Winter Sports Beginning

The wrestling team will open it's 2009-10 season tomorrow night at 6.00pm in the auxiliary gym at 6.00pm. Tarboro will be the visitors. Since both teams are involved in the second round of the playoffs in football they will not be at a full roster, Yours truly will be in the house taping for the Stretchlon Sports Show.

Tarboro plays host to Roanoke Rapids in the second round of the 2-A playoffs. Old Friend Russell Weinstein is the head coach now in his second season as head Yellow Jacket. Russell will be coming back home of sorts playing Tarboro as he was on Jim Brett's staff back in the 80's and 90's.

This to me is a hard stat to believe. Last Friday night was the first ever playoff win for Roanoke Rapids.

Finally we can put the Terry Sanford issue to bed. The judge ruled today that the NCHSAA was right in making Terry Sanford forfeit nine games and then take away their playoff spot. A few minutes after the ruling the Executive committee of the NCHSAA voted to put Pine Forest back in that slot that they had given them last week.

The judge's ruling allowed Terry Sanford and Pine forest to play Saturday night and Sanford won 48-27. Now that Sanford is officially removed and Pine Forest in, Pine Forest could become the first team in North Carolina history to lose two playoff games in one year.

As you all know the NFL is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the AFL which started in 1960. Each of the old AFL teams are picking their all time teams and my man Philip Rivers made the all time San Diego Charger team. He joins Dan Fouts , John Hadl and stan Humphries on the all time team at quarterback. Rivers in his fourth year as the starting quarterback already owns seven Charger records and is second in all others.

Did you know the first year in the AFL they were the LA Chargers. they moved to san Diego in 1961. Who knows before it is all over they may be right back in LA.

I can't wait until the furor dies down over Bill Belichek going for it on four down from his own 28 yards line with two minutes to go and leading by six in the Sunday night game against Indy. You would think he dropped the atom bomb with the way everyone is reacting.

Just in case you didn't know, Hunt was beaten by Jacksonville Monday night in the fourth round of the State Soccer playoffs. The score was the same as the Gryphons's lost to Jacksonville 5-0. I think the Cardinals are pretty good.

Gryphons Returning To Glaxo

Mike Gainey and the Rocky Mount basketball team were very disappointed when they did not get an invitation to return back to the Glaxo Tournament at Christmas as they had last year.

Tashawn Mabry back for his senior season still uncommitted to college and the additions to this years Gryphon team there are whispers that the Gryphons could be very good this year. Today coach Mike Gainey announced that the Glaxo tournament has called and the Gryphons are in and as a reward will take on C J Leslie and Word of God for the second year in a row in the opening round. Word of God is minus John Wall who tonight playing in his first college game for Kentucky had 19 points including the game winner at the buzzer.

Big East Sweep: Tonight Southern Nash has traveled to Dunn and after trailing 7-6 at the half shutout Triton in the second half and beat Triton 20-7. This gives the Big East a sweep in the first round of the 3-AA playoffs.

This victory will insure the Big East will have a team play the Friday after Thanksgiving as they will be matched up against Hunt in the second round. Their conference game this year was won by Hunt 28-20. Rocky Mount Friday plays Triton's conference companion when they travel to meet South Johnston. While Southern Nash and Rocky Mount were members of the New-6 the conference had at least one member make it to the Thankgiving Friday game every year. On a couple of occasions two teams made it to Thanksgiving Friday.

Winning all three first rounds games tells me that the top of the conference is just as good as the past.

I surely do think that Rocky Mount has a real chance in their game this week.

Old News sorry I haven't said anything about this before now but Lindsey Thomas was named the player of the year in Big East tennis. Coach Barrry Nettercutt was also named co-coach of the year. Teammate Kate Gray was also named to the all conference tennis team. Addie Keeter and Caroline Nelson were second team and Margaret Arroyo was Honorable mentions.

Terry Sanford spent today in court trying to get eligible after the NCHSAA said they were out of the 4-A playoffs for an ineligible player. Come to find out that the judge in the case is a graduate of Fayetteville High School which was renamed for former Governor and U S Senator Terry Sanford.

Sounds of a conflict of interest to me

Details released in court today is related to a grade being changed and no one knows how it happened. A Sanford player mysteriously had a failing grade in English go from a 54 to a 78 over the summer. The NCHSAA also provided as part of their eligibility efforts that the player in question had missed 15 days during the spring when the NCHSAA requires that no player can miss more than 13.5 per semester.

Verdict should come at 10.00am Tuesday as to whether Terry Sanford is in or Pine Forest. I wonder if Pine Forest could actually sue the judge since there seems a conflict of interest.

This is actually my Tuesday blog. Making the Glaxo Tournament and Southern Nash winning was to much good info to wait til tomorrow.

Round Two Matchup

The number one seeded Trojans of South Johnston Versus the number eight seeded Gryphons of Rocky Mount.

One of the things that everyone forgets during the seeding process for high school football, is that the teams are seeded based on a priority system with each conference getting priority over the others on a rotating basis from year to year. This year it is South Johnston's conferences turn to be the top prioritized conference. That means their number one seed is the top seed in the tournament.

The Trojans are now 11-1 on the year while the Gryphons are 7-4.

South Johnston's offense is averaging 32.5 point per game. The Gryphons are at only 22 point sper game.

The Trojan defense has giving up only 10.5 points while the Gryphons are allowing 18.0 per game.

If you go by paper this is a mismatch in favor of the Trojans.

Let's dig into the paperwork and see what we might find.

The Trojans have only played through twelve games only two teams with winning records, while the Gryphons a little tougher with five. The Trojans have played C B Aycock who they beat 28-21 and Triton who the Trojans beat 21-14. Rocky Mount on the other have played Hertford County who drilled the Gryphons 41-21. SouthWest Edgecombe beat us 28-14. Hunt was a winner over the Gryphons 28-14. They pulled off wins over Southern Nash and South Central who are 8-3 and now 8-4.

The over all record of all the Trojan opponents is 42-93 while the Gryphons opposition has a winning record at 66-64.

South Johnston has scored 57 points against Southern Lee, 52 against Eastern Wayne, 84 against North Lenoir and 42 against Southern Wayne. That is a total of 235 point against four teams with a combined 5-39 record.

The Gryphons in their game against Hertford county gave up 41, 28 to Southwest Edgecombe and 28 to Hunt. That's 97 points against three teams with a combined record of 30-3.

Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50 is only making South Johnston a one point favorite in this game.

If any team wins on any Friday night they first have to believe they can win. Even though South Johnston is a number one seed the Gryphons will load the buses up on Friday afternoon knowing they have a chance to win this game.

The winner will meet the Douglas Byrd who upset Westover on Friday nightor West Brunswick. Byrd is a number twelve seed who beat a number five seed. However the game was shifted from Westover to Byrd because of playing conditions at Westover. West Brunswick is the host of this game is the number four seed.

If Byrd wins and the Gryphons upset South Johnston the game would be played in Rocky Mount. If West Brunswick wins the SJ/RM winner travels to Shallotte.

Boy wouldn't it be something to play on Thanksgiving Friday. The Gryphons have a great chance in this one.

Directions to South Johnston High: Take I-95 south until exit 87. Turn right off exit. Go about half mile until stoplight at 301, turn left school is six miles on right.

Gryphons Will Travel To South Johnston

After being delayed a night the Gryphons found out who their second round opponent will be in the state 3-AA playoffs and it is the number one seeded Trojans of South Johnston.

It wasn't easy for South Johnston as they survive a 10-7 first round game against Eastern Guilford. They will host the Gryphons with a 11-1 record with their only lost of the year coming from 4-A Clayton 28-20.

The only two teams that they played that the Gryphons also played were Fike who lost to the Trojans 21-19 while the Gryphons beat the Golden Demons 21-14. Northern Nash was trounced by South Johnston 35-0 while the Gryphons took the whole game to eek out a 15-12 victory over the Knights.

The Fanstastic 50 had predicted a Gryphon's four point victory over South Central has placed the Trojans as a one point favorite in the second round against Rocky Mount.

Hunt took care of business Saturday night beating Burlington Williams 42-27. Southern Nash the third member of the Big East will not play until Monday after the Triton Field was still unplayable Saturday night.

Tarboro continues to roll as they whipped Croatan 42-7. However Southwest Edgecombe had a rather uneasy time with West Stanley only winning by a 16-6 Score.

Looks like it is back to court for Terry Sanford as they beat Pine Forst 48-27. Now the judge must look over the eligibility of the of the Bulldogs after the NCHSAA had ruled them ineligible for the playoffs after Terry Sanford had reported they used a ineligible player in all nine of their victories this year.

Just like the Currituck administration expected Currituck was shut out 47-0 by Cardinal Gibbons. Currituck played the opening round game against Cardinal Gibbons after earlier in the week forfeiting the game because of the lack of interest by the school administration sending the team all the way from Coinjock to Raleigh and getting clobbered.

They probably are passing by Rocky Mount right now heading back to Currituck County after getting clobbered.

No wonder the world is in such a mess with school administrators teaching their kids , if you don't think you can win just quit.

Life Is All About Timing

Does any body remember the finish of the 2002 football season. Rocky Mount blew a twenty seven point lead at Wakefield and after the game there was dissension among the assistant coaches with the way we blew the lead.

By the end of the school year the head coach moved on. I really don't think there were many tears with the change. One coach is hired, wait a minute then unhired. It's time for football practice and a week before up steps a hall of fame coach. I am not even sure there were many in Rocky Mount blue and gold even knew the name of B W Holt.

Right off the bat the coaches and players accept him. There is a boat load of talent that needed a captain. Five straight wins and if there was any doubt about whether the man could coach he had won every one over from the players, coaches and fans.

Spinning forward six years. End of the year, a change in the coach that nobody wanted to see. A new man is in town. He is faced with a group of players that were now fully vested in the Holt winning ways. That boat load of talent is half empty. Some coaches not happy with the coaching pick, jump ship.

A couple of early wins do nothing to prove to the fan base that Dickie Schock can coach this team,
Injuries mount. First quarter of the first game the best receiver is lost. By halftime of game two the best defender is out. Game five brings on a 2-3 record and twelve people side lined by injuries.

There is dissension in the player ranks . A coaching moved that may have changed the entire season occurred off of the field. The most disgruntled player is suspended from the team. He is not kicked off but give a list of demands that he must meet if he wants to ever continue to be a Gryphon football player.

The injured slowly get healthy and the disgruntled find that being a Gryphon is more important than causing trouble. The players now that they have seen Schock as their coach for a full three months are buying into his method. It's not that much different from Holt's

You can see their play on the field has improved for about five weeks now. Let's don't get any ideas that Raleigh on December 12th is a possibility just yet. I can tell you this. This team is giving every thing they have. This is not a team that will beat any body 42-7. But they have proven the last three weeks that they are not out of any game in the fourth quarter.

It is easy to sit in the stands and make judgments base on what you think you see on Friday nights. The players on the field no longer have those judgments as they see every day on the practice field what it takes to be successful. Being successful is not always being 12-0 every season.

Next Friday night in all likely hood the Gryphons will be traveling to Four Oaks to take on the number one seed in the east 3-AA bracket. If you look at last year we are playing the Oxford Webb role and South Johnston is playing the role we had.


Webb came to Rocky Mount thinking they could win. I think we have a shot next Friday night. We now have a team that believes in their coach.

Gryphons Advance

All indications were this was going to be an even game and that's what we got tonight at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex, Rocky Mount will advance to play another day as they beat South Central 24-20.

The day had been blustery all day but about 5.30 a heavy mist which turned into a downpour of rain. I walked on the field about 6.15 and other than the top of the grass that was wet from the rain you could not tell that the ground was wet and inch below the top of the grass so the field was in excellent shape for tonight's opening round 3-AA playoff.

Rocky Mount scored first as on their third drive of the night. South Central looking for Alston to get the ball on a pitch wide, the Gryphons ran a trap up the middle with Jordan Ford and Ford scored from 14 yards out. Tim Bishop's extra point and the Gryphons lead at the end of the quarter 7-0.

The only score of the second quarter belonged to the Falcons as their Fullback Robinson had a two yard run for their first touchdown. Aaron Barnes blocked the extra point and Rocky Mount lead at the half 7-6.

The Gryphon's found themselves faced with a third and long deep in their own territory in the third quarter but Collins Cuthrell found Jordan Ford for a first down. It seemed to give the Gryphons life and they managed to take it for a touchdown on a Marquavis Alston Touchdown. Bishop added the extra point and the Gryphons are sitting pretty at 14-6.

Everything seemed to be going the Gryphons way but a botched defensive assignment in the Gryphon secondary and the Falcons found themselves on the two yard line where they scored a touchdown plus made a two point conversion to tie the game at 14 heading to the fourth quarter.

The Gryphons had a nice drive to the Falcon red zone but on a fourth down Tim Bishop kicked a 24 yards field goal in which he hit the right upright but sliced the ball over the goal to give the Gryphons the lead that they would never give up.

The very next Falcon drive Marcus Jones intercepted a Falcon pass at the Gryphon 40 and returned it all the way to the South Central 24. Using ball control the Gryphons took seven plays to march 24 yards but ate over three and a half minutes off the clock.

The Falcons were determined to give coach Dickie Schock ulcers as South Central drove back down the field and scored with 1.09 to play to cut the lead to 24-20.

Three onside kicks later the Gryphons finally recovered the only on sidekick that the Falcons were not offside and ran out the clock for a 24-20 hard fought victory over the South Central.

The Gryphons advance to the second round of the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. They will await the winner of number one seed South Johnston out of Four Oaks who will play East Guilford Saturday night.

There were may be 500 people in attendance tonight. If you recall last years opening round game against Jacksonville there was less than a thousand there because everyone assumed that Rocky Mount would roll over the Cardinals and they did with the clock running the entire second half.

This was the only local game played tonight as everyone else will try to play Saturday night. I suspect you will find a few members of the coaching staff in Four Oaks on Saturday night.

Game Friday Is On

Unless the weather takes a turn away from what they are calling for now, there will be Gryphon football Friday night. The weatherman is calling for a day much like Thursday afternoon has been with clouds and wind and a sprinkle every now and then.

Once the playoffs start they hate to call a game off after the visiting has left for the game. South Central being only a hour a way, I think if the weather turned bad maybe as late as 5.00pm Friday the game could be postponed but don't count on them waiting that long. Another consideration in the playoffs is, the officiating crew. Where are they coming from? If it is say a Greensboro Crew they are also in the mix about what time they need to leave to be here.

The rule of thumb during the playoffs all expenses come out of the gate receipts. That would be officials, clock operator, and transportation for the visiting team. So if any have left to come to the game you don't want to send them back home once they arrive and come again tomorrow. that doubles the expenses.

Breaking News : A Judge in Cumberland County has made a temporary Injunction against the NCHSAA stating the Terry Sanford has been removed from the playoffs with giving them a reason. Since Pine forest who was suppose to play Terry Sanford has not prepared to play Sanford and Sanford has not been allowed to practice this week since there seasom seemed over due to the forfeit from an ineligible player. The game has been moved to Saturday in order to give both teams a day to prepare for the game.

I would bet the judge must have a son who plays for Terry Sanford

The boys basketball jamboree is Saturday morning at the Gryphon gyms. You can watch basketball from 9-until 4pm. Eight teams are line up to scrimmage each other, Rose, South Central, Rocky Mount Prep, North Lenoir,Hunt, Eastern Wayne, Beddingfield and Bertie.

First round of the Playoffs.

NEWS Flash: Wison Hunt and Southwest Edgecombe have both moved their Friday first round games to Saturday.

Friday the Gryphons host the Falcons of South Central. Earlier this week I gave you several stats concerning both teams and all indications are as a 8/9 seeded game this is a toss-up.
Drew Pasteur of the Fantastic 50 rates the Gryphons as a four point Favorite. Pasteur rates Rocky Mount as the 31st best 3-A team in the state while South central is rated 39th.

Southern Nash hits the road. The Firebirds are rated the 30th best 3-A team travel to Dunn and take on Triton. Both teams are 8-3 and the Fantastic 50 give the Firebirds the edge by one.

The champion of the Big East Hunt is home Friday night and will host Burlington Williams. Hunt is favored by 21 against the 5-5 Alamance County school.

If Pasteur is correct the Big East will go 3-0 in the opening round. I would like to remind everyone the Fantastic 50 last year had the Gryphons as State champs.

North Edgecombe returns to the playoffs for the first time since the departure of Raymond Cobb now some five years ago. North Edgecombe at 5-4 on the year is favored by 30 over Columbia who will visit Leggett.

If the computers know what they are talking about the Fantastic 50 says both Tarboro and SouthWest Edgecombe will win state titles in 2-A and 2-AA.

Tarboro opens the playoffs at home against Croatan. The Vikings are favored by 34 in their Quest to return to Chapel hill and the State Championship game.

Southwest Edgecombe is only a 39 point favorite over West Stanley. at 5-6 W Stanley has a Major obstacle in trying to beat the Cougars.

You need to be in the stands to support your favorite team tomorrow night. As always you can catch Gryphon football starting at 7.00pm on am1390. We will try to get all the scores from all over the area as the game goes along.