Early Season Upset

This week The "Telegram" is featuring the spring sports and today they covered boys track. Since Nash Central is a power house in track I think it is very logical that since the Bulldogs dominated the area in indoor track they and even last spring were the very best that they would be the choice to win again this spring.

Today at Nash Central the Gryphons made a statement that maybe the "Telegram" should have paid more attention to them. Rocky Mount won the event which also had Hunt High and the Gryphons won rather handily. The final was 102 Nash Central 71 and Hunt14.

Yesterday the "Telegram"featured girls Track and of course the eight time conference champions Gryphon girls are the favorites. Today the ladies prove to be as they overwhelmed Nash Central and Hunt.

Kent Cox and Gryphon baseball continue to find pitchers to go along with Benton Moss who I think will be on the hill Thursday afternoon when Rose comes to Gryphon Stadium. If you have never seen Benton throw the weather tomorrow could reach 70 and should be an excellent day to watch baseball.

Today Jeremy Johnson tossed four innings and Matt Berry finished up the game on the hill for the Gryphons as they beat Riverside 11-6. Spencer Ramsey took a hit to his hand while at bat and may have a injury to keep him out of the lineup. This team is extremely young and can't afford any injuries and so far to be 5-3 this is a great start for this bunch of youngsters.

I promised to look at some more of our local college players each night and tonight we will look at Ben Fish at Campbell. So far Ben the former Gryphon has started ten games for the 7-9 Camels and is batting 291. He has four rbi so far this year.

Alex Pearce from Nash Central has started nine games for the 20-3 Braves of Pembroke. Alex has his average up to 154. The Braves this week are in the top Ten is D-2 baseball, Two of their three losses have come at the hands of Lander College. You might ask what is so significant about that. Lander is the college "Baseball" Brett Johnson is the assistant coach for. Lander is also in the top twenty in D-2 baseball.

Finally tonight we will look at Tyler Clark the former Knight of Northern Nash who is tearing up N C Wesleyan opponents. Tyler is cracking the bat at 397 but he has legged out three triples for a catcher.

Hope you got your brackets right. I have two and I am picking Duke in one and Ohio State in the other.

Bracket Busters

How many people do not have UNC-Asheville making the Final Four. Let's get those brackets out and find a place to put the Bulldogs. Trailing practically the entire game Asheville makes a three pointer with ten seconds to go to send the first game of the NCAA basketball Tournament to overtime and then in overtime the Bulldogs score more at the free throw line than Arkansas Little Rock and win their first NCAA Division one playoff game 81-77. I hate to pop the Bulldogs bubble but they play Pittsburgh Thursday in Washington D C.

Gryphon baseball won today at SouthWest Edgecombe 11-2. Sophomore Spencer Ramsey and freshman Andy Morris took care of the pitching. Tomorrow the Gryphons travel to Riverside for an Endowment game. They return home Thursday to play Rose.

Lady Gryphon softball lost twice today .

Today ends the Sidney Lowe era as basketball coach at N C State. Lowe resigned and during a news conference tonight Athletic Director Debbie Yow said her search committee would be going after a winning coach probably coaching in the NCAA Tournament over the next three weeks so don't look for any announcement about a new coach too soon.

The thing that struck me listening to her news conference was she would seek a proven winner and looking back State did not do that when they hired Lowe. She also said that no tax dollars would help pay for the new coach that income from the so called sneaker contract, ticket sales, parking income, Wolfpack apparel and Radio and TV shows etc that all coaches at N C State were paid through those monies and the Wolfpack was self sufficient. When asked about salary of the new coach considering Lowe was tenth in salary in the ACC, Yow said" they would pay what ever it took to get a quality coach".

We are in the kind of lull period until conference games start in spring sports so on a daily basis I will try to keep up with our local college players.

Nash Central's Xavier Macklin playing at A&T is hitting 317 with four home runs and 17 rbi for the Aggies.

Mike Williams Northern Nash Product has found a home pitching for Pitt Community College. Mike in six appearances has pitched 10.2 inning and given up only one run for an ERA of .843.

Finally I can tell you something about of Brian Goodwin. So far Miami Dade is 11-4. Brian is hitting 419 and driven in 19 rbi with his 26 hits this season.

I'll cover some more players tomorrow.