Gryphons Get Week Off to Heal-Contemplate

The off week for Rocky Mount comes at a strange time. There is still one non-conference game to play before conference play starts. Past years the open date has provided a chance to heal and be ready for conference play.

You know this is also an adjustment year for Rocky Mount. In the past we will say four years all they had to do was show up and be ready to play and they were better than who they played. This year is not that way they are having to work for every thing they get and I don't see any team giving them any pity.

I don't think you can say at this point in the half way point in the football season that the Big East 3-A is a dominant league this year. You asked other than record how can you tell how good the league is ?. If we get four teams in the playoffs, how many survive after the first week. The last three years of the NEW-6 they had at least two teams that made it to the third round. The way it looks now the Big East will be lucky to get even two past the first round.

New stadium, same old Cowboys. They say everything is bigger in Texas and that is true for the Dallas Cowboy football Stadium. Nearly 104,000 fans saw Dallas look like Dallas with a lot of flash and in the end make too many mistakes to beat a good team.

I would have to say that Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens is going to be a super star quarter back in the NFL. He can make throws that most can't. Philip Rivers showed the world yesterday that regardless of how good a defense you have the Chargers are never out of a game. Rivers throws for a career high 456 yards and was harassed all day by the Raven defense.

Just two years ago Tom Brady passed for fifty touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The best passer in the NFL Drew Brees is putting up numbers that if he keeps it up may very well break Brady's record numbers of 2007. He has tossed nine touchdowns and only one pick in two games so far this year.

It is still early but this years Arizona cardinals looks like it going to be the San Francisco Forty Niners. You know this is the NFL and after next week it will be somebody else.

Views and Comments

What in the world is Michael Crabtree thinking? 10th pick in the NFL draft was told he would go maybe as high as #7 pick. Is holding out to get #7 pick money. 23 million over four years instead of 15 million.

He has threatened to hold out and reenter draft next year. Good luck in the Canadian Football league. I wonder what his Wonder Lick score was.

Thursday I just happened to turn on one of the sports channels and they were showing high lites of the U Conn-Carolina game. This was the first time that I had seen the so called holding in the end zone where Carolina got the two points for holding to win the game 12-10.

I think players get stars on their helmet for the U-Conn blockers effort. They call it a Pancake block. All the ref saw was the blocker laying on the rusher and must have assumed it had to be holding.

I know you ECU fans have to be upset over the call against ECU for ruffing the quarterback late in the game when the Carolina blocker blocked in the back of the ECU rusher who pulled up only to be knocked into the quarterback by the blocker. Instead of a penalty on Carolina's blocker ECU got the penalty.

Even though Virginia and Maryland lost non-conference games, Virginia Tech and Florida State's non conference victories should help the ACC's over all view from the National Media.

Even though the media is now in a frenzy over Miami I think I will wait a couple more weeks before I put them in the National Championship game.

Southern Nash surprised me Friday night winning at South Granville. Like Miami I would like to see more before I crown them Big East champs.

I think I have been in the business long enough, seen film with coaches and I feel I have learned to evaluate talent. I have thought all along Rocky Mount was going to be 8-2 during the regular season and to this point I have seen nothing that makes me want to back off from that.

I also know that regardless of how good or bad Rose is Rocky Mount needs to be very good to beat them. If this teams has no further injuries disasters they are going to be just fine.

Heels Tame Pirates

North Carolina moves to 3-0 on the 2009 football campaign as they sink the Pirates of ECU 31-17. Tarboro's Shaun Draughn had a big day for the heels running, catching and throwing the football.

Erik Highsmith who all Gryphon fans remember in the Eastern Finals for West Craven made his first start at wide receiver for Carolina and caught six balls for 113 yards.

Russell Wilson set the NCAA record for most pass attempts without an interception. The new total is 329 breaking the old record of 326. Wilson has eight TD passes so far in 2009 as the Wolfpack beat Gardner Webb 45-14.

Terrell Hudgins and Elon rolled into Winston Salem and played Wake Forest in football for the first time in seventy years. Elon was out of their league but not Terrell as he had thirteen catches for 113 yards and the only touchdown Elon scored 35-7 -Wake.

I drove by the sport complex about noon today and boy were the pigs cooking. The game was also smoking as this Down East Viking Classic was a shootout as ECSU out scores Chowan 35-30.

Last night's Southwest Edgecombe / Rocky Mount game didn't have the intensity that the past five games have had. I'm not talking about the players but the fans. There wasn't as many there as any of the last five. I guess it's because now it's just another game non-conference not playing for the conference championship as in the past.

Tonight I was at the Imperial Centre as the City of Rocky Mount honored the 2009 Tarheel senior little league State champions. It will be on the Stretchlon Sports Show in the future.

Just so you Gryphon fans don't start jumping off the RBC building, just to give you an idea how good Hertford County is they traveled all the way to Fayetteville last night and knocked off 4-A Terry Sanford 28-20. Sanford has already knock off Southview earlier this year and Southview is always playing deep into the 4-A playoffs.

Cougars Dominate Gryphons

When Aaron Barnes and his defensive teammates for Rocky Mount goes to bed tonight there will be one thing on their minds. #44 Quandre Pittman of Southwest. Pittman carried 19 times right straight up the middle for 202 yards. Once he went wide and we found out why they ran him up the middle as he lost two yards on that one play.

Despite the Cougar dominance the Gryphon showed some grit and went down fighting losing 28-14.

SWE had 361 total yards to Rocky Mount's 160. If most Southwest fans told you the truth they went home disappointed because most fan thought the Cougars would put down fifty on Rocky Mount. If as a Rocky Mount fan you didn't go home with a glimmer of hope in your eye then I don't know what you expected.

Rocky Mount showed that big play capability which I think still sets them up as the best in the Big East with a ninety yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jordan Ford and a fifty yard return by Marcus Jones.

Rocky Mount had a first and goal in the second quarter but failed to score and the second quarter seemed to be enough for Southwest as they score twenty two in the second alone.

The most important thing I saw tonight was Rocky Mount out played Southwest in the second half but the Cougar twenty two point cushion was way too much to over come.

Gryphons now have two weeks to tries to get six players back who sat out tonight's game and it is possible that five could be back in the lineup for Rose.

IN OTHER BIG EAST FoOOTBALL:

Southern Nash the only undefeated team in the big East traveled to South Granville and Southern remains unbeaten winning 34-20. Now that is the first good win of the season for the Firebirds.

Nash Central traveled to the woods of Bertie County and are heading home 22-14 winners over the Falcons, It is the Bulldogs first victory of the season. The two weeks off helped them.

In a very disappointing score for the conference Beddingfield beat Hunt 14-13 at Beddingfield. I can understand the lost last week to Southwest but this score is not good for Hunt.

South Johnston Kept Northern Nash out of the end zone as they down the Knights 35-0.

C B Aycock murdered Fike by a 47-6 Score. Northern will have a chance when they play Fike.

Tarboro may have had their dreams of returning to the 2-A State championship dashed last week when they lost their starting quarterback with a broken wrist but tonight with their tailback being the quarter back they beat former coach Russell Weinstein and Roanoke Rapids 41-7. I think the key there is that they now have given up 13 points by the Viking defense this year. Their defense has taken pride in throwing three shutouts until last week when they gave up six to North Edgecombe.

Terrell Hudgin and Elon get a taste of ACC football Saturday afternoon as they play Wake Forest. This might be a showcase game for Terrell as he gets a taste of Division one football

Don't forget the DOWN East Classic Saturday Evening at RMAc. 10, 000 are expected at the game.

Big East Faces Tough Night

If the weather cooperates with Rocky Mount Friday night there is potential to have an extremely large crowd. Rocky Mount is the only Big East team that plays at home.

What a game to have to recover from your first loss of the season hosting the Cougars of Southwest Edgecombe. A loss Friday would make the Gryphons 2-2. That will not mean they are a bad team just that they have played two awesome teams back to back. I think it will be close but the Cougars prevail 22-14

Hunt who really has the most to prove Friday night after they were taken to the cleaners by Southwest travels to cross county rival Beddingfield . Hunt gets back on track but not by much 28-20

Fike travels to C B Aycock. There are not many opportunity for wins on the Golden Demons schedule the rest of the season. They will take advantage winning 20-7.

Northern tries to get a W with a visit to South Johnston. Not this week at the oh for the season continues for another week. South Johnston 28 Northern 6

Thus far the Firebirds of Southern Nash have won four games without a loss. They are the only Big East team that can say that, but not after Friday 28-22 South Granville.

Nash Central has had two weeks to come up with a new game plan. They travel to Bertie which is never a good place to play whether they are good or not. The bulldogs come close but the Falcons sneak one out 28-26.

I told you yesterday of the best laid plans of both Tennis and Volleyball traveling together to save on expenses. When one team plays inside and the other outside, one can play in the rain and tennis stayed home. They play at 4.00pm Friday at Southern. Soccer was also washed out at franklinton but no make up date is yet made.

Volley ball did manage to beat Southern in Volley ball to go to 4-0 in conference play. It was a five set match. It was their 10th win in eleven tries.

Coverage of SWE and Rocky Mount football begins at 7.00pm on am 1390. I think if the weather is near anything like today the game will be played.

Time To Play Southwest

I had to chuckle tonight when I looked at the weather forecast for the next seven days. Rain! That must mean that it is time to play Southwest Edgecombe.

The last four years each Friday night during the Southwest game they have been postponed to Monday of the next week. Those of you that recall, there was an effort to make the game happen in a different week twice. It wasn't because of the rain but because it was the first conference game. It was felt that since SWE and Rocky Mount were the best teams in the conference they needed to change the schedule so it wasn't the first conference game in 2007 and 2008 but they still got rained out.

Let's think about this, in 2005 moved to Monday. Rocky Mount won 21-7. 2006 moved to Monday at Southwest Edgecombe and the Cougars won 20-16. 2007 back to Rocky Mount and maybe one of those all time great games as Rocky Mount beat SWE 15-12 when Brian Goodwin caused a fumble on the five yard line late in the game. Of Course last year no way we will get rained out again 7-0 Rocky Mount on a Monday.

Looking at the weather forecast Friday rain is expected but for the next seven days Friday is the best day of the next seven to play. If I were a betting man I think we will not play Friday. It is just no way. We don't know how to play Southwest on a Friday.

Boys soccer adds another victim, they were a 4-1 winners over Eastern Wayne early in the week. In what has become the title match in girls tennis Fike beat our girls 7-2 to give tennis their first conference lost.

I found out tonight that volley ball is 9-1 instead of 8-2. They won last week at Southwest when I had heard they lost. That night Morgan had a Tar River event so she did not go to Volley ball.

In what might be a sign of the future in high school sports. Thursday Volleyball and Tennis play at Southern Nash. They will ride on the same bus to the match to save on having to send two buses there. In the future that might not be a bad idea that all sports play at one sight on the same day.

Finally tonight, if you didn't see the special TV program on Hurricane Floyd on channel five you need to go on line to WRAL.Com and view it. Bill Leslie host the show and some of it is filmed in Rocky Mount and it shows what we went through ten years ago today. Worth watching! Go to the story about Hurricane Floyd and when the story comes up click on Floyd Documentary. It is twenty one minutes long but well worth the sit through.

Injuries Mount

This young Gryphon football is not a bad team at all. Yes, they are young and inexperienced. Whenever you are having growing pains the one thing you can't stand to happen is injuries. We are already inexperienced enough and the replacement for the injured has less than the persons who are sidelined.

Sometimes injuries are a blessing in disguise. If they happen early enough and before the season is over some of those injured come back and those that played while they were out improve. The best example of that was the 83' State basketball team when Derrick Whittenberg broke his foot midway through the season and he got back just in time for the tournament and all those who had filled in for him played bigger roles in the playoffs leading to a National championship.

Time will tell with this Gryphon football teams health.

Volley ball moves to 3-0 in conference play as they take Fike 3-0 tonight in the Gryphon Gym. They are now 8-2 and travel to Southern Thursday to meet the Firebirds again for the second time. Thye beat Southern in the County Tournament earlier this year in four sets.

If you lasted until 2.00am this morning then you had the pleasure to watch the two most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL do their thing last night.

Despite not liking New England you have to give Tom Brady his due. It seemed to me he short armed a lot of throws last night not stepping into his throws because of his knee. But, when the game was on the line he way money.

During the Charger game in the third quarter they lost two linemen to help protect Philip Rivers. They looked like they had not practiced all year. In the last seven minutes River took the Chargers down the field twice with an assortment of flips, side arm passes and on the money throws. During his three plus years as a starter in the NFL Rivers has the best quarterback rating in the fourth quarter almost 115. Last night was also his tenth comeback win in forty nine starts.

Too bad the Panthers don't have him as their QB.