Football's Opening Lap

The college football season opened officially yesterday and what a thriller in Greenville. Don't worry Pirate fans, the App State comeback was not because you are not as good as you thought. App State is really good. Good win for Skip Holtz and the Pirates 29-24.

The Tarheels are one of the few ACC teams to win over the weekend. In fact one of the few to beat a FCS team as both Duke and Virginia lose. Hard to make out how well the Heels played in their 40-6 win over The Citadel. Tarboro's Shaun Draughn gets over a hundred yards rushing for the Heels.

Rocky Mount High's Terrell Hudgins after making FCS All-American the last three years at Elon start the 2009 campaign as if he plans to make it four years in a row. Terrell had 7 catches for 156 yards and two touchdown grabs. He could of had a third td pass but on a 55 year catch he was brought down at the one.

Even though his Hokies lost last night to Alabama Rocky Mount's Stephan Virgil had 9 tackles including 3 behind the line for a loss for Virginia Tech. If both Virgil and Hudgins stay healthy their senior seasons they should both be drafted next April in the NFL 2010 draft. Virgil had to leave the game with 29 seconds to play last night but he left the field under his own power.

Tarboro is pitching a shutout so far on the 2009 high school football season. Their 45-0 white washing of Northern Nash Friday now leaves The Vikings having scored 117 points while allowing zero.

The four Nash County High Schools are at the other end of the spectrum from each other. Southern Nash and Rocky Mount are 5-0 while Nash Central and Northern Nash are are 0-6

Friday Night Lights

Tonight is one of those nights where you can get an evaluation of your program. Northern Nash travels to Tarboro. I don’t think there are many Knight Fans that have any expectations of winning. I think this is one of those nights when the program can take a step forward if the final score is 28-6. The one thing the Knights don’t need is a drubbing.

I’ll Take Tarboro 34-0.

Southern Nash has started with three straight home games. They host Beddingfield tonight. Talk about a team that can grow, Southern hasn’t been 3-0 in a while. If this team gets by Beddingfield this could be a great year in Stanhope.

Southern 26 Beddingfield 22

After last night’s lost to Hertford County 47-13, Nash Central is now 0-3. It’s time to regroup. The defense has given up way too many points and the offense hasn’t seen the end zone enough to realize that is a good place to be.

Fike took this week off. They stand at 1-1. Hunt clubbed them in a cross county show down last week and Fike scored their only points of the season in the 4th quarter of their opener against D H Conley to win 14-8. Looks like Fike will have to focus on defense to stay in many ball games.

Southwest Edgecombe meets North Edgecombe tonight. Some times it is better to play cross county rivals because they are cross county not that SWE will improve from this slaughter. Since it is Raymond Cobb’s old stomping grounds he will keep it under 50.

Hunt continues to look good. They won last night 23-12 over 4-A Holly Springs. That is a good win for Hunt who now stands at 3-0.

After their 33-0 victory over Northampton East, question arise over the pass blocking. The running game seems to be fine. We all know that some where down the road there is at least one team or more that will stop what you do best and are forced to win games, in Rocky Mount’s case passing the ball. There is work to be done there.

The extra point game looks in good hands with Wood Riddick converting 3-3 when the snaps were good. He missed two when Collins had to get out of his crouch to catch the ball then place it back down. The punt game is a major concern also.

Got home in time to see the final seven minutes of the South Carolina- N C State game. I hope that the State coaches haven’t planted into Russell Wilson’s head that he must pass instead of running all the time and taken away what he does best. You know Wilson may be a lot like Michael Vick, not that good a passer but his running keeps the defense honest. If you take away his running then the defenses don’t have to be honest.

It was too late for me but I understand that a player for Oregon punches a Boise State player during the hand shaking after their game last night. I haven’t seen the punch or know what the circumstances are but I say kick the player off the team. That’s uncalled for at any level of football.

I have always felt whether you were in school on the Morehead Scholarship or on a basketball free ride that you needed to live by a different standard when someone else pays the bills. This young man assaulted another player while representing his school. That is grounds from dismissal from school in my honest opinion which would automatically make him off the football team.

This unexpected Friday night off from football heading to the Atlantic Beach Friday and Saturday night. I will blog again Sunday.

Gryphon's Pitch Shutout

It was not pretty, but who said wins had to be beautiful. Who ever looks at the score across the state tomorrow will just think Rocky Mount is rolling again.

Rocky Mount took their opening two drives of the game and scored and from that point on coasted to a 33-0 victory over the Rams of Northampton East.

What fight the Rams might have given the Gryphons went away early as the starting quarterback for went down on a sack early in the second quarter and with him went any resemblance to an offense.

The Gryphon defense held the Rams to 51 total yards. 24 rushing and 27 passing. Marquavis Alston got 91 yards for the Gryphons and along the way broke the all time rushing record held by Demetric Marshall of 2,830. At nights end Alston stood at 2,900.

After last weeks effort Jamor Parker earned a start at fullback and had 81 yards on nine carries. Jordan Ford added another 57 yards as the Gryphons got 263 yards rushing on the evening.

Collins Cuthrell was only 2-7 passing on the night and for Gryphon fans he was under pressure every time he went back to pass. Cuthrell did throw a 36 yard td pass to Damien Bynum who ran the Last 25 yards weaving in and out behind his blockers on the way to the end zone.

Defensive captain Carter Varnell went down with a knee injury late in the first quarter but even without Varnell the Gryphon defense pitch the shutout. His injury is not believed to be serious.

Pass blocking is a major concern after two games and the punting game. So far Collins Cuthrell has punted four times for a 27.5 average. The Gryphons cured their extra point problems from last week as Wood Riddick made all three extra points when there was a good snap.

Carter Varnell started snapping tonight but he was backing up the injured Spencer Bell and by the second quarter the Gryphons were down to #3 snapper Hank Chambliss. The good news is, I just don't know how many teams have three long snappers so we are showing good depth there.

Next week's opponent Hertford County made the ride from Ahoskie to Nash Central and the Bears ride back home was a joyous one as they ripped the Bulldogs 47-13. The Gryphons head to Hertford County next Friday night and the Bears will be sporting a 3-0 and you know they will feel that have their chance to beat Rocky Mount for the first time ever.

Don't know whether you heard this or not but last night the jv's lost on a field goal with five seconds to play 9-6 to Broughton's jv's.

Bottom line tonight is Rocky Mount is 2-0 but the schedule picks up our next three games at Hertford County, home to Southwest Edgecombe and home to Rose.

A few years ago while on the game of the week trail. Wilson County changed Friday night football of Labor Day weekend to Thursday and I really liked it.

There are obvious reasons, a possible three day weekend and if you are leaving town do it after work on Friday. I liked the idea then and I still do now. I hope in the future that all Labor Day weekend games are moved to Thursday.

Tonight Northampton East pays a visit to Rocky Mount. If they had their druthers Rocky Mount would rather play a more quality opponent. Give the Rams credit; they will play Rocky Mount when they know they are probably going to get drubbed when others won’t answer the phone when Rocky Mount calls.

This one should be over by the half so expect everyone to get playing time tonight. We will get a chance to see how Dickie Schock thinks of this year’s team.

If you see many starters in the second half then I don’t think he is satisfied with the way the team is developing. If after the first drive in the second half the starters are gone then he feels they are doing a good job and likes where they are looking at the season ahead.

Of course if Northampton makes a game of it then we will all know this team is not developing very well.

It will be interesting to see how the extra point game is with new kicker Wood Riddick. Last week the two point conversions weren’t as good as a good junior high team.

Don’t forget because this is a Thursday night game and school still in session Friday, kickoff is set for 7.00pm

Hunt Host Holly Springs: I would suspect this game will not be a run-a-way like the first two games have been for Hunt, but Hunt should win rather easily.

We will begin our pre game coverage of gryphon football at 6.30 on am 1390. I hope you go to the game. If you do carry a walkman radio with you. There are always things happening that we can find out what happened and let everyone on the radio know about it.

Rocky Mount 51 Northampton East 6

If we can score 30 on Northern Durham and not make an extra point then fifty tonight should be easy.

A Little Of This And That

I stopped by football practice and Spencer Bell confirmed to me that he does have a broken collar bone . Six weeks is rehab time.

Tonight the JV football team travels to Broughton High school and plays a non-conference game. This game has been put together since Northampton East Dropped the JV game against us due to the lack of players on varsity.

Good news coming, it looks as if we will have a kicker after all. Wood Riddick made six out of seven extra points during an extra point drill. Riddick a senior played two years of JV ball and sat out last year. He could not play last week due to the number of practices necessary to participate.

As Geigo Insurance says, Here's a fun fact. During the fifteen year existance of the Carolina Panthers, they have never had winning seasons back to back.

Where are they headed this year after all the defensive injuries they have had so far in the pre season? Last year they were 12-4. 2009 ?

There must be something up in Charlotte as two of Jerry Richardson's sons have left their jobs with the Panthers. If you didn't know Jerry Richardson under went heart transplant surgery earlier this year. Could it be the Panthers are on the selling block?

The seventy three year old Richardson graduated from Fayetteville High School or what is now Terry Sanford high. Richardson was born in Spring Hope.

If the Panthers are up for sale due to Richardson's health I hope whom ever buys them has the compassion and continues to run the team in the right way. Richardson has always been in the back ground never a look at me owner, say the likes of Jerry Jones at Dallas.

If you saw Brett Farve on Monday Night Football, what did you see? Farve never attempted a pass more than ten yards down the field.

I was blipping the TV dial last night and TV is in trouble. I ran across a home run derby contest between Shaq and Albert Pujols. I could only take about two minutes before I had to turn the dial. Worthless TV.

There's No Red Shirt in High School Sports

Injuries are common through out life. I can chop bushes today, pull a muscle and call in a PTO day. People make a misstep and break an ankle. Those who are covered by insurance can find a way to pay the bills while they recover. We all go back to work and if you are lucky your pay check comes on time every week regardless of whether you worked or not.

High school sports are much more harsh to its participants. The sport you play has only so many games. If you are lucky, you may add to the total by playing playoff games.

One little quirky injury and a high school player misses all or part of of a season. There is no red shirt in high school like in college. In college blow your knee out, that's ok. Concentrate of classes while you rehab the injury. You can play next year and we will call you a red shirt junior or senior. We will pretend as if your injury didn't happen and start all over next year. Relive the senior season that you missed.

If you look at Rocky Mount's football team they have had their share of injuries in the past few years. In fact it seemed as if Rocky Mount could not go a complete season after Terrell Hudgins left to finish a season with the quarterback that started the season.

Saturday night senior tight end Spencer Bell went down with an injury. I went by practice to see what the word was on his injury Monday. By the time I was there the rain shortened practice and I did not get out of my car to slosh through it.

The opinion Saturday night after the game was may be a broken collar bone.
Spencer's only catch of the night for fifteen yards is where I think he got hurt. Hustling to get more yards.

It's nobodys fault. Sometimes injuries just happen. Spencer like every other player who has ever been injured now must wait and let the injury heal. One thing that will not wait is the football season. If he is out two to four weeks he will miss at least three games of his senior season not to mention not playing after the first quarter Saturday night. If he is out two to four months his high school career in football may be over.

Spencer is being counted on to be a big part on Gryphon baseball. For sure this injury will not effect baseball. Oddly enough Spencer broke his nose late in the baseball season last year during a collision with Chris Pittman. Just to make sure all summer during Junior legion baseball he wore a contraption to protect his nose just so he would be healed by football season.

I have witnessed many defeats in my time doing broadcast of ball games. Walking in a locker room full of disappointment after trying so hard to make a victory. There is nothing as difficult as looking a player in the eyes knowing he can't play next week or maybe even the next after that.

Sometimes it is easier to console someone with words after death than to look at a mother and father who have seen their son give it his all to be ready for football season and in just a few seconds it could all be over.

Like many Gryphon families Saturday night the Bell family help feed the team after the victory. You know it had to be bitter sweet for them.

There is no red shirt in high school athletics.
--

Thoughts Of Early Season Action

Any one who thought Rocky Mount football was falling off the face of the earth got a big surprise. No, the Gryphons didn't look like State champions but they beat an average 4-A school at their place. Good start for the Gryphons

Tarboro has yet to give up a point. Nash Central and Washington both 3-A schools should have main street in Tarboro jumping with excitement at the thoughts of getting back to the state championship game.

Southwest Edgecombe is about where everyone thought they would be. They get out of the conference with Rocky Mount but now find Tarboro and Kinston replaces them. Whether they win their conference or not the Cougars will play at least to Thanksgiving if not longer.

Hunt is the new team on the block in the newly formed Big East 3-A. They are not new to any body as everyone has always played them non-conference any way. They ripped Fike Friday which is their second slaughter of the new season. Hunt is back, if they ever went any where?

Southern Nash was voted by the Big East coaches to finish second in the league. Their first two games both victories has done nothing to dampen their expectations. It has been a while since the Firebirds have competed for the title.

Northern Nash is competing hard. Defense is doing all it can to help them win. If their offense finds where the end zone is, Northern could be a pain in the butt for everyone. they must find a way to score.

Fike's coach during the coaches meeting admitted that they would not be very good. They haven't been even though they won their first game. Wins are going to be few and far between for the Golden Demons.

Nash Central is still trying to figure out what they do best, Run or pass. They will improve once they figure one or the other or maybe it's both. Right now the Bulldogs are treading water trying to stay alive.

The early results are in and to this point there is no major surprise for me. Everyone still has four non-conference games left to figure out what they do best. It's not the first half of the schedule that gets you in the playoffs but those last five games when you play conference. The non-conference is good only for seeding purposes.