Northern Out Last Gryphons

Went to see a basketball game and a rugby match broke out.  They started pushing and shoving in the first quarter and by over time Northern Nash remains unbeaten as they survive Rocky Mount 55-50.  Rocky Mount had four players foul out including J'Kyra Brown who scored 31 points but the 25 scored by Lady Knight Quinesha Lynch was the difference in the game.

Northern decided to take the first quarter off as Rocky Mount lead 11-0 at the end of the first period.  The Knights had cut it to 25-15 at the half but at one point Rocky Mount lead 25-8.  Neither side shot very well at the foul line for if they had of this one would never have made over time by either side.  Northern had whittled the Gryphon lead to three at the end of the third and lead by three with under two minutes to play but were tied at 47 at the end of regulation.

As Rocky Mount lost players because of fouls Northern kept right on moving forward and managed to win it 55-50.  That first quarter it seemed as if Northern was more focused on making sure this was a rough and tumble game that they forgot they needed to score.  Once they started making shots their flow came with it and the victory.  Their ninth of the year without a defeat.  Alexus Hill scored 10 second half point and Khadrijah Richardson  had 9 to lead the Knights scoring.  Carmen Richardson had nine and no other Gryphon had more than four.

In the boys championship game Nash Central lead the entire first quarter but there  was a point where Rocky Mount became taller and the Nash Central basket shrunk  Rocky Mount pulled to a 33-27 lead at the half but in the second half played zone most of the time and the Bulldogs couldn't make enough outside shots to keep up with the taller Gryphons who weren't letting anything inside.

Rocky Mount lead swelled to 17 down the stretch.  MJ Gainey made outside shots 17 points but Donte Battle, Imanuel King and Jaquel Bryant controlled the boards.  Rocky Mount does their part winning the Nash County Holiday Tournament 66-53 on the home court of the Bulldogs.

Donte Battle lead Rocky Mount with 18, but Nash Central transfer Imanuel King chipped in 14 against his old team.  Nash Central had four double digit scorers but in this one they needed five or more. Nate Pittman 12 points, L J Porcher 11, Jaquan Williams 10 and Cole smith added 10.

The 3rd place of the boys game Northern Nash down two hit a trey with ten seconds to go and survived two Southern Nash shots to win 47-46.

Nash Central Draws the Gryphons

Nash Central knocked off  Northern Nash on Monday and Coach Rennie Taylor of Nash Central had an opportunity to scout the team that he will play for the Championship of the Nash County Christmas Tournament.  Coach Taylor got a real good look as he will face Rocky Mount in the Championship game Thursday night.

Rocky Mount had little trouble controlling this one from the get go and sail on into the championship game taking down the Firebirds 57-45.  This will be the second time this season the Gryphons will have faced a team on their home court trying to win a tournament as Rocky Mount beat Knightdale at Thanksgiving.

The consolation game in the girls bracket  was played tonight and the home team Nash Central took advantage of their own confines and wins the 3rd place game 53-42.

Thursday night's championship game both games with be videoed by WHIG-TV and the girls game will be shown this Sunday night.  The boys championship game will get air time on Sunday following Christmas. I will be behind the mic for both games.  There will be three games played Thursday as the 3rd place boys game kicks off the final day of the tournament with Northern Nash meeting Southern Nash.  The girls championship game takes center stage around 6:30 featuring the unbeaten Lady Knights of Northern Nash taking on once beaten Rocky Mount.  The tournament wraps up with the boys championship game after the girls wrap up featuring Nash Central and R ocky Mount.

Duke played for the first time tonight as the #1 basketball team in the nation and they played like a #1 team.  They had little trouble in Durham  against Cornell winning 88-47.  Last night the Pack took on a fairly good Stanford team and continue to show improvement.  This team works well when Lo Brown drives with the ball.  He opens up every body's game when he attacks the basket.

Bomb Shell From Red Oak

Every high school goes through peaks and valleys since the kids that play for you are from a zone on a county map.  There is not any recruiting of bringing one player from some where else to fill a need when you know that in up coming years where you are short on talent.  High schools that consistently win year after year can look at one thing and that is  coaching.

Northern Nash  has once since the the Nash County Board of Education added Nash Central to their high school roster has made a big push in the state football playoffs. Other wise they have been average to not so good.  It is odd to think that most of the football glory that Northern's has experienced was when they were in the 4-A class.  Since the down shift to 3-A football has been very inconsistant to say the least.

The Knights like the other schools of Nash County formed the NEW conference in 2005.  Northern dropped from 4-A that year and in the four years in the NEW conference went 8-38 having three straight 1-10 seasons.  During the four yours as a member of the Big East 3-A the Knights are 16-29 and they are just 7-13 in the Big East.

2010 is the only year in 3-A that the Knights had a winning record and they made it to the third round going 10-4. They had a new coach and it looked for sure that the tide had turned in Red Oak.  Six of the last eight years they have won two games or less.  All schools pride themselves and winning football is a major pride for the Knight's family.    Looking once again for a coach to bring back the glory to Death Valley the Knight's faithful prayers just may have been answered.

Today Northern Nash High school announced that Randy Raper has been hired to be their 4th coach this century.  Yes you read it right Randy Raper of Hunt High School.  What else could coach Raper do at Hunt.  His last two teams went undefeated in the regular season.

During the last four years since Hunt joined the Big East Hunt is 47-9.  They are 19-1 in Big East Conference play.  If you compare Hunt with Northern over the eight years that the Knights have been back in 3-A Hunt during the same time is 87-31 while the Knights are 24-67.

Raper  seeking a new challenge after spending almost all of his adult life at Hunt believes in hard nose football.  Run that football and throw if you must.  If you look at Raper's record at Hunt running the football will win you a lot of football games.  During those years when he had a quarterback that could throw if needed Hunt has been great.

I am sure all of the Northern Nash Knight fans are cheering in the streets at the opportunity that has fallen their way.  I am sure at Hunt the flags are at half mast over the shock.  Welcome Randy Raper to Nash County.  Welcome back Northern Nash.  You got a gem!

The Match Up Wanted

The opening round of the Nash County Christmas Tournament has produced opening night results that everyone wanted to see.  Unbeaten Northern Nash had all the wanted for a half from the home standing Lady Bulldogs of Nash Central but the second half was all Lady Knights as Northern rolls to a  Thursday night finals with a 51-29 victory.

Northern beat Rocky Mount in the opening round of the Christmas Tournament last year and then proceeded to lose to Rocky Mount four times for the rest of the season,  RM took the regular season game at RM.  The last game of the regular season RM over came a 14 point Northern lead to win at Northern.  One week later  again at Northern; RM won the Big East Tournament.  Then  one week later with all the marbles on the table with a trip to the Regional on the line Rocky Mount won the bigget game ever between the two schools.  There is no doubt Northern will be ready Thursday
night with practically the entire team back.

Rocky Mount opened the night by taking down Southern Nash 46-27.  Rocky Mount has one blemish on their record to date and that was a home lost to unbeaten South Central by three.  The Gryphons will have the best player in J'Kyra Brown but the question for RM will be if Brown gets enough help to compete with a Northern team which will play ten players.

The third game of the night the host Nash Central boys beat Northern Nash 66-52 to move into Thursday night finals.  They will not know who they will play until Wednesday night when Rocky Mount takes on Southern Nash. 

Wednesday night will start with the 3rd place girls game which will be the host Nash Central against Southern Nash and  then the Rocky Mount- Southern boys game.  Thursday will feature three games as the third place boys game will begin the night and then both the girls and boys championship games.   Both of the remaining nights will be playd at Nash Central

AP All State Team Has Two From Area

Tyquan Lewis of Tarboro High School and Lewis Neal of Hunt have made the Associated Press All State Football team.  Both players are defensive  players and both will play their college ball some place else other than in North Carolina.  Lewis is heading to Ohio State and Neal to LSU.

The Sandlappers of South Carolina beat North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl all star football game on Saturday 23-19..  Both Lewis and Neal played in the game.  Neal from his down lineman position had a sack and two pass bat downs in the game.

Duke has returned to the top spot in the latest college basketball poll after Indiana lost on Saturday to Butler.  This is the 16th year during the coach K coaching legacy at Duke that the Blue Devils have been #1 while he was their coach.  That is the NCAA record if that is a record that is kept up with.  Despite not losing last week Carolina fell to 22nd and State holds on to 25th in the latest voting.

The Carolina Panthers won their fifth game of the season yesterday beating the Chargers.  Today the Charlotte Observer ran and ad bought by Panther fans who own Personal license seating criticizing Jerry Richardson in his handling of the team.

From the get go this season RG3 and Andrew Luck have been bantered around as the only candidates for Rookie of the year.  Hold the phone folks but Russell Wilson just might be the best rookie in the NFL this year.  He has tossed 21 tds and only had 9 ints and Seattle is in position to make the playoffs.

If you look at the way the schedule is set up in the NFL it is hard  to figure who is the best team because if you look at all of them  nobody that has beaten this season more than two teams with winning records.  You play six division games and then ten teams.  The average NFL team plays ten teams per season with losing records and that leaves only six games against winning teams .  If you beat all the losers and half of your so called tough games you can go 12-4 13-3.

If I had to pick right now Denver would be my odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl.  In the last five years Denver has had  a decent defense but their offense has kept the defense in trouble all the time and it has been hard to tell about their defense.  With Peyton Manning the defense is seldom in trouble because of the lack  of their offense.  Would not shock me to see the Redskins in the Super Bowl.  You know when your backup quarterback wins with ease  it must mean the Redskins are a good team.

Nash County Tournament This Week

Rocky Mount boys basketball team heads into the Nash County Tournament as the only boys team still undefeated.  The Gryphons disposed of the Rampants of Rose High Friday night 56-42.  They will meet  Southern Nash in the opening round Wednesday night. 

The other boys game will feature Northern Nash and Nash Central.  The Knights have a 500 record as they face off against the Bulldogs at Nash Central.  Already the Knights have put 4 games in the win column after having won only once all of last season.  This week will tell the Knights how far they have improved since last season and will give them a good look at just how well they may do when conference starts

The Lady Gryphons had little problem with Rose on Friday winning 76-40.  They will take on Southern Nash Tuesday night at Nash Central.  The Lady Gryphons lone loss was at the hands of South Central who still remains unbeaten on the season.  Everyone totally expects Northern Nash Lady Knights to be waiting Thursday night but they must first meet the home team Nash Central.  The Lady Knights remain undefeated and they have not had a fourth quarter yet that they were pushed.  I think they are averaging winning by about 40 per contest.  The Nash County Tournament is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Nash Central.

Still no official word yet on the new football coach at Northern.  I think you might be hearing the word first part of the week.

Carolina struggles to beat ECU in the Dean Dome.  I don't know how many years Roy Williams has left as coach of the Tar Heels but Jeff Lebo sure did look mighty comfortable sitting on the bench while he and Roy Williams talked before the game.  There is no doubt for Carolina fans this years team does not have that big man under the basket  with nine foot arms that can swat any shot up close to the basket away.

State is beginning to look more like the team everyone expected this year.  If they are lacking one thing  it is that big man which I just talked about Carolina didn't have.  If State did they would be awesome.   All the hype this year about the three incoming freshman the least talked about was T J Warren.  He is by far the best of the three.

Tonight I will be appearing with Wes Bradshaw on WHIG-TV during their All New Sports Show at 8.00pm.  We were suppose to wrap up the high school football season and we will probably do that but our focus will now be more on the life of Charles Austin.  If you have satellite remember it will be streamed on WHIG.Com.  I think Wes is planning to open up the telephone lines and let everyone tell their tales about how Charles effected their lives.

He Made An Impact

Today many in this area especially those from the sports community will be saying good bye to a friend.  Charles Alston was a 1976 graduate of Rocky Mount Senior High School.  Early on he helped with the afternoon edition of the Evening Telegram. This last year he helped with the Nashville Graphics.  His main job was working in the Home and Garden department at Sears.  He worked at Sears so long that as the elder statesman who  got to pick first on which day off you took each week and you can bet if there was something important going on concerning the Rocky Mount Gryphons that was Charle's day off. He planned vacation around State Championship weekends just in case one of our teams was there.

He never married and his life away from work was the Gryphons.  Any sports record that you might know about anything to do with the Gryphons Charles Alston is the person who researched it to come up with that stat.  Charles goal was he wanted to have a stat on any sport about Rocky Mount High that there was a history to look up.  He spent hours pouring through the archives at Braswell Library for box scores of baseball games.  Do you know how much time that must take and Charles was no where near finished?

2001 First Media decided to start doing all football, basketball and baseball games of Rocky Mount High.  Having only moved here in 1995 I knew very little of the history.  Yes I knew of Danny Talbott, Phil Ford  and the likes but I knew nothing of the Hank Jones's of Rocky Mount history.  My very first broadcast of Gryphon basketball I had Charles as my halftime guest and as long as there was Gryphon's on the radio Charle's was there with me.  later we changed over to the game of the week and included all schools of the area but for about four years Charles was my right hand man.

Coming back from a ball game one night Charles had recently started the Web site of Rocky Mount  and we talked about me doing an opinion  about once  a week on the site.  In August of 2008 Charles set me up with this blog and this has been a daily thing for me since.  On and average day now this site has grown to where around 125 people read this on a daily average.

What kind of an impact has Charles Alston had in the area.  If this blog  can be any indication my top three blog days as far as how many have look at it on a daily basis is telling.  The most viewed day was the 24 hours after the basketball team won the title in 2010.  550 people viewed this blog that day.  Just this year when both basketball teams played in Regional finals 499 hit this site.  The next week when the boys won their second title 475 people came to read my view.  Monday night and the next 24 hours there were 455 hits on this site the 4th biggest day.

I have read many people who would love to see something named for Charles and I am all for it.  The football press box at the Athletic Complex is one of the best press boxes for high schools in the state.  Yes the Gryphon's no longer play there but as the city tries to use that football facility and of course the Viking Down East Classic will be an annual event there.  NC Wesleyan after thought and the locker rooms are refurbished should use the Complex.  Charles Alston spend many a night there and I believe next year during the Viking Down East Classic would be a great time to name the press box in his name.