Another Mushy Friday

I know that most folks really love to see it snow the way it has this morning. Big fluffy flakes and not sticking.

I have been told it started about 4.00am and has continued for a good three hours without much consequence other than a wet road.

This is the 13th week of the football season and have we had more than two Fridays that the sun shined all day without any perspiration?

We have had two games moved to Monday. Last week we played in the rain but for the most part it has rained every Friday this year and in most cases cleared off by afternoon.

The forecast today is clearing by lunch time with a high today of only 42. Sounds and feels like football weather to me.

There are only eight teams left playing in the eastern 3-A bracket and last week I picked all eight games. Not that hard when most of the games the winners were double digit favorites before they started.

Looking at this weeks games:

Eastern Alamance is making the trip east to Hertford County and the Bears are a five point favorite.

Southwest Edgecombe travels to Kinston where SWE is a five point favorite.

Washington already this year a ten point loser at home to West Craven is a 20 point dog at West Craven.

J F Webb is a 24 point underdog to the Gryphons.

The one pick that I don't understand is Dudley is only an 18 point favorite over NEW-6 third place Fike.

Thats what the computer people think is going to happen tonight and as the saying goes "That is why they play the games"

Air time on am1390 will be as close to 7.00pm as possible. Gates open at 6.00pm. Remember that there should be a hugh crowd tonight so it will take awhile to get everyone through security.

GO GRYPHONS!!!!!

Babe Ruth Payoff

The signing of Tyler Joyner and Brian Goodwin to Division I national letters of intent this week is another step in showing that you reap what you sow.

Tyler of Northern Nash is what every scout, whether they are high school, college or pro, drools over - a left-handed pitcher. He has been the ace of the 13-and 14-year old Nash County Babe Ruth teams that made it to the semifinals and finals in the Babe Ruth World Series.

His sophomore year, he led the Knights to the finals in the east until they lost out to the eventual state champions from .C.B. Aycock.

Brian also was the center fielder on those same Babe Ruth teams and put on a display of his abilities from power hitting to base stealing to flagging down any ball hit in the air.

He won the MVP award during the NCHSAA 3-A state championship series this past May as the Gryphons won the state 3-A baseball title.

Both Northern and Rocky Mount players, along with Nash Central, have benefited from their experiences in Babe Ruth.

There seems to be that 14-year olds is the last of the dedicated to one-program age bracket. Starting at 15, Junior Legion and other teams begin to divide the players to where they all go in different directions.

Between little league and 14-year-olds, Nash County has become a force in baseball and at the high school level they start dividing up to the different schools.

Even when they have divided up, the last two years with Northern going to the eastern finals and Rocky Mount winning it this year shows you how much experience means to any player and program.

As for Tyler and Brian, their biggest common denominator is that their parents have been with them every step of the way.

As many games as these guys have played in the past five years, it is hard to take three weeks off to follow your child to a state championship, then to a regional in Tennessee and a World Series in Massachusetts.

Their families have sacrificed to make it happen and to be able to watch their lives unfold.

After graduation, you can expect it to start all over as these guys start to travel all over the country to pursue their dreams in college and who knows, maybe even in pro baseball.

J.F.Webb vs. Rocky Mount

We have come to the point in the season when there are no more patsies left.

There are some good teams and great teams yet to play another day. Who are the great and good are yet to be determined.

The New England Patriots last year won the first 18 games of their season - something no one else has ever done. But when there was one more, they failed to deliver.

This year's Gryphons came into the season with most of last year's 14-1 team back to play again.

They played two 4-A schools winning by a combined score of 79-14.

The Gryphons have played three 3-AA schools and won all three by a combined 122-23.

That leaves five conference games, Hertford County and a playoff game and the combined scores were 251- 42.

What does all this mean for this year's team?

Absolutely nothing come Friday night.

We will face a team that their offense is much like that of Western Alamance. I doubt that the quality of the whole body of this year's Webb team doesn't meet the quality of the three Warrior teams from Western Alamance that have taken us out of the playoffs the last three years.

We may actually give up more points this week than at any other time this year. Maybe.

We have seen this year the best way to slow down the Gryphons is to keep it away from them.
SouthWest Edgecombe did a good job of that, but you also have to score when you hold on to it.

I don't think Webb has an answer for our offense and our defense will bend but give up little as the game progresses.

When you get to this point in the season a fumble at the wrong time and there goes a chance to score. Just remember, the three straight turnovers we had against Rose in 2004 in the third quarter and lost 15-13 in the third round.

Despite how gaudy our record looks, we still have to perform at peak efficiency or we might be done sooner than we think.

Comparisons

There is no way when we play a team and then some one else plays that same team to compare how we stack up.

You never know who is injured and who is in or not from game to game. Did they play against us but not against the next team.

So in general you can have an educated guess.

Just two weeks ago we played Fike. On this particular night we ran Fike off the field. But if we played them three straight weeks could we continue to win 52-7. I doubt it.

This week Fike has the problem of going and playing Greensboro Dudley the number # one team in the 3-AA bracket.

All year long the talk has been Dudley and Rocky Mount who is better.

Since we are in the lower A in the 3-A playoffs and Dudley in the AA we will not get a chance to find out who is better.

We both have our work cut out in our own bracket to worry about someone we will not have to play.

Despite all the what ifs, who is better? We will get a chance after this second round to compare each other. Fike travels to Dudley just like they came to Rocky Mount.

Fike will be the only team that when it is all said and done can tells us who is better. The final score may not be the best judgement as to who is best.

Sometimes a coach can look at who is more physical, faster, who give them the biggest problems.

It will not matter at all who is better if both Dudley and Rocky Mount do not win it all in both our brackets.

Then someone else can ask Am I better than Rocky Mount or Dudley?

I don't think Fike can win this game but I think it will take them a lot of points to stay in it.

My pick Dudley 49- Fike 28.

Will we be able to compare Rocky Mount and Dudley?

Only Fike will know for sure!

Round Two Matchups

The real playoffs begin this Friday. The NCHSAA plays as many games as possible to make as much money as they can so last Friday's match ups were as bad for making money as our economy is right now. Also every game failed to make expenses.

The gates should be a lot better this week even if it rains because everyone is in jeopardy of losing.

Here are the Eastern 3-A Matchups:

Eastern Alamance at Hertford County.... EA is 11-1 while HC is 10-2
They have not play any common opponents. EA is averaging 28 points per game. HC is at 45.
EA is giving up 14 while HC 18.

This game could be a shootout and after Western Alamance has handled HC the last couple of years early in playoff EA will not respect HC plus the long drive to what EA will feel like will be the middle of no where. Hertford County 42 Eastern Alamance 28

Hertford County will play Rocky Mount twice again this year.

Washington At West Craven..... Washington 8-4 West Craven 12-0

They played each other in a conference game in early October with WC winning 16-6 at Washington. WC was 7-0 in the Coastal 4-A/3-A conference while Washington was 5-2.

Washington is averaging 24 points per game while WC has lit up the scoreboard for 37 a game. Washington gives up almost 20 while WC 11.

Score won't be as close this time playing at West Craven WC 35-Washington 14

Southwest Edgecombe at Kinston SWE is 9-2 while Kinston is 10-2

Common opponents... Nash Central lost to Kinston last week at Kinston 14-6 while during conference play SWE beat Nash Central 34-21 at SWE. Kinston has played Jacksonville 28-6, Hunt 29-10 and Southern Wayne 20-0 while Rocky Mount blew out all three of those teams. SWE hung with Rocky Mount all game.

SWE is averaging 31 points per game while Kinston almost 34. Defensively SWE ia allowing 15 while Kinston is holding the defensive scores to 15.

This has been a resurgemt year for Kinston Football but the Season ends at home as the Cougars win 26-20

J F Webb @ Rocky Mount Webb is 9-3 while Rocky Mount comes in at 11-1

Webb averages 32 per contest while the Gryphons 38. Webb gives up 17 while the Gryphons only 7.

The only common foe was Northern Vance in which we played NV at NV on Oct 2nd while Webb play them at NV on Oct 10th Gryphons won 26-10 Webb lost 24-23.

John Hammetts returns to Rocky Mount and Webb may be the first team to score on Rocky Mount in first quarter this year.

However too Much defense from the Gryphons and too much offense too

Gryphons 35-Webb 14

There you have it only four days to find out how accurate this is.

What A Season

It was just six weeks ago that the ACC football world was floored by the Duke football team.

Now as we head down the final stretch of the college football season Duke is the only team in the ACC that has been eliminated from the ACC Championship game.

N C State with a 2-4 record in conference play is still alive. There has to be about 20 different combinations of teams losing before it could happen but they have not been knocked out yet.

Maryland and Miami are in the drivers seat but there hasn't been anybody yet that has been able to figure out forward from reverse.

It is looking more and more like Appalachian State will make a serious run for four straight FCS titles. Saturday in Boone App State beat Elon to clinch at least a tie for the Southern Conference title. They look as if they will be seeded either first or second in the playoffs again.

In just a few years now NCWC has established itself as a good football program in Division three football. They finished their regular season at 6-4.

I found out that the Jacksonville coaching staff made arrangements before the game Saturday night that whenever Rocky Mount scored their 35th point to go ahead and let the clock run.

There is nothing like a coach with confidence to inspire his team.

It seemed to me any spunk that Jacksonville had they lost it all once the clock did not stop.

There are a few things that concerns me about the game.

The Gryphons were soft in the middle on defense and gave up way too many yards straight ahead.

With the injury to Hiawatha Bunn our backup play is shaky at quarterback.

When Brian Goodwin got back to Rocky Mount from his baseball all-star games in Los Angeles and Chicago he was trying to make the spectacular plays every time he touch the ball.

Once he settle down and got back to playing basic football boy has he become spectacular. He has had a end -a-round touchdown and a punt return at Nash Central. Two interceptions against Fike and a Kickoff and punt return touchdown against Jacksonville.

Is there a better Athlete in North Carolina?

I doubt if he is able to return a kickoff or punt for the remainder of the playoffs unless we get it to him on a reverse. Nobody in their right mind would kick it to him now.

I know you had a good reason for not being at the game Saturday night. Rain, a gimme game but those games are over the real playoffs start Friday night.

The Gryphons face a coach who if he never won another game Friday would be the one he wants John Hammett and the Webb Warriors.

Here Comes Round Two

All eight of the eastern 3-A top seeds have advanced to round two there they will begin now playing each other.

It took Rocky Mount exactly 14 seconds to let Jacksonville know that an upset was not happening in Rocky Mount this night as Brian Goodwin took the opening kickoff 98 yards and the points were coming.

The low point of the night was that Jacksonville pretty much ran straight up the middle almost on every running play and they managed 136 yard rushing in the first half including a 55 yard run straight up the middle just before the half.

I am sure they did not go unnoticed by John Hammett the head coach of J F Webb high school who was at the game to scout.

Hammett the Former Rocky Mount high coach from 1999 to 2002 saw that he had better not kick the ball to Brian Goodwin no way no how.

The final numbers are the second lowest of the season after the Southwest Edgecombe game.

After Jacksonville missed a 33 yard field goal in the first quarter the Gryphons took all of three plays to rush 80 yards 77 coming from Marquavius Alston who had runs of 50 and 27 for a touchdown.

The second time the Gryphons had the ball on the first carry Jordan Ford went 75 yards and the game was pretty much over . At that point the #1 seeded team in the east had a 98 yard kickoff and 4 running plays of 155 yards.

Having not thrown a pass so far the next drive belonged to Collins Cuthrell as he probably had his pass of the year as a defender thought he was getting a sack but Collins shook of the tackle just enough to throw a strike to L'Var Silver who scampered into the end zone to make it 28-0

For the second week in a row the Gryphons give up a big running play for a touchdown just before the half.

On the first play of the third quarter Jacksonville fumbled and the Gryphons threw to Keith Strickland for another touchdown.

Jacksonville decide they had enough and asked for the clock to run from that point on and the second teams handle most of the rest of the game.

Just to give John Hammett plenty to look at Brian Goodwin lined up to receive a Jacksonville punt over near the Jacksonville sidelines where they had been kicking the ball all night and scooped up a punt which was more toward the center instead of the side lines and went 56 yards for the final points of the game.

The Gryphons had only 155 yards rushing for the game but that no way tells how speed killed Jacksonville tonight.

The defense played better in the second half and along with the second team held Jacksonville to no first downs and only 30 yards in the second half.

Gryphons Advance 42-7 over the Cardinals

You know last night we held back from playing due to the fact that there was a possibility of thunder and lightning and safety was our top priority.

Last night as the cheerleaders from Gray's creek were heading to their game their van was involved in a wreck about a mile from East Alamance High School.

Apparently as the driver of the van turned left into the road that runs in front of East Alamance he misjudged his turn and was about to run off the road and decided to backup when he backed up a pickup coming around a curved crashed into the back of the van killing the driver of the pickup and injuring two of the cheerleaders.

Sometimes we forget how dangerous life is and a raining Friday night was no exception.

Fike makes it a good night for the NEW-6 as they go to Asheboro and lay a whipping on Aheboro 30-14. The game was much closer than the score as it was tied at one point 14-14 in the third quarter.

The top three seeds for the NEW-6 are still alive and Nash Central fought hard until the end before losing last night.

So once again the NEW-6 according to the power ratings the #1 3-A conference in the state proved it in the first round winning three out of four games.