Social time on the campus of Rocky Mount High School was all basketball today as students talked of Saturday's regional final victory and whether you were going to the Dean Dome this Saturday.
A contingent of folks from RMHS were on hand today at the press conference discussing Saturday's state championships. Mike Gainey talked about his Gryphons and their path getting there.
Concord's head coach spoke. Scott Brewer is a former state champion coach with Central Cabarrus in 2000. Concord will be making its third trip to the State championship game in the last five years. The Spiders won the 3-A crown in 2006, the year before Brewer took over. Concord is on a 16-game winning streak and has not lost a game since January 10. Its record is 25-6 and the Spiders are the champions of the South Piedmont Conference and, of course, the Western regional champion.
You can never trust a team's program, whether it's football or basketball, as a football team might list a player at 190 pounds, when he is actually 225 to make you think he is smaller. In Basketball, they are listing 6-foot-3 as Concord's tallest player. So we will not know for sure until tip=time how accurate that is. They are a run-and-gun team maybe even more than we are.
The Gryphons brought 1,000 tickets back with them to sell for the game Saturday. They will go on sale Tuesday morning and will not be sold past Thursday. I just can't imagine that the tickets will last that long. They will be on sale in the school office. Tickets are $9. If you wait and stand in line at the Dean Dome, they will be $10. Coach Gainey has too much going on this week to add ticket sales to the biggest week of his life.
WZAX 99.3 is trying to get advertising sold so Wes and I can bring you the game back for those of you who don't go to The Hill on Saturday. I hope on tomorrow night's blog I can give you a thumbs up on the radio live broadcast.
Sunday night we will be showing a replay of the state championship game on WHIG-TV beginning at 8 p.m. Gainey and the Gryphons will be there as we always do when we celebrate a victory and hope not defeat Sunday night. Regardless of the results, just making it to the big dance is something special and needs to be recognized.
I think I got a thumbs up from wife Pat, but, of course, there is always a catch. We have a grandaughter that plays in the Raleigh Soccer League. She is eight and has a game Saturday morning somewhere in Wake County. She says she will go to the Duke-Carolina baseball game under one condition. It has to be a pretty warm day. She says she will go see Madison play in the rain and freezing cold, but to watch Brian Goodwin and Carolina, it has to be warm. The five-day forecast calls for 60s Saturday.
So I have a big sports day online for Saturday. Soccer in the morning, Carolina baseball at Durham at 2 p.m. and Gryphon basketball Saturday night. I wonder if I can find a softball game, somewhere!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
You Have to Plan Ahead
Some people might say you are putting the cart before the horse but in order to make things happen you must plan ahead. The Nash County Relay for Life doesn't just happen three hours before the event April 23rd.
Knowing that Time Warner Cable has the broadcasting rights to the State basketball tournament next week in both Raleigh and Chapel Hill, I spoke with Rick Strunk of the NCHSAA earlier this week about broadcasting the Rocky Mount game if they made it and he referred me to Time Warner.
Promptly I received a call from them and to my surprise since Rocky Mount is not tied in to Time Warner but with Suddenlink they have given us the right to replay the State Championship game next Sunday night on WHIG-TV. Here is the real winner. It's free to WHIG since we are not in Time Warner area. I am delighted we can get a copy of the game.
We also started trying to get one of the local radio stations to broadcast the game live Saturday night from the Dean Dome. WZAX 99.3 is in the works trying to sell advertising to get the game live on Radio. Please contact Wes Bradshaw or myself if you can be a part of the state championship broadcast. We will not get on unless the can get enough support(MONEY) to do it.
My wife Pat saw her first Gryphon basketball game since we moved to Rocky Mount in 1995 yesterday. I started on the way home from the game giving her wouldn't this be neat to go to the Carolina baseball game Saturday in Durham as Carolina and Duke begin ACC baseball season and watch Brian Goodwin play for Carolina an then head to Dean's Dome for the basketball game. At least she hasn't said no to that yet.
The Gryphons will play Concord the champions of the South Piedmont Conference. They are 25-6 over all and we will talk more on them as the week progresses.
Baseball suffered their first defeat of the season losing to Ardrey Kell 7-2 yesterday in Cary.
Finally let's give a big clap to Nancy Thai is she has won the Park Scholarship to N C State. Like athletes when several schools are trying to lure you to come to their school Nancy is in the running for several other scholarships and will wait before deciding to accept or not.
Emily Capps of Northern Nash also won the Park and I be lived she has already accepted.
Knowing that Time Warner Cable has the broadcasting rights to the State basketball tournament next week in both Raleigh and Chapel Hill, I spoke with Rick Strunk of the NCHSAA earlier this week about broadcasting the Rocky Mount game if they made it and he referred me to Time Warner.
Promptly I received a call from them and to my surprise since Rocky Mount is not tied in to Time Warner but with Suddenlink they have given us the right to replay the State Championship game next Sunday night on WHIG-TV. Here is the real winner. It's free to WHIG since we are not in Time Warner area. I am delighted we can get a copy of the game.
We also started trying to get one of the local radio stations to broadcast the game live Saturday night from the Dean Dome. WZAX 99.3 is in the works trying to sell advertising to get the game live on Radio. Please contact Wes Bradshaw or myself if you can be a part of the state championship broadcast. We will not get on unless the can get enough support(MONEY) to do it.
My wife Pat saw her first Gryphon basketball game since we moved to Rocky Mount in 1995 yesterday. I started on the way home from the game giving her wouldn't this be neat to go to the Carolina baseball game Saturday in Durham as Carolina and Duke begin ACC baseball season and watch Brian Goodwin play for Carolina an then head to Dean's Dome for the basketball game. At least she hasn't said no to that yet.
The Gryphons will play Concord the champions of the South Piedmont Conference. They are 25-6 over all and we will talk more on them as the week progresses.
Baseball suffered their first defeat of the season losing to Ardrey Kell 7-2 yesterday in Cary.
Finally let's give a big clap to Nancy Thai is she has won the Park Scholarship to N C State. Like athletes when several schools are trying to lure you to come to their school Nancy is in the running for several other scholarships and will wait before deciding to accept or not.
Emily Capps of Northern Nash also won the Park and I be lived she has already accepted.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gryphons Going To The "Ship"
Thunder Dunk by Tashawn Mabry
Photo by::
Morgan Doughtie
Charles Alston asked Mike Gainey in the media interview room following the game how he felt having just won the Eastern 3-A regional. Gainey couldn't fine the words but did say this "It feels good, All I know is we are going to the SHIP". For those of you who aren't up on the talk in the hallways of Rocky Mount High school the State ChampionSHIP is next Saturday at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill.
Rocky Mount was bigger and just as fast as Northeast Guilford and the combination proved deathly for the Rams. Guilford jumped out to a 7-2 lead but the Gryphons spurted on a 17-4 run and never looked back in beating The Rams 85-64.
Rocky Mount made an astounding 37 out of 39 free throws and by having the lead forced the Rams to fouls when they couldn't steal the ball. Northeast Guilford trailed 56-42 at the start of the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 60-51 when Rocky Mount exploded as they went to a spread offense but instead of holding on to the ball they attacked the basket. The Gryphons scored 29 points in the fourth quarter including 20 by Tashawn Mabrey who maybe played his best basketball game of his career as he scored 37 points.
Billy Young controlling the ball took it to the hole where several times Mabrey was free to send a Thunder dunk into the bottom of the net, Just over a minute to go one of those dunks almost took two Rams with the ball which put the Gryphon crowd into a victory frenzy.
Games like this aren't won by just one player as Tecoby Hines who failed to score played brilliantly on defense as did Terrell Hilliard coming off the bench. Detrail Jenkins once again scores double digits with 15 points and missed a double double by one as he had 9 rebounds.
The Gryphons play next Saturday night at 7:30pm at the Dean E Smith Center on the campus of UNC for the State 3-A Title. Right now I'm not sure who we play and at this moment don't care who we play but we will be there in the SHIP.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Baseball Begins Trek,Basketball On The Verge
The Rocky Mount High school baseball team opened the 2010 baseball season at 4-A Riverside today and starts the season with a win. The preseason #1 Gryphons are hoping to be in the same position as basketball come June. A win tomorrow in Greenville in the Eastern regional will send basketball to the state finals next Saturday.
Benton Moss got the start for the baseball team and pitched five strong innings. It was his fifteenth victory in has career. Thomas Berry provided the fire power as he hit a homer. This is the first game of three straight games against 4-A super powers as they will now travel to Cary Saturday afternoon and play Audrey Kell the defending 4-A baseball champions at the USA baseball complex. Next week the Gryphons travel to Rose to play them for the first time since the snow out game last Tuesday. So baseball start on the road at three straight very good 4-A squads. The final today was 7-3 Gryphons.
Girls soccer pitched their second shutout of the week as they beat C B Aycock three -nil Thursday which makes them 2-0 on the young season.
Softball had a 5-0 nothing lead at home Thursday but lost to Tarboro 12-8. Boys tennis after losing a match to the snow this week will now not open their season until next week.
This brings us to basketball. Mike Gainey won his second Eastern regional game last night moving that record to 2-2. The Gryphons will be facing Northeast Guilford a team coached by former Tar Heel basketball player Curtis Hunter.
The Gryphons caught a break as they will not face South Central a team that sported a front line of 6.6 6.8 and 6.6 across the front. However NE Guilford proved height is not everything and will bring a scrappy speedy defense to face the Gryphons. Game time is 1.00pm and I am sure with Kinston possible playing at three and with the Rocky Mount crowd the place will over flow so don't be late getting there for this one.
Basketball making the Regional Gryphon sports has flourished since dropping down to the 3-A level some five years ago. Just since 2008 Baseball has won a state title and football 2008 played in the Eastern Finals and now basketball plays in the eastern Finals and is hoping for state glory next week. Be there Saturday and support the Gryphons.
GO GRYPHONS!!!!!!
Benton Moss got the start for the baseball team and pitched five strong innings. It was his fifteenth victory in has career. Thomas Berry provided the fire power as he hit a homer. This is the first game of three straight games against 4-A super powers as they will now travel to Cary Saturday afternoon and play Audrey Kell the defending 4-A baseball champions at the USA baseball complex. Next week the Gryphons travel to Rose to play them for the first time since the snow out game last Tuesday. So baseball start on the road at three straight very good 4-A squads. The final today was 7-3 Gryphons.
Girls soccer pitched their second shutout of the week as they beat C B Aycock three -nil Thursday which makes them 2-0 on the young season.
Softball had a 5-0 nothing lead at home Thursday but lost to Tarboro 12-8. Boys tennis after losing a match to the snow this week will now not open their season until next week.
This brings us to basketball. Mike Gainey won his second Eastern regional game last night moving that record to 2-2. The Gryphons will be facing Northeast Guilford a team coached by former Tar Heel basketball player Curtis Hunter.
The Gryphons caught a break as they will not face South Central a team that sported a front line of 6.6 6.8 and 6.6 across the front. However NE Guilford proved height is not everything and will bring a scrappy speedy defense to face the Gryphons. Game time is 1.00pm and I am sure with Kinston possible playing at three and with the Rocky Mount crowd the place will over flow so don't be late getting there for this one.
Basketball making the Regional Gryphon sports has flourished since dropping down to the 3-A level some five years ago. Just since 2008 Baseball has won a state title and football 2008 played in the Eastern Finals and now basketball plays in the eastern Finals and is hoping for state glory next week. Be there Saturday and support the Gryphons.
GO GRYPHONS!!!!!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Defense Leads Gryphon Comeback
The Rocky Mount Gryphons found themselves down 38-28 early in the third quarter but it wasn't a ten point spree that lead to victory in the Eastern Regional Semi finals but some good old fashion defense and the Gryphons live to play another day beating the defending state Champions 65-62 in front of about 5,000 fans in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
A 15-14 lead disappeared quickly as the second quarter began and by half time a smooth Northern Guilford squad had built a 35-26 lead. Most of the second quarter points came off of easy lay ups either on fast breaks or break down on the Gryphon defense to give them an open shot under the basket.
But, tonight was a night when the referees left their whistles home and they let both teams play. Four minutes to go in the third quarter there had only been three fouls called the whole game and when Rocky Mount went to the free throw line with 3.09 to go in the third quarter it was the free throws of the game. By quarters end the Gryphons had trimmed the lead to 49-44.
Two stretches in the fourth quarter that made the difference. Milking a 60-56 lead Northern slowing things down and the Gryphons caused four straight trips Northern Guilford failed to get a shot off. But, for every stop the Gryphons made they needed to score and with about four minutes to go in the game Tashaawn Mabry touched the ball every trip down court and Tashawn played like the All State performer he is. Mabrey made seven out of eight free throws as he started driving to the basket and finally by the fourth quarter the referees had been provided whistles which they started using. After only calling three fouls the first 20 minutes they made 16 the last twelve. The Gryphons were 10 for 12 for the game while Northern was 8 out of 11.
Once again tonight the intense Gryphon pressure wilted Northern in the four quarter and the trio of guards were lead by Bill Young who took his turn at being too quick for Guilford. Detrail Jenkins had a double double 12 point and 12 rebounds.
The bottom line tonight, team defense pulls this one out and Rocky Mount will play North East Guilford a 83-82 overtime winner over once beaten South Central. Northeast Guilford is now 19-10 on the year and are the only road block left for the Gryphon nation to play in Chapel Hill on March 13th.
******If you haven't heard the 3-A Eastern finals have been moved to 1.00pm Saturday. This is due to the 2-A Semi final game which has been pushed to Friday at 5.30 over Tuesday night of the snow out. In order to give the winner of the 2-A a little more rest the 3-A/2-A games are flip flopping. Gryphon PLAY AT 1.00pm.
You can be proud to be a GRYPHON tonight !
A 15-14 lead disappeared quickly as the second quarter began and by half time a smooth Northern Guilford squad had built a 35-26 lead. Most of the second quarter points came off of easy lay ups either on fast breaks or break down on the Gryphon defense to give them an open shot under the basket.
But, tonight was a night when the referees left their whistles home and they let both teams play. Four minutes to go in the third quarter there had only been three fouls called the whole game and when Rocky Mount went to the free throw line with 3.09 to go in the third quarter it was the free throws of the game. By quarters end the Gryphons had trimmed the lead to 49-44.
Two stretches in the fourth quarter that made the difference. Milking a 60-56 lead Northern slowing things down and the Gryphons caused four straight trips Northern Guilford failed to get a shot off. But, for every stop the Gryphons made they needed to score and with about four minutes to go in the game Tashaawn Mabry touched the ball every trip down court and Tashawn played like the All State performer he is. Mabrey made seven out of eight free throws as he started driving to the basket and finally by the fourth quarter the referees had been provided whistles which they started using. After only calling three fouls the first 20 minutes they made 16 the last twelve. The Gryphons were 10 for 12 for the game while Northern was 8 out of 11.
Once again tonight the intense Gryphon pressure wilted Northern in the four quarter and the trio of guards were lead by Bill Young who took his turn at being too quick for Guilford. Detrail Jenkins had a double double 12 point and 12 rebounds.
The bottom line tonight, team defense pulls this one out and Rocky Mount will play North East Guilford a 83-82 overtime winner over once beaten South Central. Northeast Guilford is now 19-10 on the year and are the only road block left for the Gryphon nation to play in Chapel Hill on March 13th.
******If you haven't heard the 3-A Eastern finals have been moved to 1.00pm Saturday. This is due to the 2-A Semi final game which has been pushed to Friday at 5.30 over Tuesday night of the snow out. In order to give the winner of the 2-A a little more rest the 3-A/2-A games are flip flopping. Gryphon PLAY AT 1.00pm.
You can be proud to be a GRYPHON tonight !
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
East Regional Begins Tonight
There was doubt whether the east regional would wait another day until near noon today before the officials deemed the roads safe to let teams travel to their perspective regional games. It wasn't so much getting there but what happens tonight when teams who have traveled 100 miles or more head home with possible black ice on the roads.
Now a day behind instead of two games Wednesday and Thursday the Tuesday games missed out by the weather yesterday will be made up at 5.00pm, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. Rocky Mount will still play at 7.00pm Thursday but there will be a game in progress if you are planning to attend the games.
There will be no live radio of the game but the "Stretchlon Sports Show" will be there taping the game and hopefully Saturday also. Should Rocky Mount win Thursday the game Saturday will be played back Sunday night on WHIG at 8.00pm.
If you are staying home "The Rocky Mount Telegram" will blog live from the game so that is about as live as you are going to get for the playoffs. Wes Bradshaw like during football season will be updating NC Preps so there is two as live as you are going to get sources.
Girls soccer opened their season with a 2-0 win at D H Conley. They are home Thursday at 4.00pm meeting C B Aycock. Girls softball season starts Thursday as the Lady Gryphon softball team will host Tarboro at "Mutt" Wilson Park at 4.00pm. Baseball kicks it season off Friday when they travel to Riverside and then Saturday meet Aubrey Kell in the Baseball classic at the USA Baseball complex in Cary.
HOW bout those Heels! 2,000 wins in 100 years. If you are a non math major that's 20 wins a year.
I tried Tuesday night to watch a replay of the defensive backs combine workouts and saw Stephan Virgil several times still in his warmups. The replay was 3 hours and 43 minutes long and I just didn't have enough time to see him during his combine workouts. I think he was right in the middle. All the reports I have seen are talking about the DB's who were great or terrible and he was not in either category.
When the NFL draft comes up at the end of April look for the former Gryphon to go in the 4th or 5th round.
I will not blog Thursday until after the basketball game in Greenville so it will probably be 11.00pm before I have a story up on the blog. I have to be in Richmond at 8.00am Friday so I will not hang around Minges Thursday night to see who we might play if we win Thursday night.
Now a day behind instead of two games Wednesday and Thursday the Tuesday games missed out by the weather yesterday will be made up at 5.00pm, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday. Rocky Mount will still play at 7.00pm Thursday but there will be a game in progress if you are planning to attend the games.
There will be no live radio of the game but the "Stretchlon Sports Show" will be there taping the game and hopefully Saturday also. Should Rocky Mount win Thursday the game Saturday will be played back Sunday night on WHIG at 8.00pm.
If you are staying home "The Rocky Mount Telegram" will blog live from the game so that is about as live as you are going to get for the playoffs. Wes Bradshaw like during football season will be updating NC Preps so there is two as live as you are going to get sources.
Girls soccer opened their season with a 2-0 win at D H Conley. They are home Thursday at 4.00pm meeting C B Aycock. Girls softball season starts Thursday as the Lady Gryphon softball team will host Tarboro at "Mutt" Wilson Park at 4.00pm. Baseball kicks it season off Friday when they travel to Riverside and then Saturday meet Aubrey Kell in the Baseball classic at the USA Baseball complex in Cary.
HOW bout those Heels! 2,000 wins in 100 years. If you are a non math major that's 20 wins a year.
I tried Tuesday night to watch a replay of the defensive backs combine workouts and saw Stephan Virgil several times still in his warmups. The replay was 3 hours and 43 minutes long and I just didn't have enough time to see him during his combine workouts. I think he was right in the middle. All the reports I have seen are talking about the DB's who were great or terrible and he was not in either category.
When the NFL draft comes up at the end of April look for the former Gryphon to go in the 4th or 5th round.
I will not blog Thursday until after the basketball game in Greenville so it will probably be 11.00pm before I have a story up on the blog. I have to be in Richmond at 8.00am Friday so I will not hang around Minges Thursday night to see who we might play if we win Thursday night.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Expections Are High
*************************************************************************
The weather has gotten today's baseball game with Rose. The game has been rescheduled for March 18th.
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If the weather holds off Rocky Mount high school baseball will start the 2010 schedule today hosting Rose. The Gryphons are Pre-season #1 state wide in just about all the polls based on the return of their pitching. Hobbs Johnson and Benton Moss. Johnson already inked with Carolina for next year and Moss waiting for his senior year before his signature sends him to Chapel Hill.
Northern Nash found out last year during the regional that you never have enough pitching and the progress of who becomes the #3 and #4 reliable pitchers will be a key to this teams success. If their was a failure last year it was timely hitting and question marks abound.
Kent Cox who takes over for legend Pat Smith has a load on his shoulders already with the high expectations. This week they start out with Rose and defending 4-A champions Aubrey Kell. The Gryphons could easliy start out 0-2.
Softball has already moved today's home game to Thursday. Boys tennis begins it's season Wednesday weather permitting.
If we are going to get the snow in eastern North Carolina today that the weatherman says we might. Then the basketball regional might wind up doubling up later in the week. We will worry with that when we know for sure.
I hear that WRMT is working on doing the games on radio and I know WHIG-TV is taping the Rocky Mount game for showing on the "Stretchlon Sports Show" Sunday night.
I hope you read Nick Phillps blog Thoughts from out of my head. His blog Sunday talking about winning is not everything is great. I need to add Nick's blog to my list at the bottom of this page so it would be easy for you to access.
I did not get a chance to see the overtime Sunday night but I thought the Canada-USA hockey game was one of the best ever. I went to church Sunday night and missed over time.
34% of American homes were tuned in to the Super bowl but Sunday 80% all all Canadian TVs were watching the hockey. You think they like hockey in Canada. What else is there to do there this time of year?T
The weather has gotten today's baseball game with Rose. The game has been rescheduled for March 18th.
*************************************************************************
If the weather holds off Rocky Mount high school baseball will start the 2010 schedule today hosting Rose. The Gryphons are Pre-season #1 state wide in just about all the polls based on the return of their pitching. Hobbs Johnson and Benton Moss. Johnson already inked with Carolina for next year and Moss waiting for his senior year before his signature sends him to Chapel Hill.
Northern Nash found out last year during the regional that you never have enough pitching and the progress of who becomes the #3 and #4 reliable pitchers will be a key to this teams success. If their was a failure last year it was timely hitting and question marks abound.
Kent Cox who takes over for legend Pat Smith has a load on his shoulders already with the high expectations. This week they start out with Rose and defending 4-A champions Aubrey Kell. The Gryphons could easliy start out 0-2.
Softball has already moved today's home game to Thursday. Boys tennis begins it's season Wednesday weather permitting.
If we are going to get the snow in eastern North Carolina today that the weatherman says we might. Then the basketball regional might wind up doubling up later in the week. We will worry with that when we know for sure.
I hear that WRMT is working on doing the games on radio and I know WHIG-TV is taping the Rocky Mount game for showing on the "Stretchlon Sports Show" Sunday night.
I hope you read Nick Phillps blog Thoughts from out of my head. His blog Sunday talking about winning is not everything is great. I need to add Nick's blog to my list at the bottom of this page so it would be easy for you to access.
I did not get a chance to see the overtime Sunday night but I thought the Canada-USA hockey game was one of the best ever. I went to church Sunday night and missed over time.
34% of American homes were tuned in to the Super bowl but Sunday 80% all all Canadian TVs were watching the hockey. You think they like hockey in Canada. What else is there to do there this time of year?T
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