Boys Win Girls Fall

The Rocky Mount Gryphon boys remained undefeated tonight at home as they beat South Central by a 54-39 score. This game was a tale of two different halves.  The Gryphons had a great half of defense pushing the Falcons away from the basket and force many long range shots.  South Central only turned the ball over twice in the first half.  The Gryphons held the Falcons to only 21 first half points.

The Gryphon offense look like an Abrams Army tank with one wheel missing.  They were running wide open and all over everybody  and with 12 turnovers could only put eight points on the board in the second quarter and 21 for the half.

Then it seemed as the second half started that South Central could not get down court at all without the Gryphons knocking the ball loose and it jumped started the offense and  the Gryphons had command the entire second half.  The Falcons had 14 turnovers  and many lead to Gryphon points.

Donte Battle lead the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds.  On the night the Gryphons gathered 39 carom's while  SC had 32.  Rocky Mount had four different players with at least five rebounds in game.  Mason Hines 5 boards 4 points.  Jaquel Bryant 10 points five grabs.  M J Gainey 7 point five rebounds.   Ric Cherry lead SC with15 points almost half of the Falcons total.

The South Central girls broke open a close game in the last minute to knock Rocky Mount from the ranks of the unbeaten 55-52.  Lady Gryphon J'Kyra doubled teamed all night let her team mates carry the load for the first two and a half quarters but down 38- 32 Brown scored twelve straight points without a Falcon point to give the Gryphons the lead  but in the fourth quarter not enough help was provided by her Gryphon team mates and Rocky Mount falls .

Brown had 29 points while Carmen Richardson had 9.  SC was lead by Daniela Murphy with 22.  Next week Rocky Mount travels Tuesday to Hertford County and Friday to Rose  before they play in the Nash County Tournament at Nash Central the following week.

Northern Nash boys one game win streeak ended witha 48-40 loss to SouthWest Edgecombe while Northern Girls humbled SWE again just like they have to everyone else so far this season.

The end of the golf season Cousin Lauren Doughtie failed to make the top list on the Futures Tour to qualify fo the LPGA Tour for 2013.  Last weekend was the Q school for the LPGA and Lauren found herself tied for the last spot with seven other people and only three get in.  I am very happy to say Lauren survived the playoff and has won her LPGA card for 2013.  She shot a -3 for the weekend to get into the playoff. 

Bye Bye POD

Today at the winter meeting of the Board of Directors of the NCHSAA they voted to eliminate the POD system for the football playoffs in 4-A-3-A and 2-A.  It will stay as it is in 1-A since most off all the teams that play 1-A are either east of I-95 and west of Statesville.

Thank goodness as we will no longer be faced with Southern Nash the #2 in the Big East playing Hunt the #1 in the first round any more.  Maybe it will be the third round or later before the top two in each conference square off against each other if they survived to get that far in the playoffs.  Up until the POD system was put in place the Big East football routinely put two teams in the third round.

Congratulations to the Knights of Northern Nash basketball team as they beat Tarboro Tuesday night which ended a one year drought in wins in basketball.  The losing streak has gone into the twenty something category but last week on this site we commented about how close Northern had been  so far this year that last year teams  ripped the Knights in the non-conference games last year.  The Knights will be competitive when conference starts in January.

 By the way so far this year nobody has played the Lady Knights close and we all know they had a big chunk of last year's team back.  They are playing as if they want to get back to the Regional like they did two years ago and were on the door step last year playing Rocky Mount in the sectional final.

So far this year both of the Gryphon basketball teams are undefeated but as they say we will get a chance to see where they are Friday night as they host South Central. The Falcons both boys and girls have been a playoff pain for Rocky Mount in the last few years.

You know once N C State started looking for a basketball coach to replace Sidney Lowe  there was embarrassment for how long it was taking to find a coach and it seemed everyone on the wish list said no.  Seems as if Tennessee is finding that looking for a new football coach in today's world where everyone can tell when a private plane leaves any airport is not easy to do any more.  Guaranteed contracts, buyouts etc that coaches aren't just drooling to go as fast as they use to.

Yow learned her lessons  this go round about hiring their new football coach and nobody knew anything until the bombshell hit.  I sure would like to see  that  any coach who leaves to go anywhere else at least wait until all games are played before switching teams.  Every team that has a new coach will be going to bowl games without the  coach  that got them to the dance.  That's not fair to the players.

The presidents of all of the Universities of the ACC have sent out a statement telling everyone how committed they are to staying in the ACC.  New members Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse were in the statement.  Earlier this week we on this site had mentioned about the rumors of Georgia Tech quitting the ACC for the Big Ten but they signed off on this statement too.  Maryland of course was not included.

"Voice Of the Pirates"

I hate to hear of the news that Jeff Charles "Voice of the ECU Pirates has Colon Rectal Cancer.  My prayers go out to Jeff and his family during this fight.  I have known Jeff for as long as he has been the "VOP" in fact I can not say that we are friends but I have been with him several times over the years either in a press box or some where in Williams Arena.  I remember the first time we met was soon after he became the "VOP" he was at Chowan College during a Chowan Junior College game and I interviewed him at halftime.  I don't recall why  he was there that night. He was just there watching the game and Bob Burke Chowan's coach introduced me to him and of course I had to get him on the radio.

There have been plenty of dominate teams in college sports in the past.  UCLA winning 10 basketball titles in 12 years.  Oklahoma winning 47 straight football games back in the fifties.  But there has never been a more dominate team in any sport than the Tar Heels women's soccer program.  The Heels won their 22nd championship in I think 31 years that the NCAA has given a championship out in soccer.

This is the first time that I have spoken about him but North Edgecombe basketball product Montrezl Harrell is having a solid start to his college basketball career at the University of Louisville.  He has started one of their eight games and is averaging 16 minutes per game.  He is shooting 63% from the floor averaging 3.8 rebounds and is scoring at 4.4 points per game.  Louisville's only loss to date is to Duke.

I don't know whether you have heard this or not but the New Orleans Hornets just might be changing their nickname from the Hornets to the Pelicans.  I have always thought that teams needed to have nicknames that related to their area and the hornets just doesn't fit the city of New Orleans.  The only negative thing I can think of about the Pelicans is don't associate them are fighters light nicknames tend to be.  Let's go you fighting Pelicans just doesn't sound right.

Whether they change their name or not sits in the hands of the NBA.  If the NBA can figure out how everyone can make money off changing I am sure they will be for it.  Should the Hornets nickname be dropped Michael Jordan has expressed interest in bringing the nickname back to Charlotte and drop the Bobcats and return to the Hornets the way it use to be before George Shinn up and moved the Hornets to New Orleans ten years ago.  Charlotte has now won 7 games this season which ties them with all the wins they had last year.  Yes there is a team worst than them in the NBA this year and it is the Washington Wizards who have won just twice.

The Football Future of The ACC-Carolina and State.

Maryland's recent decision to leave the ACC is about like if you were wading in the water at the beach and a shark bumped into you and there is bleeding but no serious problem.  Rumors persist that Georgia Tech is the next ACC team   to run to the Big Ten.  Should that actually happen the ACC would have lost  the DC/Baltimore TV market and the Atlanta market.  Then that shark got a nibble of your leg this go round.

Where we are heading in this football world called division one football?  It moves more every day that football will be a different animal all together and all other sports will  stay in a different conference.  If that is where we are heading then Notre Dame is the only school that has done the right thing all along.  Stayed independent in football and now has shifted to the ACC for everything else.  I hope we are not headed to that scenario but it sure does look like it.

If that is where our sports world is headed where does Carolina and N C State in this new to be world?  Both have stadiums that seat 60,000 and both pay their coaches 2 million or more.  More rumors have filled team forums about Carolina and Virginia joining the Big Ten Super football conference and Virginia Tech and N C State joining the Big 12 while Florida State and Clemson would join the SEC.  What kind of new world is this?

I would think in any kind of movement join this or join that you would think that State and Carolina could or should be strong enough to say I want to stay in the ACC and the ACC could stay as a strong top four or top five super conference.  Now today all these rumors running rampant about Larry Fedora going to Tennessee.

Is football so bad at both North Carolina and N C State that a coach making 2 million  dollars jumps and runs after one year and goes  to and SEC school which right now is near the bottom of the SEC.  I understand that Tennessee is traditionally a great football school but the last five years no very good although they did humble the Wolfpack in the season opener.  They do have a stadium that seats 95,000

I hope that this is a agents ploy to throw Fedora's name out and he's hoping Carolina gives Fedora a raise after having an outstanding 8-4 season with all the complications Carolina had to put up with.  If this does happen and Fedora leaves for Tennessee or any SEC job opening this only tells me that if Carolina can't hold Fedora for more than one year then the ACC is heading down the road to the same fate in the very near future.

Bama Wins Thriller

Tarboro's Todd Gurley scored two touchdowns  and ran for 123 yards to lead Georgia but in the end Alabama wins the SEC Championship 32-28 Georgia.   Alabama will play Notre Dame for the national championship in college football in early January.   In the era of the wide open offenses the two teams playing for the title will be run first and defensive football teams.

I think Slim Pickens was the big winner in the ACC championship game as there seemed to be more  seats disguised as empty seats than filled ones. Florida State as the champion of the ACC will play Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.  State will be playing in the Music City Bowl at noon of December 31st.  ECU is heading to the R&L Bowl in New Orleans on December 22nd.  Duke will play in the Belk Bowl on December 27th at 6.30pm

North Carolina State  announced Dave Doeren formerly of Northern Illinois as their 34th new football coach Sunday .Doeren for the last two years has lead NI to a 23-4 record.  He came to NI from Wisconsin where he was the defensive coordinator.  One of the main stresses that Debbie Yow made about who she wanted was a young  enthusiastic coach who could recruit.  Doeren is 41 years old today  and had been a recruiting coordinator some in his past while he was defensive coordinator at Wisconsin.

Tarboro's lost Saturday in the championship game makes them 72-6 in this five year run to five straight state championship games.  East Lincoln also was the first team all year to hold Tarboro to 34 points or less.  Those two fumbles inside the ten were worth at least 12 points and if they had of made one of two two point conversions that would have been 34 points for Tarboro so you really have to give it to the Mustang defense.  They made the plays to win the game.

Duke is looking mighty good for this early in the basketball season and Carolina is not.  Both won Saturday.  You know one of the biggest problems a  program like Carolina has is that this team will be judged by comparison to other Carolina teams.  If I had to pick right now this Carolina team will be lucky if they win 20-22 games which isn't bad at all but not for Carolina where 30 wins is expected every year.

Sportsmanship Should Come First

We have become a me-me me society.  The only important person is me and what ever I have to do to get me what I want I will do.  During the state championship 3-AA game Northern Guilford had established that they by far were the better team and late in the game lead Charlotte Catholic 57-26.   UNC Five Star recruit T J Logan had shown the world that Carolina was getting a football player that indeed just might step in next year in Chapel Hill and replace Gio Bernard should he decide to turn pro this spring.

Logan had rush for 430 yards and tied the state record for touchdowns in a game at seven when Northern Guilford faked a punt  late in the game and let Logan go 80 yards for the state record in touchdowns in a game and also giving him over 510 yards rushing in one game.

Boo birds rang down  and I am sure most of those boos were coming from the Charlotte Catholic side of the field.  After the game the Northern Guilford coach explained that they wanted Logan to get the record.  You know I don't have any problem getting a record when it is in the coarse of winning the game.  In this case the game had already been won.  It is more important to me to put every player I have that has worked hard to help get our team to this point to have their turn to say I was part of a state championship game.

The final score will not be remembered two years from now but I can bet you that every time some one hears the name North Guilford for the rest of eternity all they will think about is the team  who ran up the score for a record.

Somewhere in  our society has forgotten about our fellow man.  Every team that lost in the state championship games yesterday had worked their tails off to just get there.  Some won and some lost.  There is that old adage "It's how you play the game".

Despite how much the coach may have wanted a record for a player he wanted that record for himself.  It wasn't enough to just say we are state champions.  He wanted to be able to say I am a state championship coach and we set a record to get it.  All the while he smeared Charlotte Catholic face in the mud.  He tried to embarrass them just so he could get a record to go on his resume'.

Our only team that played yesterday lost a heart breaker in the 2-A finals.  Thank God  we had a coach representing us who gave credit to the other team and didn't put the blame on his teams failures.  I don't think or let me say this I know of no instance in the three Tarboro State championships where Jeff Craddock tried to embarrass the other team.  Between Rocky Mount's two basketball titles Mike Gainey and Pat Smith's baseball title I know of nothing that would embarrass us about the way they  acted in victory.

Sportsmanship should always come first in victory and defeat.

Tarboro Meets Their Match

The Tarboro Vikings quest for their 4th straight state title fell short  at the hands of the Mustangs of East Lincoln 24-20.  Tarboro fumbled four times in the first half and lost three of them  and then once again in the second half which they lost also.

Two of those first half fumbles cost the Vikings at least 12 points because one occurred at the five yard line and the other at the nine taking away what would have been enough points to win the game.  The four fumbles in the first half were more fumbles than what the Viking had put on the ground in their previous four playoff games.

The Mustang quarterback Garrett Young complete 12 of his 18 tosses in the first half and every one seemed to be bigger than the one before.  Garrett's two touchdown tosses enabled the Mustangs to lead 17-6 at the half.

The Vikings played the third quarter the way they have played every other playoff game this year and had regained the lead 20-17 by the end of the third quarter.  The Viking Defense held Garrett to only 2-12 passing in the third quarter but after the Vikings took the lead Garrett had one more drive left in him and took the Mustangs for the winning touchdown with 7:55 to play going four for six passing on the drive.

The Viking made two fourth down plays on their final drive that started at their own 27 but were faced with a fourth and two at the Mustangs 20 yard  line with 1:15 to play and Quinton Roberson was stopped in the back field and the Viking dominance of the 2-A state titles was over.  Roberson had 27 carries on the day for 205 yards.

Sure did look like Tarboro was on their way after a bad snap from the shotgun went out of the endzone for the Mustangs and Tarboro cut the lead to 17-8 early in the third quarter.  The only drive that East Lincoln had in the third quarter resulted in a Tarboro interceptions which they brought out to their 21 yard line. In quick order Tarboro took it to the house to cut the lead to 17-14 but Young threw another interception in which Tarboro Tarboro returned 40 yards.  That set up a Tra Marshall touchdown run and Tarboro was in the lead .

The Vikings lost four fumbles in the game.  Missed all three of their two point conversions.  I don't care how good you are four turnovers against a very good football team is hard for anybody to win.  The Tarboro Vikings sandwich three state title between two state title losses as East Lincoln is the 2-A State Champs a 24-20 winner over Tarboro.