Vikings Have Their Back To Wall

The two time defending State 2-A champions the Vikings of Tarboro High School  lost an overtime game Friday night at Kinston 54-48.  This is their first conference lost but it is to one of the teams capable of winning the Eastern Plains crown.  Tarboro showed plenty of heart trailing the entire game but not able to overcome Kinston at home.  Should the Vikings finish no better than second, their road to repeat as champions again will have to be done on the road by the third and fourth round.  Tarboro has made a living in the playoffs the last two seasons at home.

Nash Central is tied a top of the Big East with a 2-0 record after the first couple of weeks.  If you believe in the coaches vote they beat Fike and Rocky Mount in rather close games.  The coaches had voted Rocky Mount and Fike in the second division of the Big East so a 24-16 and 31-23 victories is not very impressive unless you take the stance that the Big East is pretty good from top to bottom.

The same can be said for Hunt as they are 2-0.  Their seven games this season their opponents have a combined record  of 12-34. Just how good are the Warriors?  Sometimes teams schedule catches other teams that are also good the same year. This year Hunt hasn't played a team with a winning record.

Southern Nash got off to a great start against Northern Nash but didn't do much in the second half.  They started the season off with  a bang but now that conference has started seems to have leveled off.

Fike has been as impressive as anybody during conference play and yet they are 1-1.  They host Rocky Mount next week which could be for a playoff spot for the winner.

Rocky Mount is about three or four players short of being really good.  I think they can play with anybody but beating them is the question.

Northern Nash is a team nobody wants to play.  They still play Fike and Rocky Mount so the playoffs is still a possibility.

Anybody notice Saturday that now at 5-1 Carolina played in front of a quarter empty stadium.  I don't think it has anything to do with unset with the coaching as much as Carolina fans are still riled at the Chancellor for getting rid of Butch Davis.  Just 19 more days until this team loses it bowl chance when NCAA puts Carolina of probation, then let's see how many people still support Davis.

Gryphons Add To Their Grief

I have seen Hunt play twice this season and neither time did I leave the game thinking boy this is the best team in the league.  Rocky Mount continues to put the ball on the ground and tonight they assist Hunt by throwing two interceptions to wide open defenders one setting up a 33 yard scoring drive and the other a 78 yard int returned for a score when it looked as if RM might get points just before the half instead Hunt Does.

The one thing that impresses me is when you look at the second half  for Hunt after having only 61 yards rushing in the first half they finished the game with 255 so they dominated the ball on the ground in the second half.  They remind me of what Pete Rose once said about Catfish Hunter.  " You stand in the on deck circle and say to yourself man I'll get some hits tonight, then after going 0-4 you say  he don't look that good.  Hunt takes advantage of every mistake you make and Rocky Mount sure was in the obliging mood.  They pound the football and wear you down and tonight was classic Randy Raper football at Hunt.

Josh Joyner rushed for 135 yards for Hunt while Mason Hines had 125 for Rocky Mount but he had two long runs of 50 and 49 yards. Otherwise he got 26 on 17 carries. Final Hunt 27 Rocky Mount 14

Over in Stan Hope upset at having lost their first game of the season last week Southern Nash took the opening kickoff for a touchdown to lead 7-0.  They went for an on side kick and recovered.  Four plays later they scored again and on the ensuing kickoff Northern fumbled and Southern score quickly to lead 20-0 before most people had gotten inside to their seats.  Considering the start 28-13 Southern over Northern is your final.

The team voted last in the conference is no way going to come close to last the way they are playing right now.  Fike scares the Bulldogs of Nash Central to death but in the end  NC wins 31-23 of the much improved Golden Demons.

Two weeks of Big East football is in the books  and Hunt and Nash Central are tied at the top 2-0.  The next two weeks Hunt plays Southern Nash and Nash Central so I think two weeks from now we will know who is the big dog in the league is

 Rocky Mount's Homecoming Queen this year is Holly Fryer.  This is a very special moment since Holly's athletic career at Rocky Mount was stopped by her fight with cancer.  Congratulations HOLLY!