Mr. Excitement!

I have a hard time sitting down and watching a complete game of any kind if I don't have an interest in it.

Tuesday night, I did watch almost the entire game featuring Davidson and West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic.

Davidson was the Cinderella of the college basketball world as it nearly made it to the Final Four last season.

Davidson has a special player that makes everyone else around him better in Stephan Curry.

He is a player that you have to watch to see what he will pull out of the hat next.

Last year as a shooting guard ,he was able to do his thing shoot.

This year, he is having to be the point guard. Against West Virginia, he had a tough shooting night going 9-27. Down the stretch when it counted, he put the ball in the hole. By the way, he had 10 assists as the point guard.

He's only 6-3, but I think his ability to shoot and handle the ball he will do ok in the NBA.

David Thompson, Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry. He might be in their category before he's through.

You will probably get to see some Southern Conferences games this year on ESPN just because of Stephen Curry. Watch him he's worth the time.

The basketball boys at Rocky Mount high are off to a 5-0 start so far this season. They won a big one at Hertford County Tuesday night.

Pam Gainey's girls are off to a surprising 3-2 beginning. The Lady Gryphons lost a lot from last year's team, but they are off to a good start.

Former Gryphon Stephan Virgil has one more football game to play this year with Virginia Tech. The Hokies, two-time ACC football champions, will play in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1.

Listen to his stats this year ..... five interceptions, a blocked punt, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery returned 30 yards for a touchdown, a blocked extra point recovery returned 90 yards for two points.

He started all 13 games for the Gobblers. After all this, he didn't even make honorable mention All-ACC. What could have those voters been thinking?

Now let me ask ask you this. If you could get an employee to come work for you for $10 an hour, why would you pay him $18?

The New York Yankees have just given C.C. Sabathia $161 million over a seven-year contract. No one else offered more than $100 million.

There are certain people in this world that think they are the smartest people in the world. I think you can put the Steinbrenner family in that category.

Everyone else in baseball is laughing knowing that all that has to happen is a rumor that someone is offering more money, when the Yankees jump up and give more when they already are the highest bidder.

The Yankees have proven over the last eight years high-priced ball players don't win World Series.

Just ask the Florida Marlins who have won two World Series since the Yankees last won one.

The Way It Use To Be

Tarboro is still a one-school town. It is still small enough when the local high school team makes a splash in any playoff, the entire town goes loco.

This week Tarboro has gone crazy over their Tarboro Vikings. The eastern regional 2-A champs had the pleasure of playing four home playoff games.

The Vikes took care of business and their reward is a trip to Chapel Hill Friday night and a chance to play for the NCHSAA state 2-A title.

Rocky Mount is a city with seven area high schools that play sports. Whenever one of them goes as far, as Rocky Mount did this year, there is simply not much support for the other schools.

Rocky Mount is much like State-Carolina- and Duke are. Whenever one advances further than the others, the others hope they lose.

That's not the case in Tarboro.

The entire population of Tarboro has gone coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.

The first hint that this team might be special was in their county rival game against SouthWest Edgecombe.

It was a loss but the Vikings were in it all the way.

They steamedrolled through conference play. The four playoff games were never in doubt in the second half of any game.

Jeff Craddock and some of the Tarboro administration went to Chapel Hill on Monday to the state championship media day.

The week before the big game, Craddock has found out he has cousins he didn't know existed.
His phone has rung off the hook.

He even got a call from yours truly inviting him and and few players to be on the Stretchlon Sports show Sunday night on WHIG-TV at 8 p.m.

The team will be leaving at 10.30 Friday morning to head to Chapel Hill for a trip of a lifetime. They are not planning a pep rally as of yet, but I can't believe that when the team leaves, the entire school won't be there to send them off and I bet half of the town will be there too.

Back in 1988 while I was still in Ahoskie doing the games for Hertford County, they played for the 2-A title and left at 10 a.m. to go to Thomasville. What I remember most about that day was it was snowing like crazy when the team left with all the students lining the parking lot and the band playing the fight song as the team drove off. I had chill bumps on top of chill bumps watching the snow fall and the excitement of the upcoming game later that day.

Tarboro is the last team still standing in the Twin Counties.

Right now our area is No. 1 in the state for the unemployment rate. There is no better remedy for the economic misery our area is having than for the Tarboro Vikings to bring home a crown.

Good luck Vikings

Git'er done!!!!!!

Run The football

The Carolina Panthers looked like world beaters last night as they take over sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

The two headed monster of Hall and Stewart running the football and Steve Smith keeping the secondary of teams from putting eight in the box are a terrific combination.

It is hard to believe after the start that the Giants have had but if the Panthers win out they are NFC's #1 seed instead of the Giants.

The Panthers will see the Giants in a couple of weeks.

Look at the best teams in the NFL and they all run the football. What has happened to the West Coast Offense?

Last night I was at Rocky Mount Prep doing a boys basketball game for TV. Hey you had better look out the Prep can play with any body ing the area.

They have good size and speed. they are now 9-2 on the season.

I need to take a minute this morning and do some preaching.

I wish that newspapers and anyone who allows comments to be added to anything published would do a better job of filtering comments.

It has been embarrassing to read some of the comments relating to the coaching ability of coach Holt since Friday night.

Even in the news section people slander other people that are not even involved in the story that was written.

It is as if this is where you take free shots at someone.

There is an old saying that people can find out a lot about you when you open your mouth and in this case open you mouth through a comment in the newspaper.

Quite frankly the attendance was very poor in the opening two rounds. People have taken for granted that the quality that the football team has produced over the last six years is a right to have.

Fans never give the other team any credit as to why their team didn't play well.

Before B W Holt arrived at Rocky Mount the football program was average on a good year. He has not produced anything close to average in winning 85% of his games.

Those of you that are blaming him for the defeat should go shake his hand and thank him for what he has given to you.

A football tradition.

Answering The Question

Since Friday night's game I have been bombarded with the question was it a legit fumble or should there have been a penalty on roughing the kicker.

Yes there was a fumble on the our last drive. A couple of tacklers were there and a third came up and punched the ball free.

Remember that last season a punched ball saved the Southwest Edgecombe game for us when Brian Goodwin ran their receiver down at the five yard line and from behind punched the ball free.

Even when Brian did his last season I think in the spirit of high school football any action using the fist should be a personal foul.

The rules doesn't cover any such action so in the context of the rules the fumble was legit.

The field goal according to Nick Hahula in the paper Saturday stated that he cramped up and was not able to follow through properly. Because the kick was low there was the appearance that it was blocked .

Even if the kick was blocked and the referee feels it was unnecessary roughness a call can still be made.

Does any body remember just a few years ago when Tarboro beat us over here I think it was in 2002? Their kicker dropped a punt snap and was running for his life and we tackled him and he fumbled or we blocked his kick while he was running then we picked the ball up and scored a touchdown only to be called for roughing the kicker even though he had been running with the ball.

If you think the Gryphons maybe didn't get a call when they could have-have you heard about what happened to Hillside.

Byrd was lining up to kick the winning field goal but Hillside blocked it on the last play of the game. The Hillside players were running in jubilation when a flag was on the field for roughing the snapper.

The rule book states that a snapper cannot be touched while his head is still down.

Earlier in the game Hillside had blocked a field goal by jumping over the snapper. The coaching staff at Byrd had protested and were told that as long as no contact is made with the center that was legal.

The final play the Byrd coaching staff instructed their snapper to raise up with his head down after the snap. Sure enough the player who jumped over the center hit him on the way to the block and here comes the penalty.

Byrd made the next kick to win the game.

Judgement calls are a part of the game. We can only hope that referees are doing the best they can and are not bias in any way for one team or the other while the game is in progress.

Everyone needs to move on. We lost to a good football team that took advantage of our mistakes.

We can only hope that the refereeing crew from Alamance County held no grudges on us.

Time To Change Focus

We have really been focused in on Gryphon Football for the past three months but life moves on.

The Basketball world in college it looks like Carolina is the beast this year.

I hate to be the one to let you Blue Devil fans know this if you don't already but Duke is slow.

I already know this as a Wolfpack fan. Our guard play is going to be terrible again this year.

Wake looks as if they may challenge the Tar Heels.

There will be no repeat of the repeat for Appalachian State in football. The Mountaineers had seven turnovers to Richmond and lose by 20 at home.

Looks like the Tarheels are heading to Charlotte to play in their Bowl.

Wake is probably going to RFK in DC to play Navy and the Wolfpack is heading to Birmingham to play in the pizza bowl.

The Conference-USA CHAMPS ECU Pirates will host the Liberty Bowl in what could be Skip Holtz's last game as coach. Hope not but we will see.

We have reach that time where the question for Gryphon fans will be whether B W Holt returns for a seventh season. Sixty Fours years old an bitten for the seventh time in a regional finals game.

The prospects are not as bright next year for Gryphon football as the entire offensive and defensive lines must be replaced.

Remember this.... the baseball team was not suppose to be as good this year as 2007 was but look what happened.

The best teams don't always win every game.

Six years in Rocky Mount and B W Holt has sent his teams to six playoffs.

In 2003 an opening round loss to Jack Brett 24-7

In 2004 after an undefeated season a third round loss to Rose 15-13

In 2005 a regional loss to Western Alamance 30-10

2006 found the Gryphons on the road in the playoffs facing Western Alamance in the third round and took the lead with just over a minute to play before losing 41-37.

The Eastern Finals in 2007 saw the Gryphons driving for what could have been a tying touchdown before an interception was returned for a touchdown losing 50-37.

and finally last Friday running out the clock only to lose 22-19.

His six years have brought 14 playoff wins and six defeats. a total of 70 wins and just 13 losses overall.

The Gryphons have played twenty playoff games in six years. Thats an average of 3.3 playoff games per year and we have never made it to the final game.

I don't know how long he will continue to coach but if I had another son and he wanted to play football I would want B W Holt as his coach.

Not Much Difference

Rocky Mount has been in the 3-A level going on four years now.

I know a lot of die hard fans didn't like the idea of no longer being 4-A.

I have this question to ask you right now. While the game was going on last night how many of you thought "Gee I wish this was for the 4-A eastern regional?

Last night before the game Cy Seymour who does ECU basketball color was here with the local cable company in New Bern to cover West Craven.

He told me last night that Craven county's new high school was a step into making all of the Craven County High Schools the same size just like Nash county has done.

For years Rocky Mount was the smallest school in the Big East 4-A. Ask Southwest Edgecombe today how it is being the smallest school in the conference now.

Since moving down to 3-A Rocky Mount has been in three eastern finals in Football. The baseball team won the state title.

Soccer, Tennis,Volleyball, and basketball have all advanced deep in the playoff races. When we were 4-A deep in the playoffs were few and far between.

The playoffs are so competitive that luck plays a part now and then as well as being in the right place at the right time.

The baseball team won the title last year but the 2007 team may have been better.

Northern Nash's baseball team advance to the Eastern Baseball Finals in 2007.

All any of us can ask is the the playing field be level for all those who play. A school with 1,800 students would be the favorite against a school with only 1,200 if they were playing checkers.

The extra 600 students there are probably one or two good checkers players available that the 1,200 student school doesn't have.

Their is so much more opportunity to win when you are always bigger than the next guy.

What moving down to 3-A has done is provided Nash county students a chance to win games with talent not with having to be overwhelmed with population numbers.

Dropping down in size has given us a chance to win but it has not guarenteed victories.

Whether it is 3-A or4-A there is not much difference in the good teams.

Holy Cow Tarboro wins over Northside 28-14. The Vikings play next Friday night in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill at 7.30pm.

I have had an understanding with my wife all year that if Rocky Mount was playing on December 13th I was going to the ball game. If they were not I was going with her to New York next weekend on one of those 24 hour shopping trips. Leave at midnight Friday and come home at dark Saturday night.

I feel like I know my way around the city pretty good where as she can't find the Empire State Building.

So Tarboro will have to win it all without me.

Major Disapointment

The Rocky Mount Gryphons came out in tonights game and I think they were a little too hyped up for the game and played probably their worst quarter of the season but found themselve trailing only 7-6.

Playing more like what we consider Gryphon football the Gryphons scored twice in the second quarter to take a 19-7 lead.

West Craven manages to score just before the half to make it 19-14.

The entire second half is a game of field position and the Gryphons didn't have any. The Gryphons managed to keep the Eagles out of the end zone for 23 minutes and 26 seconds in the second half.

However this was the Gryphons game to win when they started what we thought would be their final drive of the game.

The Gryphons got two first downs and were moving down field and running the clock out when the one thing we didn't want was to put the ball on the ground.

West Craven gets one last chance and punches it in the end zone with 34 seconds to play.

The Gryphons ran the ball one last play and Jordan Ford was headed to pay dirt and the last possible tackler made the play forcing the Gryphons to try a 45 yard field goal which never had a chance on the last play.

That play was very reminiscent of the 2004 playoff game against Rose at the RMAC when Stephan Virgil's punt return late in the game almost went to the house but the last possible tackler got him.

This group of seniors was 28-2 the last two years.

This was one whale of a game.

B W Holt has lost 13 games in six years at Rocky Mount and six have been in the playoffs and a forfeit.

We could not ask this team to give us more that what received from them this year. We could not ask our coaches to coach any better than what they have given us the last six years

I thank them for their effort all season.

We lose to a very good West Craven team that will now represent us in the state finals.

We need them to win it all to help make our 14-1/13-2 season mean that much more. If they were to lose next week it makes our light for this season shine dimmer.

The Eagles stun the Gryphons 22-19.

From my point of view the quarterback Mooring is a good quarterback.

I am not on the phone right now calling Tom O'Brian and asking why we are not looking at him. The fifty passes thrown only ten went more than ten yards down field.

What West Craven has is a great receiver in Erik Hightower who caught some balls when we had him covered and when quite a few were badly thrown he still made the plays.

I think the figure was 279 yards for Hightower. This kid can play and unfortunately he's going to Carolina.

The MVP of tonights game for West Craven is their punter. Twice in the second half those kick it away from Brian Goodwin punts one was downed on the six yardline and one trickled into the end zone and the Gryphons started at the twenty.

The Gryphons had three turnovers tonight and WC had 2.

Earlier this week I told you if the Gryphons didn't turn it over the Gryphons win. Unfortunately we put it on the ground and West craven had 15 points from our turnovers.

There is and old joke about falling and they say "it's not the fall that kills you but the sudden stop.

Suddenly the season is over.