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.

Rainy Night

During my career I have been in a many a night of rainy football especially in the early years when you played when it was game time regardless of the weather.  The last thirty years the gate receipts have over taken  and one drop of rain in the afternoon will put a game off.

As recent as 1999 while covering North Edgecombe for WHIG-TV while the Warriors were in the third round against Pamlico at Pamlico the press box was so small we were outside when a monsoon fell starting at halftime and I got wetter than I could have gotten if I had been taking a shower  There are not many of those type nights that happen any more and then there is last night.  Having no lightening and it being the last game of the season and every so often a monsoon falling those that endured to stay and watch any game in our area last night needs to be saluted as a true fan.  As for Pat and me we were dry in the gym at Campbell watching volleyball and even as I write this this morning not one drop of rain has fallen here. Here's what happened last night.

I have been concerned about the Tarboro Viking defense but the last two weeks they have come together to produce shutouts.  Last night Beddingfield failed to score on the Vikes and for the ninth time this year Tarboro scores at least 34.  34-0 Tarboro.

Hunt looking for their second straight perfect regular season got a test for a half from Fike who still had dreams of a tie for second.  Hunt throws a second half shutout to win 28-7.  Fike will finish fourth in Big East and waits for the playoff seeding to where they travel next week.  Hunt will be home.

In 1983 N C State basketball had a record of if I remember were 16-4 and had Ralph Sampson and Virginia by 20 in the first half when Derrick Whittenberg broke his foot and for the next month the Pack played lineups that enabled those players to step up and when Whittenberg returned the Pack was a better team.  I think the same thing just might happen for Southern Nash as injuries and suspensions have given the Firebirds two very interesting week and yet they won both.  Injured players will return and suspensions over for next week look out for the Firebirds in the playoffs.  Nash Central gave the Birds all they wanted but the Firebirds prevail  38-36.  Southern will be the most nervous team in area as they wait to see if they are home or on the road next week.

Rocky Mount clinched 3rd  in the Big East but Northern Nash gave them all they wanted until the very end.  Those times of not scoring in the second half are over for the Gryphons as they wait for for word where they will be heading next week.  Rocky Mount 25 Northern Nash 9.

They had lost to Word of God 54-0 during the regular season but last night Rocky Mount Academy made WOG work before losing  38-7.  The big question now for RMA is can they hold on to B W Holt for next year or will some public school snatch him away?

Catch Up Time

Sometimes there is so much going on you just can get it all in where something hot pushes it off the front page.  So let's catch up on a few thing that I never got around to:

One student has been arrested and authorities are looking for possibly two more students in the vandalizing  of Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium at ECU.  The young man who has been arrested has dropped out of ECU and has been on tweeter threatening with a rifle to take care of those who are tweeting against him.  I would hope those in charge will put this young man under observation.

D H Conley has had to forfeit two victories due to the fact a player transferred from Rose High to Conley but according to the NCHSAA still lived in Rose district.  This will effect our area schools who might play Conley in playoffs.

Today if you go on line to The Technician the student newspaper of N C State there is an article featuring the rise of the Club Tri program at N C State and both the men and Women's team heading to the nationals in April.  A closer look and the by line is written by Tyler Ellis.  Yes, this is freshman Tyler Ellis from Rocky Mount.  If I recall Tyler was the sports editor of the Rocky Mount year book last spring.

Friday lead by five tennis players from Nash Central the State  tennis singles and double titles will be decided this weekend.

Saturday the Cross Country finals will be held in Kernersville.  Northern's team has the best chance from the area and Rocky Mount's Mason Holt looks to be the highest finisher from the area.

Today David Stern announced that he would retire Feb 1 2014 and Adam Silver will take over as Commissioner.  Silver is a 1984 grad of Duke University.

Saturday is Military Appreciation day at Campbell's volleyball.  Morgan Doughtie will be singing the National Anthem.

The Final Friday night of high school football's regular season is upon us.   Tarboro and Beddingfield.  There is a really good possibility that they might also meet in the opening round of playoffs.  I would suspect if it happens the Vikes win twice but this Friday 42-14

Southern Nash at Nash Central: Second is all the Firebirds. It is a matter of how  much the starters play.  Firebirds 35 Nash Central 14.

Hunt and Fike:  A perfect season two years in a row for Hunt.  Hunt 28  Fike 7

Rocky Mount hosting Northern.  Rocky Mount will score this year and they will score enough to win this one  26-7.

ADM's Released

The biggest school in the Big East is Hunt High school with 1329 students.  That is according to the 2012 ADM's Average Daily Membership which was released Tuesday by the NCHSAA.  Southern Nash comes in as the second biggest school with 1240.   Their relationship with the other schools in the 3-A classification we know for sure that they will play in the 3-AA football brackets.

Rocky Mount is the third biggest with 1191 followed by Fike 1186 then Nash Central 1177 and Northern Nash is now the smallest school in the Big East at 1133.  Rocky Mount hinges on the border between will they be in the AA or A bracket.  The ADM's say Rocky Mount is the 48th largest out of 97 schools.  The 3-AA bracket will have the top 32 schools that are eligible for the playoffs.  Then the next 32 will play in the A bracket.

Last night Southern Nash ended Rocky Mount's soccer season beating the Gryphons 4-0 in the semi finals of the Big East Soccer Tournament.  Southern host the finals Thursday.

This is rivalry week in more ways than one.  State-Carolina play Saturday.  Rocky Mount -Northern Nash Friday.  Hunt-Fike  and Nash Central- Southern Nash.  If you ask Nash Central fans they would probably tell you their top rivals are Rocky Mount and Northern.

Tonight the World Series gets under way and I truly have no dog in this years series so I will not watch every pitch which I might do if I had a rooting interest.  I have been made aware today that people in Rocky Mount just might have a reason to pull for the Detroit Tigers.  Jim Leyland the Tiger manager and Gene Lamont the Tiger third base coach both played for the Rocky Mount Leafs Carolina League team here in the mid 60's.  Oddly enough neither had much of a career in the majors but both have been big league Managers.

Bulldogs Dominate

Round two of the 3-A Tennis playoffs for the Lady Bulldogs was the same result as round one.  A 6-0 whitewash of Jacksonville.  The difference this time was that Jacksonville came in with a 17-2 record  and was going to be a dog fight but Nash Central did not let that happen.  They were so dominant that the three doubles matches were not neccessary.  This weekend the singles and doubles state championships will be contested.

Tarboro in the 2-A playoffs were not as fortunate as they lost 5-4 to Carrboro knocking the Lady Vikings out of the playoffs.

Tonight in the second round of the state volleyball playoffs Fike hosted and beat Northrn Nash 3-1 to advance to round three of the playoffs.

Southern Nash's Allison Pitts is the only player from Nash County to qualify for the state golfing championships.  Those rounds will be Monday and Tuesday.

Later this week is the regional Cross Country championships will take place with several runners and teams still alive.

Last night Rocky Mount beat Northern Nash in the 4/5 game in the Big East soccer tournament. The Gryphons played the #1 seed Southern Nash this afternoon but I have not found a result.

Like to say congratulations to Northern Nash Trumpet player Joshua Freeman who has qualified to play for the All Star Invitational Marching Band and their assignment is be the official band for the BCS National Championship college football game in January.  Good going Josh!

It doesn't matter what sport you play there is always somebody trying to predict the playoffs before they are set.  Saturday at 6pm the high school football playoffs will be announced by the NCHSAA.  High ScoolOT.COM the wral.com high school portion of their website is predicting Rocky Mount as the #3 from the Big East will draw Currituck in the opening Round.  Currituck is 3-7 on the year.  If the bracket is correct RM would play the #1 seed Havelock in round two.  Southern who will be in the 3AA bracket will not be so lucky if HSOT.COM is correct.  They would get Triton in the opening game and Triton has lost only once this year.

Price Sister Do It Again.

Nash Central's Price sisters have done it again as they have won the doubles Regional Tennis Championship.  Randi the senior and Kaley the junior are headed once again to the State Doubles  after winning over teammates Dana Kelly and Lizzie Eakin.  Kelly and Akin have also qualified for the State championships.  Caley Bass  second in singles and Northern Nash's Sarah Hinson  4th also qualified for the state championships from our area.

Round two of the State volleyball playoffs still have two Big East teams Fike and Northern Nash and one of them will make it to the third round as they will meet in the second round Tuesday at Fike.

Rocky Mount Academy is the #7 seed as the NCISAA playoffs that begin Friday night.  They will face off against the number two seed Word Of God a team they already played earlier and gave a good accounting of themselves.  I don't know how the NCISAA votes on coach of the year but B W Holt has the Eagles in the playoffs after not winning a game last year.

The Big East soccer conference Tournament starts tonight.  Guess who plays each other.  #4 Northern Nash host Rocky Mount with the winner meeting #1 seed Southern Nash Tuesday night.

Nash Central's football practice will have a little  extra step this week even though it looks like the Bulldogs will finish the season Friday night.  There is an outside possibility that the Bulldogs if they beat Southern Nash, Northern Nash beats Rocky Mount and Hunt beats Fike that here could still be a three way tie for third .  The Bulldogs would still be fifth but have a good chance of getting in the playoffs as one of the best of the rest who fill in the brackets.  If that happens they just might draw Hunt the first playoff game.

There seems to be an up rise of the quality of athletic teams at N C State since the arrival of Debbie Yow as Athletic Director.  Sunday Tom O'Brian announced two football players had been dismissed from the team for their transgressions off the field and in one players case several speeding tickets he had received in his home County.  A couple of weeks ago four soccer players week dismissed from the team for fighting in a bar on Hillsbourgh Street.  Debbie Yow has gone as far as made the bar off limits to any N C State Athlete.

You know how I feel about any student who gets a free ride in college has a responsibility to those giving him the free education.  I applaud the Wolfpack for their efforts to make sure those who don't deserve to continue to get a free ride don't.  Maybe that could be a hint to Chapel Hill.  Nothing like trying to get something started this week.  Oh yea there is a game this week isn't it.

Duke is the only team in North Carolina at this late date that has secured a Bowl Trip in December or January more than likely the talk right now is the Belk Bowl for the Devils.

I do have to know one thing about the game Saturday night.  What's up the the Tar Heel wearing  Duke blue pants?  I thought Duke was having a scrimmage when they came out in Duke Dark blue jerseys and Carolina had on Duke Blue Pants.  Please get somebody to tell the Tar Heels what their school colors are.