Tears and Prayers

Went to the Lady Gryphon softball tonight since it was probably going to be the last game that Morgan Doughtie was a manager for Gryphon sports.  It was as Northern Scored 8 runs in the bottom of the fifth to beat Rocky Mount 11-1.  There are times when winning and losing  don't matter and tonight I was glad to have been there at what took place at the end of the game.

Today a student at Northern Nash Alex Tweedy was kill in a car wreck on the way home from school.  As the teams were shaking hands they made their way to the pitcher's mound where all the players and coaches of both teams formed a circle around the pitcher mound.  Alex was a member of the Northern band and many players on both teams knew her very well.  Team players took their turn talking about Alex and when they had all cried Gryphon catcher Precious White lead both teams in prayer.  I can tell you now that there was not a preacher anywhere that prayed on Sunday any better that what Precious did.  There were tears from parents listening.

The score of the game doesn't matter.  A life has been lost and two teams who are bitter enemies on the playing field took time together to start the healing process.  As bad as we feel the world is today it is refreshing to see that our youth know what's important.  Join me please in praying for a grieving family who has lost their only child.                                                                     Amen

The first game of the Big East softball tournament was won by Fike 7-2 over Hunt.  They will play Southern Nash at 5pm Tuesday.  Northern will play Nash Central at 7pm both games are at Glover Park in Nashville.

Northern Nash beat Southern Nash in soccer 5-0 and will now play the top team Rocky Mount at 5pm Tuesday in the soccer semi's  at Rocky Mount.

Rocky Mount traveled to Southern Nash and beat the Firebirds 6-2 to advance to the semi's in baseball.  They will travel to Hunt Tuesday night at 7pm.  Northern Nash down 9-3 scored seven unanswered runs to knock off Fike 10-9 .  They now play  Nash Central Tuesday.

There is a monumental  tennis match Tuesday at Eastern Wayne as the #6 ranked team in North Carolina Northern Nash collides with the #3 ranked Eastern Wayne.  Man what a way to start the playoffs.

Going Out In Style

His first three years at UNC Pembroke were squatting behind the plate.  Finally in his senior season Alex Pearce was move sixty feet six inches and now peers down from the mound at the man squatting behind the plate.  Early in the season he got knocked around but as his experience grew Alex Pearce has become the best pitcher on a UNC Pembroke team that failed by one game making their conference tournament and there by their season ended last night.

What would be his twelfth start of the season Alex saved his best for last as the Braves finished their season against the #1 home run hitting team in Division II baseball in Wingate.  Pearce went eight innings held Wingate  to a single run on three hits and beat Wingate 2-1.  Alex finishes his season and career at 8-4 on the season and after last night his ERA dipped to 3.86.  Not bad for a catcher  to wind up the best on the team.

Since we were speaking of a former Rocky Mount Legion baseball player in Alex Pearce this is a good time to announce try outs for this years team will be held Saturday May 12th at 3.00pm at what right now is Gryphon Stadium.  The city of Rocky Mount will be taking control of the field this summer and it will be interesting what the name might be.

All players for Senior Legion are eligible if born on or after 1/1/1993.  Those interested in Junior Legion you must be born on 1/1/95 or later to play.  This will be a Pro-day try .  Bring all of your equipment in order to perform and all catcher must bring all catching equipment needed.

Hank Jones will be back to lead for the third year in a row and the season will kickoff near May 20th.  High school baseball's regular season is over and the playoffs are starting so it's time to get the high school all stars together from this area and Coleman Pitt Post 58 will begin another Legion Season in hopes of returning to the State Tournament which they have done two of the past three years.

Jordan No Super Star Owner

The Charlotte Bobcats have just finished the most embarrassing season in the history of the NBA.  They won a measly seven games all season.  Paul Silas blames  most of it as being a young team with no time to practice.  I will admit Charlotte had their share of injuries but to say they don't have practice time is absolutely appalling.

The average team has a shoot-a-round everyday before a game where they go to the arena that they are playing at that day and shoot and get accustomed to the arena.  Why can't they practice then? I don't think the Bobcats have a practice problem but a evaluation problem.

Michael Jordan who is the greatest basketball player ever in the NBA just has no ability at all to evaluate others.  When he was the General Manager of  the Wizards he made them into a horrible team and they are bad now as a result of how far down he sank them.  Now that he owns the Bobcats he has his buddies in charge and of course that says to me that they are yes men to him.

What Jordan needs to do is be the owner , hire a General Manager who knows the NBA basketball talent.  Tell him how much money he can spend and get out of the way. Go sit in the luxury box and act like the owner.  He is too much like Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and meddles  because he's got money.  Most good owners of any sport most of the time you only see them when they are there picking up the championship trophies.  The ones that go stand on the side lines don't win diddly squat.

The NBA playoffs start today  and my final four picks are out west San Antonia and Oklahoma City.  In the east Miami and Chicago.  Tim Duncan is going to win his last NBA title with the Spurs this year and call it a career.

Northern Ends Confusion

There will be no four way tie for third place in the Big East baseball as Northern won the game delayed from last night against Fike until tonight and they had to come from behind to do it.  They pushed four runs home the last three innings to win 4-2 and by doing so captures third in the Big East.

By virtue of their sweep of Rocky Mount Southern Nash takes fourth  and along with Northern will host Big East tournament baseball Monday night.  Tied with Southern Nash Rocky Mount gets the #5 seed and Fike will finish at 3-7 gets the #6 spot.  There will never be another Gryphon baseball game at Gryphon Stadium as they will now have a new home on campus next year.

That will leave all four teams to play each other again Monday.  This time Rocky Mount will travel to Southern Nash and Northern will again host Fike.  I need to get a clarification of this but in the past any time two teams were time and it was for the last playoff spot then the team that went further in the tournament  got the fourth spot and if that is the case Rocky Mount at Southern will be winner take all and the winner in and the loser is out.  One complication to that theory is Southern Swept Rocky Mount during the regular season.  Those three Philadelphia lawyers and the Russian scientist are still trying to figure out all the possibilities for the playoffs.  They have even called in a Buddist Monk for help.

The only thing I know for sure if either Rocky Mount or Fike won the tournament and the way this season has gone I would not put it past anybody that could happen.  As soon as we know for sure we let you know what all the playoff scenarios are.  Hunt who beat Nash Central 5-4 in eight innings Thursday will play the Southern Nash -Rocky Mount winner Tuesday and Northern-Fike winner get Nash Central Tuesday.

The Big East softball Tournament begins Monday at Glover Park in Nashville.  Big East Girls soccer starts Monday and Rocky Mount as the #1 seed will be hosting on Tuesday.  Baseball, Soccer and softball are all having their conference tournaments this week Monday, Tuesday and all three championships are Thursday.

Gryphons Hope For Muddled Mess

All they needed to do was win one game this week and they were headed to the playoffs.  Tuesday they lost at Fike 7-6 and were faced with a must win tonight to insure a 3rd place playoff spot.  Southern Nash was at Gryphon Stadium to play in the last regular season game in the history of stadium as far as high school games go.

Southern scored their first run on what would have been the third out of the second inning on a Gryphon throwing error.  Run #2 scored when a Southern base hit advance to third on a wild throw on a pick off attempt and a followup base hit. The third run scored on the third hit of the fifth which gave Souther a 3-0.  Rocky Mount scattered three hits until the seventh.

Collin Watson drew a one out walk followed by a single  from Micah Varnell.  Ben Winstead slapped a double over the head of the left fielder scoring two runs and the tying run on second.  Damien Smith walk with still one out.  A grounder to short got a force at third base making two outs and the tying run still on second who is now Damien Smith.  Andy Morris hit a floating single to right field where the right fielder Kenny Rogister threw home and the Southern catcher Marques Taylor made a beautiful snap tag on a bang bang play at the plate Smith was call out when it looked as if he had clearly scored but it was close and just like that the game was over 3-2 Southern Nash.

Ryan Shearin pitched a complete game five hitter for the Firebirds and Will Edwards took the lost.  Northern Nash's game with Fike was rained out and they will play Friday night.  If Northern Wins and they get the 3rd seed in the conference tournament next week.  If Fike wins then there is a four was tie for third and how are they going to see who is #3 through 6 who knows.  What it comes down to is that Northern must lose in order for the Gryphons to have any chance to win any kind of draw it it winds up in a four way tie.

If Northern wins Friday night there will never be another game for the Gryphons at Gryphon Stadium unless Fike wins and then they will have to bring in three Philadelphia Lawyers and a Russian Scientist to figure out this mess if it comes to that.

Northern can solve the whole thing by winning and they claim 3rd, Southern get 4th Rocky Mount 5th  and Fike 6th.  Sure are a lot of chips stacked up against the Gryphons making the playoffs but all they had to do was win one game this week.

Decision Change?

Montrezl Harrell the six seven power forward from North Edgecombe who his senior year he has played basketball at Hargrave Military Academy where Hargrave went 35-1.  This past weekend Montrezl was the MVP of the Capital Classic where All Star seniors from around the nation play the All Stars of the DC Capital area  and Montrezl score 28 points.

Monday he hears that his next year's coach has been fired at Virginia Tech and now all of a sudden maybe VATECH  might not be Harrell's next stop.  I am sure the folks in Raleigh would love to have him replace Painter who transferred to ODU.

Yesterday members of the NCHSAA voted to see whether they wanted  private schools to remain members of the association.  The reason for the vote is the possibility that schools such as Bishop Mcguiness who has won seven straight 1-A girls basketball titles and Charlotte Catholic is dominant in 3-A swimming and diving. might be breaking eligibility rules when athletes are given scholarships just to get into that school and then play sports.

Not only is this vote about private schools but what is the future of Prep schools such as Rocky Mount Prep who can take students from all over when public high schools are held to only certain areas to pull their students from.  The announcement of the results will be made May Third at the next NCHSAA meeting.  I have a feeling the private schools may get kicked out.

How about that Northern Nash Tennis team who has gone through the Big East undefeated and stand at 15-2 on the season.  We have talked about this in the past where Michael Bracket the Knights #1 player  did not play basketball to give his all to tennis and I would say it has paid off.  Northern starts the playoffs Friday traveling to Eastern Wayne who has beaten the Knight both times they played each other this year.  They won 5-4 both times.

Save The Last For The Best

They have won but one game in the last three years of Softball at Rocky Mount High School.  Tonight was the last game to ever be played on the "Mutt" Wilson field where Lady Gryphon softball has played since the inception of slow pitch softball in the early 80's.  Tonight the last conference game of the year the Lady Gryphons win their first game of the year and can for ever say they won the last game there.

The Lady Gryphons beat Fike for the second year in a row 9-8.  They took a 1-0 lead in the first only to see Fike score five in the top of the fourth.  Rocky Mount responded with five  in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-5 lead.  They added a run the fifth to lead 7-5.  Fike responded with three in the top of the sixth  to lead 8-7 but Rocky Mount got two in the bottom of the sixth to lead 9-8. The Lady Gryphons got the first two outs in the seventh but a hit and error found Fike with runners and second and third but a ground out ended the drought for the Lady Gryphons win 9-8.

With all the good news for softball the opposite occurred for baseball.  Up at one point 4-0 the Gryphons lose at Fike 7-6.  Northern Nash beat Nash Central  2-1 and Hunt beat Southern Nash in six innings 12-2.  By winning Hunt can either win the regular season championship outright  with a win over Nash Central Thursday or both will be tied.  Hunt is now 7-2 while Nash Central is 6-3.  Rocky Mount and Northern Nash are tied at 4-5 and Southern Nash and Fike are 3-6.  The Rocky Mount loss guarantees Nash Central no worse than the #2 seed in next week's tournament.

Tonight Hunt High School named their baseball Field after the late Sid Boyette who was a county commissioner as well as a supporter for all types of sports at Hunt as well as all over Wilson County.  You can see that naming ceremony Sunday night during the All New Sports Show on WHIG-TV