Girls Soccer Advances

Rocky Mount High has advanced to the second round of the state playoffs beating Northern Guilford 3-1.

The winter/spring sports awards will be handed out at a banquet in the gym on May 21st at 6.00pm. There will be a meal served so tickets are $10.

Opening round of the baseball playoffs start Thursday. You know one of the reasons that I like baseball so much is that unlike other sports every game is different because there is a different pitcher on the mound every game.

Despite their record of 12-14 Southern Wayne may have one pitcher who can beat any body. You know playing only one game this week they will throw the best they have against Rocky Mount. The Gryphons lost two years in a row in the opening round 2006 as the #1 seed and 2007 as a #2 seed.

Just because they are 19-2 compared to 12-14 for the Saints they had better be ready for the first pitch. This is not football where you are playing a 2-8 team in the first round.

Wilson Fike finished second in the state golf championships while Northern Finished in the top ten. Daniel Claytor of Northern finished eleventh in the individual.

Just as I expected the Hurricanes came out trying not to be too aggressive and get penalties in the early going and what did it get them? Boston jumped on them feet first and had a 2-0 lead before the Canes started playing hockey.

Game seven is Thursday night. The start time is 8.00 pm on Fox Sports South. The key for the Hurricanes winning Thursday is they have to score first. If they blow this 3-1 series lead that they had against Boston then they will wasted the win with .2 tenths of a second left and the seventh game where they scored two goals the last 1.20 of the game. You would think a team that can win games like that should win the Stanly Cup.

There is a report out that John Wall has trimmed his list to two teams who he will play for Kentucky and Miami. Thank goodness he has scrapped the Wolfpack, Carolina, and Duke from his list. Wall is a probaton waiting to happen for someone. I hear through the grapevine that Miami is the leading team because Kentucky is telling him to leave his entourage home.

Playoff Game Moved To Thursday

The final New-6 baseball playoffs start Thursday night as the Rocky Mount Gryphons host the Saints of Southern Wayne.

As soon as Pat Smith knew who his opposition would be for the first round game he got Mike Gainey Rocky Mount athletic director get in touch with them to move the game to Thursday night.

There are several advantages playing Thursday over Friday, but the most important one is in case of rain Thursday then Friday becomes a backup day without having to have to play Saturday. You don't want to have to play the first round Monday night and turn around Tuesday and play the second round. This playing on Thursday should insure that the Gryphons will get practice time in for round two if they win the opening round game.

Northern Nash plays at home Friday night as they will host Northern Guilford in the first round.

Wilson Fike the #3 seed from the New-6 starts the playoffs at C B Aycock and Southern Nash the #4 seed hit the road in the opening round.

The New-6 conference is the only conference that they have had a team play in the eastern finals or further the last two seasons. Northern having advanced to the Eastern finals in 2007 and Rocky Mount having won the championship last season.

Tonight the girls soccer team starts their playoffs as they host a match at 5.00pm.

Game six in round two for the Carolina Hurricanes is tonight in Raleigh. I am pulling hard for the Canes but I don't see how they can recover from that awful game they played Sunday night.

They need to win tonight badly because I see no way to beat Boston in a game seven in Boston.

Roger Clemens who has been in the closet for the last couple of years is tooting his horn again claiming the he has never used any type of steroid in his life. I believe him just like I believe OJ is Innocent.

When this academic school year ends Charlie Adams who is the head of the North Carolina Athletic Association is retiring. I have been in the media business since 1971 and even back then Charlie Adams was the man who you applied to to get a high school media pass.

I have talk with him many years before I met him for the first time in the 80's. Years and years ago he was the man that you would see when you went to a Carolina Football game and you had to go to his gate to get in.

The NCHSAA has grown to over 700 schools and Charlie has led the way and he will be missed in Chapel Hill.

Gryphons Win #1 Seed

I have told you that this Gryphon team has proven that against average pitching they are capable of double digits runs in any game.

Tonight Pat Smith and Eddie Loesner both kept their thoroughbreds in the barn and came out with their #3 pitchers in order to save their star pitchers for playoff action on Friday. Rocky Mount feasted on Northern's pitching.

Tonight Rocky Mount proved to have better pitching depth as Nick Hahula pitch three innings as the starting pitcher as Pat Smith had promised and Benton Moss tossed two inning in what proved to be all the Gryphons needed as they pound Northern Nash in the conference playoff game at Northern 13-1. The game lasted but five innings.

Nick Hahula gets credit for the victory which is his fourth of the season. That is his personal best as a varsity pitcher.

Tyler Joyner provided the only Northern run with a solo homer to right field but only three more hits were all the Knights could muster against Hahula and Moss.

Collins Cuthrell broke the game open with a three run home run and Dillon Cockrell also had a three run shot to provide the left side of the infield with home runs. The Gryphons scored ten runs in the fourth inning to salt the game away.

Rocky Mount had fifteen hits with Cuthrell and Thomas Berry getting three hits each.

The Gryphon pitching has now completed their entire conference season never allowing more than two runs in any game.

Rocky Mount opens defense of their State Championship URGENT-URGENT-URGENT Friday night at Home hosting Southern Wayne.

Due to possible thunderstorms predicted for Friday night the Rocky Mount-Southern Wayne game has been bumped up to Thursday night at Gryphon Stadium. game time 7.00pm

The Saints are 12-14 on the season. Northern also has a home game Friday but at this time I am unsure of their opponent.

If both were to win Friday Northern more than likely would have to hit the road where Rocky Mount would be in line for at least one more home game in the playoffs next week.

Once the playoffs start and as you move through your bracket being home or away is based on a predetermined format. Rocky Mount as the #1 seed is schedule to play Eastern Wayne in the third round at Eastern Wayne if both advance that far.

Luckily for both teams there were no injuries to either team that would effect the playoffs.

I still question whether the game was worth playing considering neither team chose to pitch their aces in what amounted to a championship game but in reality the #1 seed is all that was won. A bonus, a second home game could go to Rocky Mount for the victory if they win this Friday.

As it turns out this becomes a scrimmage game for both team.

Rocky Mount finishes the regular season 19-2 . Not a bad follow up at all to last years 27-6 State championship. The final totals are yet to be scripted for this years Gryphon team.

Last year it took nine playoff games to win the title. Rocky Mount swept the Eastern Finals which could have gone one more game. So whoever wins the title this year technically there is 1/3 of the season left to play. A loss at any time during the first four rounds and the season can end in one game.

Playoff game Monday?

There will be a playoff for the third straight year Monday night at Northern to decide the #1 seed in the New-6. Is it necessary? I don't think so.

The playoffs start Friday night and the worse possible happening would be someone gets hurt for either side. I say flip a coin when the tie breakers are still equal like this year.

Head to head: Rocky Mount won at Northern 2-0. Northern won at Rocky Mount 2-0. Both teams beat the third place team as well as everyone else in the conference twice.

Rocky Mount proved last year that the number one seeding is not necessary to win the championship.

The Lady Gryphon soccer team lost the tournament championship to Fike. What's new Fike has never lost a NEW-6 match to any body in the history of the league.

Cousin Lauren Doughtie's college golfing career is over. She shot 82 and 85 in rounds two and three and failed to make the Nationals. It is the first time since her freshman year that she has had back to back 80's.

I have just witnessed the Carolina Hurricanes give away the second round hockey series to the Boston Bruins. Boston played like a team down 3 games to one and needed a win. Carolina played like a team that wanted to win the series in Raleigh.

Carolina had so many in the penalty box at one point that one was able to get out early to let a new penalty get in. The final score was 4-0 Boston but Carolina played like it was 10-0. I think not being ready to play has given the advantage back to Boston. If they don't win Tuesday's game six the Canes don't have a chance back in Boston for game seven.

I have had one of those weekends that you hate see end. This weekend our church hosted Jeff Slaughter who writes all the music for Lifeway Ministries. Yes the Lifeway store at Cobbs Corner has his music If since 1997 you have attended a vacation bible school which was produced by lifeway Jeff is the man.

Jeff lead a children's concert at my church Sunset Avenue Baptist Church Saturday and provided
special music during both of our morning services today. My wife Pat is chairman this year of our children's council and shearheaded the effort to get Jeff here.

We picked him up at RDU Friday morning and except for sleeping in a hotel we were with him the whole weekend. If you have children going to Ridgecrest this summer they will have a great time listening to Jeff and interacting with him.

We went Saturday night to the American Music Jubilee in Selma and along the way showed him what eastern North Carolina Barbecue was at Parkers in Wilson.

Jeff is a Godly man who God has given a talent to inspire children. Man can he sing!

There Will Be a Playoff Again

The four year history of the New-6 the Rocky Mount High school Gryphons baseball team has either won (one) the championship out right or Shared the title. This will mark the third year in a row the Gryphons will be involved in a playoff to figure who is the #1 seed from our conference for the playoffs. The last two seasons RM lost to Northern in 07, and lost to Fike in 08.

Tonight Northern finished off a week in which they had to win twice to hang with the Gryphons and they did beating Nash Central 10-0. Last night the Knights dusted of SWE 14-0.

The one game playoff for first place will be at 7.00pm Monday night at Northern Nash. The Saturday game with Rose has been cancelled in order that the Gryphons give their full attention to the playoff game Monday. The State playoffs begin next Friday and both teams regardless of which one wins Monday get a home game each. Round two is where the #2 seed would hit the road while the #1 seed would be home for a second game iffing they both win.

Pat Smith has already announced that he will pitch his top three pitchers Hobbs Johnson, Benton Moss and Nick Hahula in the game Monday not wishing to use up any one pitcher Monday night and not be able to use them Friday when the playoffs start.

There is no doubt that since Eric Cole and Jussi Jokinen joined the Carolina Hurricanes the Canes have been a different team. Cole lit a fire for the Hurricanes the very first game he played in but Jokinen has been a player that you have to watch him in action to appreciate him. Jokinen scored one goal and had ten assists in the twenty seven games he played in the regular season for the Canes. In the playoffs he has eight goals and two assists in eleven playoff games.

Boston beat the Hurricanes all four times they played during the regular season but the Bruins never saw the new Hurricane team with Cole and Jokinen added to the lineup. Boston is getting an eye full now as the Hurricanes dominate the Bruins 4-1 tonight and take a 3-1 series lead to Boston Sunday night.

Boston was the #1 seed in the east and Carolina was #6 but there is no doubt that the Hurricanes are the better team. I think Boston will hold serve Sunday but it would not shock me if the Canes finish them off Sunday in Boston.

Boy baseball just cannot get out of it's own way. The Manny Ramirez fifty game bust for using a performance enhancer. MLB does need to change the name of the policy. MLB Joint Drug prevention and treatment program. Sounds to me like they think everybody is smoking Marijuana(Joint).

Gryphons Bang out Title

Brian Goodwin lead off the game tonight with Nash Central and let everyone know from the get go that the Rocky Mount Gryphons came to win a championship. Goodwin Homered to start the game but what he did was start the leak that others followed.

Ben Fish, Carter Varnell and Chris Pittman took Bulldog pitching deep as the Gryphons grab at least a share of the Last NEW-6 baseball title. Four home runs in a game is a Rocky Mount baseball record.

Rocky Mount pounds out 17 hits as a team.

Benton Moss pitches the the first four innings and Nick Hahula the fifth. Moss it is his seventh win of the season and 14th of his career without loss

Gryphon pounds Nash Central 15-0

Gryphon pitching and defense went the entire conference play of ten games and never game up more than two runs. Need to get Charles Alston on the record books for that one.

Northern Nash kept pace with the Gryphons whipping Southwest Edgecombe 14-0. You know that most of the team will be at Northern today when they play Nash Central.

The Gryphons are now 18-2 and 9-1 in conference play. There is a scheduled game, the makeup game of the opening game of the season scheduled for Saturday with Rose that was washed out. I have a feeling if there is a playoff game Monday the Rose game Saturday could get cancelled. If a playoff game is needed it would be Monday night at Northern Nash.

Rumors are flying that the playoff game could be dropped and a coin flip to determine the #1 seed for the playoffs. Right now that is all conjecture depending on what Northern can due in the next twenty four hours.

Boys tennis has regional tomorrow at Barton College. This is for the individual players.

Somewhere I got my days mixed up and Lauren Doughtie began her quest in the NCAA Women's regional golf championship in Columbus.

Lauren found herself five over after four holes getting bogies at1,2, a double Bogey at three and a Bogey at #four. After the nerves settled down Lauren Birdied the 17th and 18th holes to finish at five over 77. She is eight shots out of the lead.

In order to qualify for the National championships in two weeks N C State has to either finish in the top eight teams in the 21 team field. State is 13th after round one. If the Wolfpack fails to qualify as a team then the top five players who's teams failed to make the tournament will get in.

Last year Lauren finished twelfth but after the other top performers got in with their team she made the top five. After round one she is tied for 47th place.

Hurricanes can put a strangle hold on the second round against Boston if they can win Friday night in Raleigh. That would give them a 3-1 in the series knowing there is one game back in Raleigh next week.

Gryphon Comeback

This afternoon's rains force another postponement at Northern Nash, but not at Rocky Mount and Senior Night went off without a hitch.

Three and a half innings into tonight's game William Prince and Fike High held a 2-0 lead on the Gryphons. In what may have been the at-bat of the night, Dillon Cockrell, with two outs and two strikes, slapped a single over first base to tie the game at 2-all.

Five of the six hits that Rocky Mount got tonight drove in a runs as Brian Goodwin, Mr. RBI himself Ben Fish, Chris Berry and Cockrell with a second hit produced four more runs.

Three weeks ago at Fike, Hobbs Johnson held Fike to one hit, tonight three and had 11 strikeouts as the Gryphons, for the moment, have the lead again in the NEW 6 baseball race.
The Gryphons beat Fike 5-2.

They finish up the regular season Thursday night at Nash Central. Northern is now faced with playing on the road Thursday at SouthWest Edgecombe and turning around Friday at home against Nash Central.

There is no doubt that the Gryphons had the harder week in order to win two games having to face Fike as one of the games, but tonight's victory is a momentum grabber for the Gryphons.

Speaking of momentum, Jussi Jokinen's rebound shot in overtime has given the Carolina Hurricanes a victory in Game 3 of the second round against Boston tonight in Raleigh.

Game 1, maybe you can say, the 'Canes still had a hangover from the Cardiac Game 7 thriller against New Jersey. Maybe game 2, Boston, now having beaten the 'Canes five straight times thought this series like the Montreal series, would win in four games.

Tonight both teams came out and butted heads. Eric Staal and Sergei Samsonov scored second- period goals for the 'Canes.

Game 4 is Friday night in Raleigh.

You all know from reading this column that I am very proud of cousin Lauren Doughtie. Monday she was named to the All-ACC women's golf team for the second straight year. Women's golf at State has only been around for about 10 years and she has become the first women's golfer to be All- ACC twice.

Lauren begins NCAA regional play Friday in Columbus, Ohio. As a senoir, she must qualify for the national championship as one of the top medalists or this weekend is her last college tournament.

GO Lauren!