Week Off For Most

Most every one has the week off as they prepare for conference play that starts next week.  We already made this pick a couple weeks back.

RMA 5-0 at Parrott Academy 2-2:  I worry it has been a month since the Eagles have put on the pads against any one else.  They will have rust everywhere while Parrott has already played a meaty schedule already.  I think Eagles are better despite layoff RMA 38 Parrott 28

Rocky Mount Prep 2-3 at SouthEast Halifax 2-2:  This one is possible for the Jags. I doubt they win on the road. SE Halifax 26 RM Prep 24

North East Carolina a Prep 0-5 at Pamlico 0-5:  Here's a game I doubt there will be any TV stations covering this one unless they need to get some football coverage for Friday night.  Pamlico 27 NEC Prep 20.

There is one thing about college sports that when ever a player comes along and plays for us then we claim him as ours for the rest of their life. Every now and then one comes along who changes the world and since he crossed our state he is one of us. Arnold Palmer went to Wake Forest when the college was actually in Wake Forest.  Sunday night the golfer who transform professional golf from the rich man's game to  every man's game died at the age of 87.

He came along for golf just when TV was a baby and needed some type of sports for the weekends.  Palmer was a go for broke player that when the TV camera came on he charged up every one sitting home and golf has never left TV. In  fact as Palmer approached 50 the Seniors Tour was born just so the TV world would still be able to watch Arnold Palmer.

Heard this as all the Sports channels having been talking Palmer for most of the week and this will explain why Arnold Palmer became Arnold Palmer.  Andy North who was walking with Palmer's  senior group while playing on the senior tour had a second shot over water into a par five in which Palmer had no chance to make it over the water.  He went for it any way and of course hit it in the water.  While walking towards the water North asked Palmer why he even  tried such a  shot.  Palmer's reply "The fans didn't come to see me lay up"

Like all athletes age wins out and another great golfer came along named  Jack Nicklaus to replace him on the golf  tour but because Palmer had a vision Palmer went into golf design, TV ads, and he never forgot where he came from.  A couple of years ago on the golf channel it was reported that Palmer wrote a personal note back to everyone that had ever written to him ask for a picture or autograph even if they failed to send him a stamp they got their request. Palmer spent of his own money 125,000 dollars a year on postage to fans.

Even today he is in the top ten in money making at the age of 87.  Just two years ago when I had the privilege to go to the practice round at the Masters I was able to get about 20 feet of him as he sat on the veranda and I felt like I was near royalty.

Tiger Woods had a chance to replace him as the most  impactful golfer ever but his off the course values have sent him into obscurity.  The world has lost a great embassador. Golf has lost the most impactful person in the history of golf.  The state of North Carolina has lost a piece of their pride.  We all lost Arnold Palmer THE KING!

Week Four Of NFL

Before we get into the NFL upcoming games need to predict a high school game on tap tonight.  That's right Tonight.  It is one of those make up games between Hunt 2-3 and Corinth Holders 0-5. Both want to hold on to being off this Friday night to give their players more than a week off before the conference wars start.  Hunt has new coach and so far the results are not Hunt like but they are playing Holders who is 0- for the season to date.  I think Hunt evens their slate at 3-3 which will send every Big East team into conference play next week without a tem with a losing record Hunt 26 Corinth Holders 20

Now the NFL, Had another fair week going 11-5 to run my guess record so far in the NFL to 32-16.  Would love to up my percentage to 3 out of 4 right each week but this is the NFL.

Miami 1-2 @ Cincinnati 1-2:  Hard to believe the Bengals 1-2 so this would be a good game to get back to even.  Bengals 30- Dolphins 23

Colts 1-2 @ Jags 0-3:  I think Jags are better than 0-3 then why are they 0-3?  I like the Cats over the horses in this one 30-27.

Browns 0-3 at Redskins 1-2:  There is always a team from the NFC East that pulls away from everyone else because East teams all go 3-3 against each other.  The difference year after year is the team that wins games against other NFL teams.  If that team that pulls away from the others is going to be Redskins they can't lose this game.  Skins 36 Browns 28

Titans 1-2 @ Texans 2-1:  Texans  have had 10 days to steam over getting shut out in New England.  They should rebound over a lesser opponent. Houston 26 Titans 20

Seahawks 2-1 @ Jets 2-1:  The Jets coach publicly scorched his team for their effort in KC.  Hawks probably will play without Russell Wilson.  Hawks don't score much on the road anyway and won't in New York either  Jets 23- Seahawks 10

Bills 1-2 @ New England 3-0:  Last game with out Brady as the Pats stay perfect who needs him.  It's the coach not the quarterback in New England.  NE 30 Bills 16

Panthers 1-2 @ Falcons 2-1:   Panthers having that season all Super Bowl losers have playing decent but not winning.  They will get Falcons this week though  Cam and Company 27 Birds 24.

Raiders 2-1 @ Ravens 2-1:  This is a hard pick both teams very similar.  I'll go with the home team.  Raven 23 Raiders 20

Lions 1-2 @ Bears 0-3:  Another game between two teams that when ever they play great they can beat anybody but just when especially playing each other.  Lions 19 Bears 17

Bronco's 3-0 @ Buc's 1-2:  It would not shock me if Tampa wins this one but the Wild Horses defense pulls this one out.  Den 26 Tampa 20

Rams 2-1 @ Cardinals 1-2:  Rams are hard to best when Todd Gurley runs the way ne did last week.  Probably can's score enough to win this one.  Cards 23 Rams 17

Saints 1-2 @ Chargers 1-2:  Drew  Brees returns to San Diego for the first  since the Chargers let him go in early 06.  They met each other in London in what was classified as a Charger home game in 2008 and once in New Orleans with Saints winning both.  Charger injury list is growing again this year.  Last year it was offensive linemen this year it's  both play makers and secondary people.  Will be high scoring  Chargers 36 Saints 33

Cowboys 2-1 at SF 1-2: Cowboys are the best team but remember they play in NFC East and team in the East lose these kind of games SF 26 Boys 22

Chiefs 1-2 at Steelers 2-1:  Both teams laid eggs last week.  Doubt if Steelers will lose at home  Pitt 23 KC 17

Giants 2-1 @ Vikes:  Anybody who watched the Vikes defense destroy the Panther line like the Vikings did last Sunday can't pick anybody else in this one Manning will throw three picks.  Vikes 26 Giants 17

It Still Will Take Some Luck

We have reached the halfway point in the 2016 high school football season and for those fans that pull for the Blue and Gold of Rocky Mount this season to some extent is following a path much like the 2015 season which lead to the Gryphons winning their first football title in 43 years.

For just a moment let us look back and see how being good or even very good is not good enough.  Just ask Eastern Alamance from last year what being good ended for them.  The Gryphons started by trouncing Southern Granville last season and make it a little worse this year with a shutout.  Middle Creek still remains undefeated but the Gryphons scored 25 points on the Mustangs an in their other five games have given up only 31 other points.

The scores were not as impressive as last year  in  the Hertford County and Edenton games.  Sherrod Greene suited up for the first time this season and got about a quarter on the field in the HC game.  The Gryphons hit the road for the first time to Edenton and for the first time against a team they should beat the Gryphons put themselves in a jam and trailed in the third quarter.  Just maybe the first sign this Gryphon team was beginning to get it together was they controlled the last 18 minutes of the game and that is the only L on the Aces Ledger.

A complete turn a round with a 40 point loss to Rose at Home last year and a 66 point outburst and holding Rose to 41. Ok after seeing the Conley score maybe scoring 66 on Rose is not much of a deal this season but holding them to 41 might be a great defensive effort.  Hoke County was completely stifled by the Gryphon defense.

How close did they come to not winning the conference last season.  They trailed in four of five conference games.   It did not hurt a bit that the two biggest conference games last year were at home.  Remember the biggest lucky break of the playoffs was the Rams of Havelock losing  in the second round and the Gryphons getting their third straight home game.  They needed that third home game cause it took the last play of the game to beat Eden Morehead a team that we were able to see was worthy in beating Havelock.

How close did the Gryphons come to finishing second in the State Championship game.  It took a third and 15 scramble by Forest Bell in the fourth quarter to keep a drive alive.  It took a 38 yard extra point from Chase Miller to get the game to overtime.  It took a defensive hit on third down in overtime from Sherrod Green after the South Point quarterback broke around  end at the five yard line to set up a extra point field goal that South Point Missed.

So despite how great the Gryphons look at this point three conference games are on the road.  What at this point the biggest of them all will be at Southern Nash.  So far this season the six Gryphon foes to date have a combined 20-14 record. Take away the Gryphons 5-1 record they are 19-9 against everyone else. The five conference games this season as we look down the road everyone in the conference is 20-9.

If the Gryphons are to repeat as conference champions this season it would seem this year's road is tougher because more are on the road and  there does not seem to be a automatic win anywhere.

Congrats to Sherrod Green as the awards keep rolling in for the Gryphon Linebacker.  Not only has he committed to the Gamecocks of South Carolina but yesterday he was picked to play in the 2016 Shrine Bowl game on the North Carolina team that takes on South Carolina the next weekend after State Championship weekend.

If you go on the NCHSAA website you will see an article about sportsmanship featuring Rocky Mount High and their JV soccer goalie Lucas Martinez.  Nice read about an injury that occurred to a C B Aycock player during a recent soccer game at Rocky Mount concerning the actions of Martinez and the medical staff at RMHS.  Well worth your time.  NCHSAA.org

Let's Evaluate The Season

Just how can you judge one team's first half of the season over another when not one team played the exact same non conference schedule as the other.  Let's try to see if we can figure out how to see who has done well so far and how does it relate to what we can expect next week when conference play starts.

As they say this is not scientific but let's give every team credit of four points whenever a team on their schedule is classified 4A and multiply by that teams number of wins. 3A three points, 2A two points and 1A one point.  Example several teams in the Big East played Tarboro a 1A school who has won four games so far this season.  Any team that played Tarboro win or lose gets four points.  Let's give this thing a try.

Northern Nash  4-2: has played 3A Corinth Holders 0-5 zero points, Northeastern 2A 3-1 6 points, Laney 4A and 4-2 16 points, Tarboro 4-2 4 Points, Goldsboro 0-6  2A zero points and finally Smithfield Selma 0-6 3A zero points.  Total points Northern Nash 26

Hunt 2-3:  Opened the season against 4A Lumberton 2-4 8 points, Hertford County 2A 2-3 4 points, Northeastern  2A 3-1 6 points, Currituck 2-A 2-3 4 points, Beddingfield 3-3 6 points Total Points Hunt 30

Nash Central 4-2: started their season with Tarboro 1A 4-2 4 points, Smithfield Selma 0-6 zero points, North Johnston  2A 4-2 8 points, SouthWest Edgecombe 2A 1-5 2 points, Beddingfield  2A 3-3 6 points, Bunn 5-1 2A 10 points.  Total Points Nash Central 30

Fike 4-2:  First game of the year Fike started with Bunn 2A 4-2 8 points, East Wake 4A 2-4 8 points, Kinston 2A 3-2 6 points, Beddingfield 2A 3-3 6 points, South Granville 2A 4-2 8 points, Corinth Holders 3A 0-6 zero points.  Total Points Fike 36

Southern Nash 6-0:  Firebirds opened with 3A Northwood 2-3 6 points, Bedfingfield 2A 3-3 6 points, Bunn 2A 5-1 10 points, South Johnston 2-3 3A 6 points, Tarboro, 4-2 1A 4 points and Ayden Grifton 2A 3-3 6 points.  Total Points Southern Nash 38

Rocky Mount 5-1:  Began the season with South Granville 2A 4-2 8 points, Middle Creek 6-0 24 points, Hertford County 2A 2-3 4 points, Edenton Holmes 2A 5-1 10 points, Rose 4A 2-3 8 points, Hoke County 1-5 4 points.  Total Points Rocky Mount 58

So if this formula is any where close to being correct Rocky Mount will win the Big East due to this point having played the toughest schedule and a 5-1 record to boot.  Southern Nash will edge out Fike for second.  Nash Central and Hunt will be in a tussle for fourth and despite their 4-2 record Northern will finish last.

The points are close enough from second to sixth that one fumble, one injury can change a game and with it the outcome of the season.  If this  points system  is any where close the Gryphons will win their second straight conference title.  Five of the six conference teams have already won four games so it will only take one conference win to make it to the playoffs.  Is it possible that this league will have more than one team playing Thanksgiving weekend.

Safety Should Be Top Priority In Sports

Football is a violent game and as technology becomes greater and players become bigger and faster keeping the game safe becomes more difficult.  There is  plenty of evidence that as we learn more rules are changed to protect.  The helmet is obvious today in every sport.  Baseball players never had helmets until a player for the Boston Red Sox Tony Conignario was beaned and he tried to play but never recovered from the hit.  When hockey went to helmets it started out the older player did not have to wear helmets but it was required for rookies and over 15 years or so every player now wears helmets. Football started out with the rubber helmet, then a helmet with a single bar across you nose and now days they wear visors making you look like you were in the movie Star Wars.

Back in the 60's they started putting warnings on cigarettes, seat belts in cars, all of them as we began to learn more about safety had a place to improve life.  So football has tried to come up with rules to make the game as safe as possible.  Just recently they have come up with a rule called Targeting.  The NFL say over the last five years have fined players who hit players that were defenseless for going for the head.  That  of  course is for defensive players tackling the ball carrier but it is no penalty if the ball carrier lowers his head while trying to run over you.  That ball carrier can get hurt that way too.

Everyday most of us get up and either go to school or go to work and just about every one of us fudges on the speed limit up to the point where we will not get a speeding ticket.   There is of course that gray area about what's legal and what's not.  Last weekend one of our local college football players Houshun Gaines  from Nash Central received a penalty for Targeting while blocking on a punt return for Virginia Tech.

Everyone may remember the Catfishing incident that Gaines had while he was being recruited in college.  He has been suspended from the Tech football team since his arrival in Blacksburg.  I am sure if you did not watch the game and saw the block live on TV you probably have been on Utube and seen it.

If there is any penalty in football and when the ref announces that the play is under review and it takes three or four minutes to decide looking at 1000 replays then that play is one that you can not call Targeting.  One replay should show you the answer.  Having been taught light years ago how to block and all the replays that I have seen this was a perfect block.

Gaines led with his shoulder and hit the chaser on defense perfectly.  Yes it caught the kid as he was turning as they say from the blind side. Those blocks like this one when they crowd sees it sends a AHHHH through the crowd.  I don't know how he could block any better.

Because the hit was in the shoulder area of the player being blocked and after an extended time reviewing the play targeting was called and Gaines was tossed out of the game which still had eight minutes to play. 

There is a fine line between perfect and illegal in this case.  I know all of the sports world is running scared these days because of concussions and there are times that the law has to go too far to protect the innocent. 

Football because of all types of injury and because of the high cost of insurance coverage will one day be  the flag football variety because insurance is going to be the death nail to football.  I predict within 50 years soccer will be number one in this country but lookout soccer.  Helmets are on the way.

Score Doesn't Show Let Down, Play Does

You could just about expect the Gryphons coming off one of their most impressive victories against Greenville Rose to be some what flat against Hoke County a team just 1-4.  The Gryphons stopped Hoke cold their first two tries with the ball and the second resulted in a shanked punt which the Gryphons punched it in with passes and scored on a BJ Sanders one yard run.  Chase Miller made it 7-0..

There is no doubt the Gryphons have play makers and Detrell Revis for the second game in a row scores a touchdown.  Last week a punt return tonight a pick six returned 60 yards to make it 14-0 in first quarter.

The theme of the first half will go down as mistake city as Rocky Mount loses three fumbles and interception  and three of the four are inside the Hoke 20.  One on the one yard line but the Gryphon D gets a team tackle for a safety and a second quarter 16-0 lead.  The only time Hoke crossed the 50 was when they recovered a Gryphon fumble.  Hoke had no offense what so ever and the score could easily had the clock running in second quarter had the Gryphons held on to the ball.  Just before the half second  team QB Shabios Lynch made at 23-0 at the half.

The bright spot of the game thus far for Hoke County is it is homecoming but they must kick off to the Gryphons to start the second half.  The Gryphons are putting the game into clock running mode and move the ball to the Hoke 28 when on a tackle two Hoke players go down and one requires a stretcher.  All players go to one knee as the dangers of the game of football are front and center as an abulance is needed for the Hoke player.

Return to play Chase Miller misses a 36 yard field goal but the D who has not allowed a first down all night gets the ball back and B J Sanders scores for the second time and the lead grows to 31-0 on a two point conversion and the rest if this game belongs to the second team.

Hoke begins the 4th quarter scoring on a double reverse fourth down  60 yard pass but an official lost the ball on third down  blew the whistle and didn't see Rocky Mount running for a touchdown.  Hoke tried on side kick but the Gryphons took two plays to score and up the lead to 38-7 on runs by B J Sanders.

Rocky Mount completely manhandled Hoke giving up one first down.  38-7 final.

Other scores
Rose 77 Conley 67 the highest scoring game in NCHSAA history

Northern Nash 33 Smithfield Selma 7

Tarboro 20 SouthWest Edgecombe 0

Southern Nash 42 Ayden Grifton 14

North Edgecombe 44 Kipp Pride 0

North Raleigh Christian Academy 44 NorthEast Carolina Prep 8

Beddingfield 19 Hunt 18

Bunn 52 Nash County 36

Fike 22 Corinth Holders 20

Picked The Louisville Victory

I have to be one of the few people in the country that saw Louisville had any chance against Florida State.  As great as that pick was still have one of my worse weeks ever picking college games going 10-6.  This week  the Wolfpack and the Battling Bishops take the week off while the ACC begins some intermingling with conference games.

ECU 2-1 @ Virginia Tech 2-1:  I don't think the Pirates played well in either game so far against State or South Carolina.  Tech is still poor on offense but fairly good on defense.  I think the Pirates could win this one but need to quit the turnovers in the red one.  Virgiia Tech 26 ECU 23

Pittsburgh 2-1 at Carolina 2-1: I really like the Panthers butI find it hard to believe they can stop the Tar Heels.  North Carolina 38 Pitt 28

Duke 1-2 at Notre Dame 1-2.  Duke leads the nation in turnovers and I see no way at all Duke can stay in this one.  The Irish 48 Duke 17

Wake Forest 3-0 at Indiana 2-0:  Wake has lost their QB this week which makes this an interesting game.  The Deacs by far have been the biggest surprise this year.  Who knows how good Indiana is.  Deac 27 Hoosiers 23

Florida State 2-1 at South Florida 3-0:  The Noles have never been manhandled the way Louisville destroyed them.  This game will give us a real look at the heart of this team.  South Florida will not be an easy out at home.  FSU 33 South Florida 27

Central Michigan 3-0 at UVA 0-3:  Has anybody noticed that the Central Michigan's of the world no longer lose 48-0 to the Power Five.  This will be no contest as the Cavs lose their fourth in four tries.

Wagner 2-0 at Boston College 1-2:  Wagner has yet to play a team anybody has ever heard of and Boston College has.  BC 30 Wagner 17

App State 1-2 at Akron 2-1:  The Zips will be a handful for the Mounties.  If APP has any fall out from the lashing given to them by Miami for most of the game and are not ready they could fall in this one.  App St 28 Akron 24