No Luster For This One

Most years at least one of the two teams of State or Carolina is halfway decent but neither has a whole lot to brag about this year. Carolina is coming off their best game of year while State is coming off a whomping administered by Florida State. Find it hard to pick either in this one. Could be a triple overtime 9-6 game. Pack wins at home 31-28. ECU hits the road going to Florida International. Last road game the Pirates limped home but not today. Pirates 42-FIU 16. Wake Forest heads to the Carrier Dome to play the Cuse. The Deacs are playing well and I think they bring home a win 28-23. Virginia Tech has maybe the worse offense in ACC but one of the best defenses. Regardless Tech offense will keep it close while the defense keeps them in game. Virginia Tech 20 BC 10 Pitt travels to Georgia Tech to take on the Jackets and I don't know why this game scares me this week. Should be all Tech. GT 35 Pitt 27.

Gryphon Grit

Yes it was Halloween night and Southern Nash opening kickoff was a pop up to the pitcher but the Gryphon front blockers admiring how high the kick was and Southern started on the Gryphon 48 after the Firebirds recovered the rolling free football. Less than three minutes Dion Lavendar one yard sneak gave Southern a 7-0 lead. Richard Hall carried for the Firebirds from one yard out gave the Birds a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and at this point Rocky Mount still does not have a first down. Two things changed the momentum of the game. Jason Battle went to Josh Carter at quarterback and Broderick Caudle intercepted a Lavendar pass on the Southern 29 yard line and took it to the house to get the Gryphons on the board and everything is now pointing to Rocky Mount.Josh Carter connected with Rashawn Harris for a 33 yard pass tied the game at 14 with 4:29 in the half. A Gryphon field goal attempt on the last play of the half was wide left and a 14-14 halftime score. The Gryphon D stopped Southern on their opening second half drive and the Gryphon duo of Josh Carter connected with Broderick Caudle on a touchdown pass but once again the ep was wide left and the Gryphon lead for the first time. By the end of the quarter Micah Varnell connects on a 29 yard field goal and the Gryphons and the Gryphons lead by more than one score. Starting the fourth quarter the Gryphons D stymies Southern and Rocky Mount offense converts two fourth down plays the second a 12 yard Carter to Harris pass to give the Gryphon a 30-14 win. As of this minute the Gryphons own 3rd place in the Big East after Fike beat Northern Nash 29-12. Hunt shutout Nash Central so Fike and Hunt play for the Big East crown next Friday. The loser can finish no worse than second. If the Gryphons win at Northern they collect third but should Northern win there could be a three way tie for third between Northern,Southern and Rocky Mount. Tarboro took care of business and clinched first beating Northampton 50-7.

Positioning Time

Glad I do my high school picks on Thursday because I think as tonight progresses toward us many teams will move Friday games to Thursday because of the weather forecast is miserable for Friday night. Last week I went 6-1 and that gives me an overall 63-11 on the season. Southern Nash at Rocky Mount. Major questions for both. The Firebirds are looking for available players in the backfield and Rocky Mount is looking for it's defense after the last two weeks. This will be a game of Southern offensive and defensive lines matching up again the smaller but quicker Rocky Mount line. Rocky Mount needs to find it's game again in the next two weeks Southern Nash 23- Rocky Mount 17 Fike at Northern Nash: The Big East for years has been a pound the ball conference and when the playoff start they have been able to out muscle most teams. Here comes the run and gun of Fike I suspect Northern who just maybe has the best defense in the league will have to cover all over the field. This game will be a question of Northern's speed in the secondary. Fike 35- Northern 14 It is conference championship time for Tarboro. Northampton County is the last team standing that can take the title away from the Vikings. Riverside Martin and Northampton seem very close to the same and Tarboro beat Riverside 48-0 last week. Maybe a little closer this week 40-0 Tarboro. SouthWest Edgecombe at North Johnston. It is all about playoff positioning for the Cougars. North Johnston is winless and the Cougars need to growl in this one. SWE35- NJ 6 North Edgecombe at South Creek: Tarboro is on the horizon next week so the Warriors have got to take care of business this week. NE 35 South Creek 13 Rocky Mount Prep has their first conference win under their and now hold on to two home victories. Riverside is a decent team but come into the week's game with Prep bleedy after the beating Tarboro gave them last week. Riverside 48 Prep 16 Nash Central travels to Hunt and the Bulldogs have to hope Hunt is already thinking about next week's championship game with Fike. If they are that's good for Nash Central they will only lose 35-6. If Hunt is ready it could be worse. RMA opens their state private school playoffs tonight against the team they just beat last Friday Cary Christian. The Eagle will advance to the Final Four 44-6.

Gryphon/Firebird Varsity Football Moved To Thursday

The varsity football game between Southern Nash and Rocky Mount scheduled for Friday night at Rocky Mount High has been moved to Thursday night. The weather forecast for Friday has possible rain all day Friday into Friday night so school official from both schools have agreed to move the game forward to Thursday. I thought the NCHSAA had gotten rid of the POD system but some where along the way the soccer playoffs didn't get the memo. I am assuming that this new system is based on the team with the best overall record is seated first and every team in the playoffs is seated by record. Why do I assume this? Rocky Mount the number four team from the Big East is seated lower that Northern Nash who finished fifth in the conference race but has a better overall record that the Gryphons. What has this done for the five teams representing the Big East in the playoffs. Rocky Mount as a number 27 seed will draw tonight a Hunt team that is seeded sixth but had to to beat Rocky Mount twice in overtime. Northern Nash who gets in under the best of the rest category will draw Southern Nash in round one. The only Big East team not playing another Big East team is Fike who as the conference regular season champs draws West Carteret. I honestly don't understand with ranking all conference champions one through six in the east, then all the second place and so fourth. Any team in the tournament invited as a best of the rest can't be seated higher they anyone in their own conference who finished ahead of them in standings. Rocky Mount beat Northern twice during the regular season but Northern's overall record is 10-8 while Rocky Mount was 10-10, go figure. Since the game Friday night has moved to Thursday you will find me Thursday night along the sideline joining Bobby English 's chain crew. A couple from the regular crew can't make it Thursday so I will serve as a fill in. I have not been on the Gryphon chain crew since I think it was 2001. The 2002 season was my first when Gryphon football returned to the air on the radio. It just might be the truth when anyone makes this statement but the Duke Blue Devils just might be the best football team in North Carolina. The Devils are 6-2 and have four games left to play. N C Stae and Miami are the next two at home. I would favor Duke in the State game and after Miami's game this week they might get beat just as bad as every body else has against Florida State. They may visit durham with their feelings hurt and loss of confidence and who knows what might happen. I would at this time make Duke the favorite against both Wake and Carolina. If they win three of four that is nine wins for the Blue Devils. Holy Moly!

More Clarity Than Normal

There surely seems to be a first division and a second division in Big East Football this year. Fike and Hunt with two weeks to go have clinched championship game quarantees against each other two weeks from now even though both have one game to play between the final game of the year. That has not been the case for the past five years or so. It has come down the last game we must win in order to win championship but a loss might knock us completely out of the playoffs. it has been that tight. Fike has shown to be the best offense in the league. Their wide open spread the field offense is hard to practice since they are the only team to run that offense entirely. It's like playing Georgia Tech and the wishbone. It is the only time you see it all year and hard to defense in one week. It's hard especially as well as Fike runs it. Hunt despite losing three times in non-conference is right where they always are playing for the conference crown. No they are not as good as the past but right now who other than Fike is better? Southern Nash loses their quarterback and that means they have lost the entire backfield to injuries this year. Yet, they are in every game right down to the end. They have the best offensive and defensive lines in the league and that is keeping them in games. Rocky Mount has given up 85 point the last two games to the two big dogs of the conference. Where has the running game gone? Where has the defense gone? Just maybe against great teams the Gryphons are limited. Now that Northern has finally gotten over the hump and stopped a conference losing streak let's see if it turns into more wins. They just might have the best defense going against the best offense in Fike. This game will really tell us a lot about Northern for the remainder of the year. As far as Nash Central is concerned basketball practice starts Thursday so Bulldog fans can turn their attention to that. Yesterday ended the tennis season for the Big East as Rocky Mount lost their third round duel match at Terry Sanford 5-1.

Gryphon Tennis Heads South

Today Lady Gryphon tennis heads to Fayetteville to take on Terry Sanford in the third round of the 3-A duel championship. The sister team of Chandler and Tanner Brice lost in the semi finals on Saturday in the state doubles. The 3-A regional cross country run Saturday both the boys and girls teams from West Carteret won their regional. The Northern Nash boys and Rocky Mount girls ran well enough to qualify for Saturday's state championship. Today Allie Martin is in Pinehurst where she will take part in the 3-A girls golf championship. October 30th starts the first day for all winter sports to begin practice. As basketball season begins I would like to remind everyone that this is an even year by the end of basketball season and Rocky Mount has won the last two state titles on even years 2010 and 2012. I have not heard or seen any preseason rankings but I suspect the Gryphons will be the preseason number one in 3-A. They have most of their scoring coming back from a team that made it to the regional finals last year. Here is an update on the two Rocky Mount Gryphons playing pro baseball. Brian Goodwin is again in Arizona playing in the Arizona Fall league. According to the Washington Nationals website plans are to start Brian out in the spring on the AAA roster. Hobbs Johnson is not in Arizona as after the college baseball season and his performance in the rookie league and even once he moved up the Milwaukee Brewers are totally happy with his performance and told him to rest this winter. Hobbs is back at Caroilna trying to take more college classes. Good for you Hobbs.

You Never Know Who You Might Run Into

This past Tuesday night we headed to Buies Creek to watch Campbell and South Carolina State play Volleyball which Campbell won. While the introductions were going on I noticed a man enter from a side door and walk up to the first row of seats where one of Campbell's players dad Dwight Tart was sitting. Dwight is a former coach at Triton and this man walks up to Dwight and shakes hands and as I sit on the fourth row I'm staring at this man because he looks awful familiar. This man sits with Dwight an I am thinking about who this guys is more than I am focused on the team introductions. Halfway through the first game I notice this lady comes through the same door that the gentleman had. As soon as I saw her I said to my wife Pat that's Jane Burke. Jane is the former principal of Hertford County High school and Superintendant of both Hertford County and Roanoke Rapids City schools. She goes and sits right down beside that gentleman who I am trying to figure out who he is. I look at Pat and say I know that's Jane Burke but I'm trying to figure why she would be at a Campbell Volleyball game. The more I thought then it struck me. She was sitting beside her Husband Bob who was the basketball coach at Chowan during their Junior College Heyday. Bob who now is totally gray not that pitch black hair of twenty years ago. From three rows behind them I say out loud Jane Burke and she turned around an saw both Pat an myself. Bob turns to see who is talking with his wife and lord it is old home week for the rest of the volleyball game. Don't you just hate to go to a ball game and people near you never watch the game because they are talking about something else the whole game. I know Dwight was annoyed as he is trying to watch his daughter play and by now I have hugged Jane and now sitting beside Bob who is beside Dwight and Bob has a million stories to tell Dwight about me being his radio play by play man at Chowan. Jane and Pat have moved down on the front row and they are having their own old home week while Bob and I talk about the past. All I know about the game is Campbell won. I didn't see any of it. Bob Burke is the winningest basketball coach in Chowan History. He left Chowan to be an assistant coach at Hawaii. They then moved to Portland to scout for the Portland Trail Blazers and while a scout there one of his former players Nate McMillan of Chowan College and N C State becomes the head coach and hires Bob as an assistant. After Portland it is retirement to Wilson where Jane's mother and sister live. Coming home from the game all Pat and I talked the whole way about how odd it was that we would run into people at Campbell that we have never run into living 20 miles a part. You bet we made plans to go to dinner and and resume friendships long lost. By the way Both Jane and Bob both graduated from Campbell. They went to Campbell as they have a granddaughter who is a junior in high school that plays volleyball and they came to scout whether to try to convince her to come to Campbell. Bob told Dwight the story last night of the first time he met the late great John Wooten. Wooten way back in the fifties and sixties had a basketball camp at Campbell in Carter gym and Bob as a player was helping with the camp. Bob was told when to be there and he would be helping Johnny Wooten. Bob is from Queens New York and back in the sixies for a New Yorker the NIT was a bigger basketball tournament than the NCAA. Bob has no idea who Wooten is so on the first day of the camp here is this Campbell basketball player walking in the gym and he walks up to this man mopping the floor and say do you know where Johnnie Wooten is. The man looks at Burke and says thats me. I can't tell you in mixed company what Bob said but he says to Dwight that the man who won 10 national Championships was in Buies Creek mopping the floor. If I have one disappointment in my life is the fact that over the years and this includes high school that there are so many people important to you and yet we lose contact with them and we only have the memories. Like the Bible says you have 99 sheep and lose one. When the sheep returns you rejoice. Today the Doughtie household is rejoicing with the return of old friends.