Norwood.  George and Landon were Regional doubles champs.All three players made the final 16 and the doubles team the final eight in the state.

JUCO Pays Off For Carter

There was a time when Junior College fitted a great need in the world of sports.  Players with talent but who did not have the grades could go to Juco get a degree in two years and then at that point decide whether there was a four year college in their future.  Today there are not many so called Junior Colleges left but as community colleges have increased their sports programs there is still a possible way for those who don't quite have the talent to play division I II or even III sports.

There are the so called late bloomers both in the class room and on the playing field.  Two years older their class room work sharper and their athletic skills a notch above their high school ability.  That is the case for a former Northern Nash Baseball player Derrick Carter.  Carter pitched four years at Northern and after his career was over  few offers to play in college and the best  was  Brunswick Community College  in Bolivia.  Two years at BCC and a 7-2 record this season  and now Derrick has a chance to play two more years at Wingate Division  II program

Derick Carter is now on track looking to follow has grandfather and uncle into coaching.  Everything doesn't always go as we plan it.  Derrick Carter has gotten back on track in life.

The last month or so we have seen several local athletes make decisions about where they will spent the next four years of their life in college.  Montre Cash point guard for the Nash Central Bulldogs has committed to Averitt University in Danville Va.  That means he will be coming home to Rocky Mount to play the Battling Bishops once a year.

I don't care how old you are now time flies the older you get.  I can't believe Montre is a senior. Those of you that have been Bulldog basketball fans remember back I can't quite remember if he goes all the way back to the Bulldogs first year as a basketball varsity program or not.  Seems he was three foot tall he was the official score keeper of the basketball book for his Mom Terri Cash.  He wasn't tall enough to see over the score table but he sure knew how to keep a basketball book.  Now it's off to college, I wonder if is to become a basketball coach?

Here is a list of players  who are heading off to college that we have not previously mentioned before.
Kendra Jones  SouthWest Edgecombe Basketball Mt Olive University, Tia Farmer Southwest Edgecombe Basketball UNC Pembroke.  Dawson Harris Tarboro Football Kicker  UNC Pembroke.  Good luck to all in their future.

The new baseball coach at Rocky Mount is Carter Varnell who has served the last two years under Pat Smith as JV coach.  A Rocky Mount grad you made remember Carter was a very good athlete who had a knee injury during his senior season  in football and missed all but the last week of baseball season.

Big East All Conference Softball

Big East Softball coaches have three years of misery as the Big East player of the year is a freshman.  Yes a freshman is the best player in the league and it is  Hunt shortstop Bri Tucker.

Pitcher of the year is Hunt's senior Samantha Waddell.   Hunt makes a clean sweep of All the softball awards when coach Tiffany Rowe wins the coach of the year.

Hunt has six all conference spots being the conference champions and joining Tucker and Waddell are sophomores 3rd baseman Allyson Matthews, senior 2nd baseman Madison Pyle.  Junior catcher Julianne Etheridge and Hannah Williams senior centerfielder.  Hunt Honorable Mentions player is Destiny Norris freshman 1st baseman.

Fike the second place team earns  four all conference selections.  Senior c.f./p Erin Pitchey, LeAnn Pittman soph p/3b/1b,  Bailee Summerlin  junior 2b, Elizabeth Secrest fr of/c/3b.  Fike's honorable mention player is Tameron Taylor Sr of.

Third place belongs to Southern Nash who gets four all stars. Senior shortstop Kayla Moore, Sr 3b Katie Hill, senior 1b Olivia Lamm and freshman pitcher Cardigan Ewers.  The Lady Birds honorable mentions player is Elizabeth Collie fr 3b/ rd

Nash Central has three spots for 4th place.  Haley Baker Sr utility,  Cara Schrock fr Utility and Zhatterica Cherry fr c.  Honorable mentions belongs to Katya Fox fr 1b/c

Northern Nash has three slots and it starts with Sr ss Madison Lamprecht,  Jenna McKenny Soph P and Destiny Cheeseman fr 3b.  Northern's honorable mention performer is Emily Garner Jr 1b.

Rocky Mount rounds out the field with one all star Sr shortstop Jessica Little.  Honorable mentions goes to Destiny Morton.

They may have moved the ACC tournament away  from North Carolina for this year but tell the Big Four North Carolina members of the ACC.  Duke has won the D bracket beating Clemson and Virginia.  Wake is 1-0 while State and Carolina both are 1-0 and play each other tonight for the right to win B bracket.  From what I have seen on TV so far I doubt the attendance average for all games is less than a 1000.  Even the Louisville game against Notre Dame only had maybe 3 thousand.  The ACC is taking a great hit financially by moving the tournament from the Triangle.

Big East Soccer All Conference

Rocky Mount the conference Soccer champs have the Big East offensive player of player of the year in senior Sarah Bland.  There are two co-defensive players of the year in Bryson Lee from Hunt and Anna Thompson of Nash Central. Two coaches share the coach of the year award.  League  champ Rocky Mount Head coach Richard Oxendine and Nash Central coach Ryan Ruiz.

Soccer has a first team  and second team All conference  and honorable mentions.  1st team members are:

Sarah Bland Sr Forward Rocky Mount
Lee Bryson Sr goal keeper  Hunt
Anna Thompson Jr goal keeper Nash Central
Emilee Futrell Sr Midfielder Fike
Barkley Browder Sr Midfielder Rocky Mount
Erin Cooke Sr Midfielder Rocky Mount
Megan Westbrook Sr Midfielder Hunt
Linzi King Jr forward Nash Central
Reily Nelson Jr defender Fike
Jessie Van Arx Sr Foward Hunt
Anne Elliot Taylor  Jr Midfielder Fike

Second Team:
Carson Browder Freshman Midfielder Rocky Mount
Katie Moss Sophomore Midfielder Rocky Mount
Claire Dixon jr  Midfielder Fike
Caroline Keeter Sr Forward Fike
Harley Marshall Sr Midfielder Northern Nash
Morgan Loflin Sr  defender Hunt
Anna Vick Sr Defender Rocky Mount
Nefthali Gonzalez soph Forward Southern Nash
Mallory Roughton Freshman  Midfielder Nash Central
Kylar Wiggins Freshman Forward Northern Nash
Jenna Gill Jr Forward Southern Nash

Honorable Mentions
TySha Arrington Jr goal keeper Rocky Mount
Jah'Asia Pernell Soph goal keeper Fike
Mallory Sullivan Sr Forward Hunt
Hailey Dinota Soph Defender Nash Central
Kelsey Hutchison Soph defender Northern Nash
Kyle's Herron Jr Defender Southern Nash

Big East 2017 All Conference Baseball Team

Now that all teams have finished with all playoffs it is time to name the players that were the best during the Big East baseball season.

Rocky Mount Gryphon David Harrison has been named the Big East  player of the year.  He was also a candidate for pitcher of the year but during conference play he was on a tear hitting and  this as well as pitching swayed the vote as player of the year.

Hunt pitcher Bryson Worrell is the pitcher of the year leading the Warriors to the conference championship. Finishing first the coach of the year goes to Hunt's Jon Smith.

Joining Worrell on Hunt's all conference team is Ty Galloway senior catcher, senior third baseman Thomas Bell.  Outfielder/pitcher Josh Fuller a junior, Parker Garris senior outfielder/pitcher and Neil Lewis senior second baseman.  Honorable Mentions from Hunt is senior Conner Griffin.

Second place Rocky Mount the conference tournament champions have three other members besides David Harrison are centerfielder/pitcher Josh Pittman senior, Jarmar Ellis junior outfielder /catcher and freshman pitcher/third baseman Ben Seracki.  Spencer Ramsey is on the honorable mentions team.

Third place Southern Nash has three all stars.  Freshman AJ Jones second base, junior pitcher Trevor Mills and DH and Ryan Marlowe senior center fielder.  Honorable Mentions for the Firebird is senior catcher Dawson Sikes.

Fourth place Fike earns three spots.  Shortstop/pitcher Dwight Daniels senior, Hunter Stokely freshman catcher/third baseman/first
Baseman.  The third all star from Fike junior pitcher/outfielder/third baseman Jaylyn Melton. Honorable Mentions from The Golden Demons is Zack Pittman sophomore utility player.

Nash Central earns three spots and they will start with Payton Bass junior centerfielder, junior catcher Chase Minshew and Colby Carter junior left fielder.  The Bulldogs honorable mention player is senior pitcher/outfielder Cameron Taylor.

Northern Nash has one player in junior catcher Silas Gonzalaz a and their honorable mentions player is Aaron Gerlach  sophomore first baseman.

I don't know if this has ever happened before three freshman are all conference.  Ten seniors finish their high school careers as all stars., eight juniors.

Some Times All The Parts Fit

I totally agree with Patrick  Mason on his article  in the Sunday Rocky Mount Telegram about pitch counts and that it's intent is correct but the  juggling the rule to fit  the playoff schedule is off base. I think maybe the last ten years or so the NCHSAA has gone to the two out of three format in the regionals play.  Where the NCHSAA or even the NCISAA is wrong is playing a fourth round on Monday or Tuesday and starting a two out of three by the weekend.

I can only see the regionals which are still played on the team's campus's  involved played on a Monday-Wednesday and Friday.  That gives a rain date for all three games.  The NCHSAA playoff format requires eight wins to be a state champion.  Is that necessary?  Talk about adding to pitch counts.  Teams have played all year by a certain rule but in order to meet the schedule set up by the state that rule is amended to meet their schedule.  Why not start the playoffs a week earlier.  Take away conference end of the season tournaments.  If in order  for teams to fill out the required number of games have a conference tournament the first week of the season?

Baseball season really last only 10 weeks  and if you play two games a week that 20 games.  Having to win eight baseball games should add five  more weeks not four. We all know why this is MONEY.  I think anyone who attended the Rocky Mount girls soccer game in the third round or the first game there is certainly was a difference in the crowd.  That game against Jacksonville maybe had a thousand people.  Was there 150 at their first round game?  The expenses were the same including travel expense of the visiting team.  You know making money does not mean how much you took in but how much do we have after expenses.  I am sure after expenses the state got nothing in that first round loss while Rocky Mount paid the expenses.

I have always been an advocate of one less round in all sports.  No 3-8 football team should be in a playoff game going up against a top team losing by 40 or more with the clock running.  Is that truly a playoff game.  Get rid of one round in every sport but maybe Tennis.  I think they have it right  there mixing the Duel early in the week and singles and doubles towards the end of the week.
 Now let's talk about this pitch count deal and how Faith Christian had enough parts to make it work for them.

Anybody remember I think it was 2007 when Northern Nash had to win a fourth round game on a Monday and Used their best pitcher Tyler Joyner to win it.  There was no pitch count back then but when the two out of three that started I think on a Wednesday with CB Aycock The coaching staff did not pitch Joyner because they thought about his safety and future over winning. that was the right call but the Knights just didn't have enough pitching without him.

Faith was faced with the same problem pitching their best Landon Roupp early in the week to make it to the championship series.  The difference they had enough quality arms to win the state championship anyway.

The Patriots played 25 games altogether throwing 2,424 pitches on the season or 96.96 every game.  Where the timing was right Roupp pitch 11 times throwing 915 pitches or 37% of all their pitches.  Next was Jacob Pridgen  pitched 12 times and 619 pitches or 25.55% of all pitches thrown.  Third most was Alex Crosby 8 games 439 pitches or 18.11%.  Fourth was Justin Powell 258 pitches 10.64.  Roupp, Pridgen and Powell are seniors and threw 73.92% of all pitches thrown all year by Faith.  That left the other four pitchers to throw 3.97 % of the pitches and none  of those players are seniors.

Faith won because they were good batting, Pitching and fielding.  Don't care how good a team is a coach has to direct the stars to give their best performances and Faith has that in Greg Clifton.  Something else fell into place and that was the injury bug stayed away from this team and when ever  somebody ached somebody filled in  and the results a state championship.

All the parts fit.