McMillan Is The Last Junior Miss

Last night on stage in Greensboro Hannah McMillan a Rocky Mount High school senior gave away her crown as the reining North Carolina Junior Miss. The winner Rachael Delaney of Kinston will be known as The Distinguished Young Woman of North Carolina.

I guess it is keeping up with the times or trying not to be confused as a beauty pageant. Hannah served North Carolina well in her year of travel about the state representing Junior Miss. Amanda Griffin from Northern Nash has represented us all well this week as Rocky Mount's last Junior Miss. The next winner later this spring will be Rocky Mount's Distinguished Young Woman.

Ten wrestlers from Nash County have qualified for the State tournament that starts Thursday in Greensboro. Six from Northern Nash lead by T J Marshall in the 215 pound class.Keith Battle at 119, Xavier Anistead 135, Tavis Richardson 140,Kris Horton 160, Bryan Sweet189.

Rocky Mount has two who will travel to Greensboro Mason Holt 103 and Janicento Williamson 171 pond class. Nash Central will also send two in Demetrice Taylor in the 130 class and Tamarris lane at 285.

All ten of these young men qualified in the regionals on Friday and Saturday. The top four in each event make it to the state where they will join the western regional top four and a state champion will be crowned.

Tonight we will be having a live Stretchlon Sports Show at Nash Central and Rocky Mount's all State performers in last week indoor track championships will be on the program. It all starts at 8.00pm on WHIG-TV.

Congrats go out to John Thompson and NC Wesleyan basketball as they won the regular season championship yesterday beating Ferrum. Conference tournament for them starts this week.

D-1 baseball season got under way this weekend and two local talents have had big weekends. Campbell and NCA&T played two double headers and Campbell won three out of four games.

Nash Central's Xavier Macklin has cracked three home runs already for A&T while Ben Fish started two games for The Camels getting three hits and driving in four runs.

You know we have paid a lot of attention to Brian Goodwin who is now at Miami Dade but now being a junior X-man will be eligible of the major league draft come June. If they draft off potential there might not be any body in this area with more potential than X-Man. We hope all of our local guys continue to have great careers in college.

Playoff Double Header Monday

The North Carolina High school playoffs start Monday and both Gryphon Teams get a home game on Monday. I am shooting this out in the dark but I guess the girls game start and 6.00 and boys to follow.

Four teams from the Big East are in the boys bracket as #1 Big East Hunt has a home date with Jacksonville the #5 seed from the Coastal conference. Hunt carries a 14-7 record while Jacksonville is in the playoffs 8-15.

Big East #2 Rocky Mount has a date with Currituck the #2 from the Northeast Coastal. They have a 2-21 record heading to Rocky Mount. Rocky Mount the Big East tournament champs will carry a 19-7 record looking for #20. Rocky Mount should hit the road should they beat Currituck. They are matched up with Southern Wayne #1 Eastern Carolina/D H Conley winner #3 from the Coastal. If Rocky Mount wins and Southern Wayne wins the Gryphons would go there on Wednesday.

Big East #3 Nash Central 15-9 hits the road traveling to #2 Coastal West Craven. WC is 18-5 and the #2 seed in the Coastal. Fourth seeded Northern Nash is also on road as they travel west to south of Raleigh to take on Southern Lee #1 seed from the Cape Fear Valley who come into this matchup at 18-4. Northern after their third lost to Rocky Mount this year stands at 15-7.

The #1 girls team from the Big East Rocky Mount will open the playoffs at home to Jacksonville who stands at 10-14 and the #5 seed from the Coastal. Should the Lady gryphons win they are in the same bracket with #2 seed Triton/#3 seed South Brunswick. so if the Ladies win Monday they are home to either team Wednesday.

#2 Big East Northern Nash has a home game Monday meeting Currituck #2 NE Coastal like the boys Currituck team a whopping 2-21. Should Northern advance they are matched against #1 Eastern Carolina C B Aycock/#3 West Carteret. Aycock has a record of 17-6 and West Carteret 18-6. Northern would travel in a second round game to Aycock or be home to West Carteret,

#3 Big East Fike travels to #2 Coastal Havelock. Fike is 13-10 and Havelock 12-8. #4 Hunt pounds the highway pavement towards Western Harnett #1 Cape Fear Valley sporting a 18-5 record.

Sunday night we will be doing a live show on the Stretchlon Sports Show. We will be interviewing the Nash Central indoor track members that made all State in indoor track including Will Bass who won two State Titles. All so in the house will be will be Rocky Mount all state performer. Nash Central will kick off the show while Rocky Mount will appear about 8.40pm.

Football News Terrell Hudgins left today to head to football preseason camp for the Chicago rush of the indoor Arena league football. Good Luck Terrell!

Life Goes On

When I picked up the paper Friday morning I was sad to see that Nick Carmarota was announcing in the "Telegram" that Friday was his last day. I have sat beside him every night this week during the Big East Tournament. Oddly enough I sat beside him last year almost to the day when this wide eyed young kid comes walking up to the press table at Rocky Mount High. You could just tell that he didn't know what to do or where to go.

I introduced myself and sat with him that evening and gave him all the ins and outs of the Gryphon season to this point. During the past year our paths have crossed probably fifty times on the trail of a sports story. When I see a young whipper snapper like Nick come along it reminds me of those days when I thought I was going to be the best Disc Jockey that had ever spun a record.

Nick is a very likable guy considering he's a Yankee. He has learned his trade well having won an award this week from the N C Press Association. Nick is heading up to DC to work for one of the many papers in the Metro area "The Gazette" which will have about twenty times more reader than the "Telegram". I think this move has something to do with a female as well as working for a major market newspaper.

Hate to see you go Nick. Have a good life. All you guys promise you will come back and see us so I won't hold it against you when you don't. Who ever follows your footsteps has got a huge responsibility because we expect who ever it is to cover two local state champions next year like you did. What a year Nick. So long fellow.

Friday Campbell and N C A&T played a double header in Greensboro and former Nash Central star Xavier Macklin smacked two home runs one in each game. Former Gryphon star Ben Fish caught the second game for Campbell getting two hits in three trips and drove home two runs. A&T won the opener while the Camels won the second game. They play a double header Saturday in Buies Creek.

Will update Basketball Brackets Saturday night

Gryphons Sweep Titles

I walked in the gym tonight at 5.30 and there was well over 100 people standing in line to get into tonight's championship games. They also had a counter standing near the security screening and they were counting people as they entered. Entering the gym there was already 500 sitting and watching an empty floor waiting to see any thing at that point.

If you were a Gryphon fan you got your monies worth and if you pulled for Northern and about half the gym did they went home sad. Lady Gryphons pulled away late to take the Women's Big East title 55-40 while the men's game went right down to the last turnover before the Gryphons walk off winners 71-68.

The Ladies were playing for the #1 seed in the sectionals and to say that the blood was flying was no lie as Charice Bullock of Northern just maybe had her front teeth knocked out in the second quarter as it was that kind of game. Rocky Mount played without starting guard Marquita Hines who injured her wrist in last night's win in the semi finals. Eight players played for Rocky Mount but mostly Pam Gainey went with six players for most of the game. The Gryphons were prepared tonight for the smothering defense that Northern laid on them last Friday night.

J'Kyra Brown the tournament MVP scored 18 points sharing the point guard duty with Carmen Richardson and Ty'ais Cooper. Tia Hudgins (All Tournament) lead the scoring with 19 and Timisha Walker got 10 rebounds.

Khadijah Richardson lead Northern with 12. Rocky Mount stopped Jasmine Griffin who scored 23 inside last night but collected only five tonight. Rocky Mount heads into the State Playoffs 23-3 while Northern isn't shabby at all at 19-3.

The boys game can be summed it easily. Turnovers! Northern had 30 while the Gryphons had 17 but the second half was the tale. Northern had 18 turnovers while Rocky Mount just had 6 and Northern went from leading by six at the half to down by as many as 10 with three minutes to play.

Exzavier Cooper saved his best game as a Gryphon for tonight as he scored 28 and won the MVP. One of the hottest players in the league right now Terrell Hilliard scored 13 and joined the all tournament team.

The Freeman Brothers Darius 13 points 12 rebounds and DeShawn 15 points 11 rebounds were also named all tournament. Northern won the rebounding battle 38-26 but the turnovers were too much to over come. Mitchell Wells had one of his games of his career for Northern with 14 points.

Rocky Mount heads into the playoffs 19-7 and a #2 seed and Northern 16-8 a 4 seed. The brackets will be out Saturday afternoon for the upcoming state playoffs.

The NCHSAA disqualified Hunt from the wrestling playoffs as well as several other teams for not reporting their correct record. It is a shame that players work so hard to excel in their sport and they lose it all because someone wasn't paying attention.