Thursday, May 23, 2013

Gryphon Awards 2012-2013

116 Gryphon Athletes have so far in the 2012-213 Academic year maintained a 3.1 unweighted GPA.  Last Thursday night at the Athletic Awards Banquet Alexandra Wicker(Female)and Joshua Neal(male)  were named the Scholar Athletes of the year.  Following is a list of  all the Athletic Awards presented.


Football:  MVP-Mason Hines--Darkside Award-Tony Batts-- Coaches' Award Dewayne Moore--Billy Smith Award-Micah Varnell
Volleyball: Defensive MVP-Alexus Threatt-Offensive MVP-Evie Hunter--Coaches'Award Casey Cooke
Tennis: MVP- Mackenzie Warner--Coaches' Award Mackenzie Warner
Cross Country Boys: MVP- Mason Holt--Coaches' Award -Zach Shea-- Most Improved Jayquan Pittman
Cross Country Girls: Leadership Award- Alexis Bryant--Coaches' Award- Stephanie Morales-- Most Improved-Andrea Fox
Soccer: Coaches' Award- Nick Ellis,Sam Lilley and Wyatt Phillips
Golf: Most Consistent-Ali Martin-- Most Improved- Bailey Lewis
Basketball Boys:  MVP Donte Battle--Most Outstanding Player- M J Gainey-- Defensive Award- Mason Hines
Basketball Girls: MVP J'Kyra Brown-Coaches' Award- Carmen Richardson-- Most Improved- Kelsey Daniels
Swimming Boys: All Around MVP- Patrick Boone--Most Improved- Bradley Lamm- Coaches' Award Spenser Ramsey
Swimming Girls: MVP-Schuler Moss and Sydney Browder--Coaches' Award- Emily Vick
Indoor Track Boys: MVP Mason Holt-Coaches' Award- Mark Shaw and Zachary Shea
Indoor Track Girls: Most Improved- Stephanie Morales-- Coaches' Award- Alexis Bryant
Wrestling: MVP Alex Knight-Coaches Award- Rahshaun Elliot and Joesph Cooper
Cheerleading: MVP-Anna Gold and Brandy Pittman-- Coaches' Award- Kierra Cherry
Baseball: Best All Round-Jeremy Johnson--Most Improved-Trevor Hayworth--Coaches' Award- Spenser Ramsey
Golf: Most Consistent-James Martin--Most Improved- Tyler Holland-- Coaches' Award- Mark Whitley
Soccer: Offensive Player of the Year-Kasey Cooke--Defensive Player of the Year-Che'Kelvia Yarrell--Coaches' Award- Evie Hunter
Softball: MVP- Brittany Stallings--Best All Round- Carmen Richardson--Leadership Award- Alexus Threatt
Tennis: MVP- Zackary Green--Coaches' Award Kevin Ramirez
Track Boys: MVP- Mason Holt and Mason Hines--Coaches' Award Jonathan Romero
Track Girls: MVP- Takeyra Thomas and J'Kyra Brown

Athletes Of The Year:  Boys- Mason Hines-- Girls-J'Kyra Brown
Juan Chesson Award Winner: Mason Holt

 Rocky Mount won three conference championships;  Basketball Boys- Wrestling and Track Girls

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Hornets Lose Lottery (Thank Goodness)

This is one of those years where it is a good thing to not own the #1 pick in the draft.  The Charlotte Bobcats soon to be the Hornets again will pick 4th in the upcoming NBA Draft. There is no clear cut hot going to be great players in this years draft so picking 13th might just be as good as 1st.  The good thing is not picking first means the savings will be good for a team that needs to spent their  money  for a big time free agent.

It might be a good idea going back to the glory days when Charlotte had a decent team.  There is only one problem with Charlotte getting back to being decent.  They need somebody that can evaluate talent which the entire organization since they have been called the Bobcats hasn't hasn't been able to do and especially since Michael Jordon has been in charge.

The ACC  baseball tournament starts today and I think by 5pm Sunday it will break all attendance records.  The DBAP is about as good as you can get to host any tournament but there is one thing for sure. It will not hurt and Carolina and State have just as good of a chance as anybody to win it.  It will be  a shame come Saturday night when they collide  that if both are already eliminated from any chance to play in the championship game on Sunday.   Somebody maybe two teams just might leave this weekend with three losses and it could be anyone.

I don't know whether you have noticed this or not but the NBA final four is under way and the four teams are Miami, San Antonio, Memphis and Indianapolis.  I don't see a New York team, a Boston, Chicago or LA team no where to be seen.  Those high money teams have a bad habit of paying a lot of money for average players or old players  past their prime while the four left in the playoffs  are funding their teams the old fashion way, with good players.  Just maybe the Hornets could follow the example of anyone of them.

Carolina beat Florida State in that Monday Night made for TV end of the season baseball game.  Knowing that in order to win this week's ACC Tournament you will have to win four games I think both are asking their pitching staffs  to be thin for this week's tournament.  You know the last few weeks Carolina's bull pen has given up quite a few runs and a tired Saturday or Sunday bull pen is not conducive to holding leads.  A tournament like this every team that makes it to Sunday will have to throw a week day starter in the championship game and that is one less person to help in the bull pen.  I enjoyed the game but I don't think it was smart using up pitchers.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Sharpe Named Big East Softball Player Of The Year

Lindsey Sharpe the Nash Central softball player featured on WRAL-TV last week has been named the Big East player of the year.  Sharpe is joined by team mates Dana Kelly Brittani Strickland, Caley Bass and  Rachel Pearce on the Big East All-Conference softball team.

Northern Nash has on the team Jessica Ricks,Carolina Jenkins, Shelby Goodwin  while Rocky Mount get two players Carmen Richardson and Brittany Stallings.  Southern Nash has Madison Bell, Danyelle Noland, Tyreka Nicholson, and Amanda Wood on the team.  Nash Central Coach Gary Smith was named the Big East Coach of the Year.

Rocky Mount's Sydney Browder was named the Big East Offensive player of the year in soccer, joining Browder from Rocky Mount are Kasey Cooke, Evie Hunter CheKelvia Yarrell.   Nash Central placed two on the squad Scarlett Salter and Rebekah Beal.  Northern finds three member on the team.  Claire Fleming, Alexus Hill and Quatasia Harris.  Southern Nash also places three on the first team. Casey Liles, Laney Ezzell and Harley Crowder.  Hunt High's coach Scott Summers was named soccer Coach of the Year while Hunt's Sophia carter was named defensive player of the year.

Baseball named Hunt's Isaiah White as player of the year and Hunt's coach Jon Smith as coach of the year.  Rocky Mount places four on the all conference team.  Jeremy Johnson, Spenser Ramsey, Micah Varnell and Trevor Hayworth.  Nash Central has Tyler King, Colton Vaughn, Kahil Macklin and Ryan Barham on the squad.  Northern adds  Tyler Barrett, Derrick Carter.  The Firebird on the All Conference team is Marques Taylor.

The Big East Golf All-Conference team has Matthew May from Southern Nash along with Josh Harden.  Tyler Harden from Rocky Mount make All Big East.

Post 58 has postponed their first two games of the season so now the season opener will not come until Saturday at Mount Olive College in the Wayne County Tournament.  Unless a game is added they will not play a home game now until two weeks from tonight.  Theses cancellations this week give Hank Jones time to get his team together and find out who can play where before the first game.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Legion Home Tonight

Tonight's Legion game game has been postponed until another date can be set.  That also includes Wednesday trip to Cary on Wednesday.  Both Cary and Rocky Mount have had high school teams in their districts playing in the State playoffs.  Post 58 will start this weekend at Mount Olvie College in a Wayne County Tournament.

Coleman Pitt Post 58 will open their 2013 summer baseball season tonight at the Rocky Mount American Legion Field.  First pitch is scheduled for 6pm.  Cary will be in town as tonight's opponent.   If there is magic  with this team this year as has happened a couple of time in the last five years or so  then Post 58 just might qualify for the State Tournament which this year will be in near by Fleming Stadium in Wilson.

Earlier this summer I made an afternoon run to Murfreesboro to Chowan College to the Whitaker Library there where I went on their Microfiche machine to look up old copies of the Ahoskie paper the News- Herald which are now stored in the library.  I went there to look back at the 1963 American Legion season for Ahoskie Post 102.  This year is the 50th anniversary of that team winning it's only legion title ever when they won the North Division.

I was there every step of the way that season as a ten year old bat boy.  I have talked to all 14 surviving players and asked them of their experiences  that summer and have written 10,000 words which I turned over to the News-Herald in Ahoskie.  They are trying to decide now what they can do with it if anything as part of Post 102 50th anniversary that they are going to have sometime this summer.

Ahoskie and Rocky Mount met four times that season.  The first one was in Rocky Mount and Post 58 won 3-2 in ten innings.  The second meeting was in Ahoskie and Post 102 won 1-0 in ten innings. Game three was the only blow out as Ahoskie won in Rocky Mount 11-5.  The final game of the season was played in Ahoskie with both teams tie for first and Post 102 won in the bottom of the ninth innings 4-3.  They played four times in 1963 and three of the four games went down to the last pitch of the game.

All four games Post 58 started Jim Best and Post 102 started Jim Hunter.  Danny Talbott was on the mound for Post 58  in  the ninth inning of the last game.  Ahoskie beat Rocky Mount three times in 1963 and I don't think they have beaten them three times since.

Cousin Lauren Doughtie got her second pay day on the LPGA Tour Sunday.  She finished tied for 53rd which is her best finish so far on tour.  The golfing tours most of the time on weekend play with the top 70 and ties.  This week those 70 and ties make for quite a few extra players who cashed in on the money.  Earlier this season when Lauren finished in the high 60's she collected more money than yesterday .  The good news is she got a check.


Saturday, May 18, 2013

Prime Time For State-Carolina This Week

The brackets and times of all of the ACC baseball games that begin Wednesday have been announced and during the first four days of the tournament UNC and NCSU will be the head liner in the 7pm prime time game in three of the four days.  You can find all games either on Fox Sports South or ESPN2

State gets prime coverage Wednesday as they as the #4 seed play #5 Clemson.  Friday night Carolina plays under the lights as they will also take on Clemson.  Then hopefully with a chance to play for the ACC championship they both collide Saturday night.

Carolina as ACC regular champs is the number one seed in the tournament and are the head of bracket A.  State seeded fourth and Clemson seeded fifth and Miami as the #8 seed all will play each other the first four days.  Bracket B has #2 Florida State, #3 Virginia,#6 Virginia Tech and #7 Georgia Tech.  the two bracket winners will play each other Sunday for the ACC Championship.

I find it hard to believe that the college world series can have a better set of teams.  Carolina is 2nd in RPI, Virginia 3rd, Florida St 4th, N C State 9th, Clemson 12th, Virginia Tech 15, Miami 21st and Georgia tech 22.  This sounds like what the ACC Basketball use to be.  If the RPI is the magnifying glass of who you have played and how you did I don't understand completely.  Cal State Fullerton is 8th in RPI but 50th in strength while State at 9th in RPI is 10th in strength of schedule. All eight ACC teams playing in ACC Tournament had no worse than 20 in strength of Schedule and that is Florida St.

UNC Wilmington is 26th in the RPI and Campbell 43rd.  That should keep both in the NCAA Regional regardless of the outcome of upcoming conference tournaments. UNCW is 47 in strength of schedule but here is where Campbell will be nervous this week until the 64 teams are announced their strength is only 242.

Post 58 American Legion baseball kicks off Monday night AT HOME.  One of the real challenges of making a schedule is high school playoffs and yes RMA just finishing up yesterday hinders Post 58 but many other Legions have the same problem so games get moved around many times.  So if you have one of the early schedules Monday shows on the road to Cary but it is home Monday night.

Eagles Just Could Not Stop Wildcats

Game two of the the 2-A Independent high school state championship goes to the defending champions West Chester of High Point.  Game two on West Chester's home field saw  the Eagles serve as the home team in game two and West Chester plated a run in the top of the first.  RMA responded with three in the bottom of the first but from then on when ever they needed to hold the Wildcats they couldn't.  Trailing 7-4 heading to the top of the 6th West Chester score seven times in the last two innings to win 14-4 in a game closer than the final score.  Rocky Mount Academy will finished second  in 2-A Private school baseball.  Sunday night on the All New Sports Show on WHIG-TV you can see their win over Faith Christian which was played Tuesday night that got them to this weekend games against West Chester.

This past Thursday night Rocky Mount High School held their Athletic awards banquet honoring all athletes from all 2012-2013 sports.  The Triple Crown award winners  combining athletics, Classroom as well as all areas of life were Lindsey Warner and  Alexis Threatt.  The best male athlete was Mason Hines.  The best female athlete was J'Kyra Brown.  Mason Holt won the Juan Chesson award  honoring former Gryphon Juan Chesson.

Since we are talking about awards I can't go without mentioning my favorite Gryphon baseball player in Dillon Cockrell.  Dillon Graduated from Carolina last weekend and he won the 2013 Dashiell-Thurstone Award for having the best Thesis of all the graduating seniors at UNC.

Dillon did his Thesis on  the F-MRI.  The F-MRI  can detect the brain waves of children with autism.  Dillon's research  was on the different colors of the MRI and what effect those colors have in the brain's performance of Autistic Children.

Dillon was just short of graduating with a 4.0 four year average.  Not bad  for a student who was the supervisor of recreation at UNC and one of the main players for the Carolina Club baseball team.  Graduation day  Dillon had to make one of his first choices of  adult life whether to go to graduation or play in the Club Regional finals.  He chose to go to graduation where he received his award and Carolina lost the Regional without him.

Dillon hopes to go to Medical School but next year he will spend a year working  research at Duke University.   Dillon is proof that you can be a good athlete and still get good grades.  Congratulations Dillon

Friday, May 17, 2013

Wildcats Clip Eagles In Game One

Game one of the best of three title series in the Independent 2-A State Championship goes to West Chester Country day 7-2,  Game two is scheduled for 11am Saturday pending on the weather.  The State -Duke series scheduled for 2pm has already been moved to noon.  Since RMA could force a third game in the series and second game on Saturday at 3.30 by winning the first game  don't be surprised if they play earlier than 11.

J'Kyra Brown has been named as a member  of the East-West All star basketball game scheduled for July 22nd in the Greensboro Coliseum.  That week is the high school coaches convention and part of the entertainment is all the All Star games in football, soccer, and basketball.   This will be the last game for the Rocky Mount Gryphons all time leading scoring in women's history.  Next year she will be playing B-ball in Greenville for ECU.

The East-West all Star football game will feature several players from the area. Jarrod Richardson the 5ft 11inch linebacker from Nash Central will play for the East along with Tarboro's Travonne Marshall.  Marshall the 5' 11" linebacker will join Richardson.  Hunt High has two players that will play.  Josh Joyner the All Conference tailback and and Dayquan Barnes a 6'2" tight end will all play for the East squad.

I hope you had a chance to see Tom Suitors  Extra Effort Award this week on WRAL-TV.  Nash Central's Lindsey Sharpe was the featured student.  Sharpe who played volleyball, was the swimmer of the year in the conference and lead the Nash Central softball team winning 17 games and losing only two as their pitcher.

Cousin Lauren Doughtie is playing in her 7th LPGA Golf event of the year.  She has played on the weekend only once until this weekend .  This week's event is in Mobile Alabama and she has shot a 68-71 which is good for 25th heading into Saturday which means a pay day is coming Sunday.

College baseball regular season ends Saturday and North Carolina is the Coastal Division champion after coming from behind Friday night to beat UVA.  N C State can win the Atlantic Division if State beats Duke Saturday and Clemson beats Florida State.