Friday Night Tears

We all as fans want our team to do well in every game they play. People become so tunnel visioned that they become obsessed. Once the mountain top has been toppled you find that those you pull for the hardest wanted what you wanted just as much as you did. I have heard from many that say they saw B W Holt with tears in his eyes Friday night. Don't you think it has been a burden on his shoulders to think he has in his career been with one hand on the mountain top seven times but never get to the top to even pull himself onto the top. I wish I could have been there to enjoy B W and his Eagles in their moment of glory. Just think what a great decision Beth Covolo made just two years ago bringing Holt to RMA. I bet the crowd there Friday night pulling for the Eagles is bigger than all crowds put together at a RMA home games in the last six years. As a child I never understood why my daddy got so much joy from getting one pair of socks for Christmas. Those there Friday night to bask in the glory for B W Holt got a Chrismas present in watching his joy. 248 teams opened play Friday night in all eight NC High School playoffs. It was 124 games played Friday night. Many of you know I despise five games to win the state title. There are simply too many teams in the playoff who don't deserve to be there and when they get to where ever the game is being played to go home in a short order of business getting the living day lights beat out of them. Friday night there were 26 games where the winning team scored 50 or more. Of those seven scored at least 60. There was even a playoff game Friday night in which the winners put a 70 spot on the board. That works out to 18% of the games were laughers. If the playoffs were reduced to four games almost all of the first round games would have been more like Rocky Mount 8-3 at Orange 10-1. To me that is a playoff first round game not Rocky Mount Prep losing 62-0 after having won only two games. Here is another desturbing number twenty games the winners won by more than 40 points. Why do we have to keep enduring these pitiful games. I would love to see how many people were in attendance to these games when everyone knew before the game was played it shouldn't be played. We got rid of the POD system which was a great thing for those in 4-3-and 2-A playoff games. Let's reduce to four playoff games where everyone thinks his team has a shot in the opening round because they are good enough to be there not because we need a filler team. That doesn't do any good for the winning team and it makes a bad team have to endure another crushing loss.

Eight Is Enough

It took B W Holt eight tries to ever make it to a state championship game but when he got to his first he had his team ready to win it. RMA almost scored on the opening kickoff and stuck it home to take the lead. By halftime RMA lead and then Holt had to think I have been here before. Nursing a 36-30 lead and all his Eagles had to do was run out the clock you have to think that some where in the mind of this football coaching legend he had to think back just five years ago his Rocky Mount Gryphons team nursing a 19-14 lead against West Craven and driving for one more score and the dreaded fumble and a WC td late. Not tonight however as the RMA Eagles stick a state championship touchdown on the board in the last two minutes to beat the defending eight man football championship 42-30 over Southampton Academy. An estimated crowd of Twenty five hundred were in the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex to see HOLT and the Eagles win their first state title together. Rocky Mount Prep first ever playoff game will be one to remember a 62-0 loss to SE Halifax. Hunt the top seed from the Big East over came a slow start to win their opening playoff game beating Terry Sanford 35-14. Fike over came a 0-26 score and scored three touchdowns the last three minutes of the third quarter to beat Lee County 41-26. Southern Nash fell behind early but romped in the end 51-22 over Swansboro. Tarboro in a cakewalk advanced to the second round with a 52-0 win over Spring Creek. North Edgecombe loses 40-22 to East Columbus. Rocky Mount will be the only Big East team to lose as they fall at Orange 31-3. they knew they had a toughie but SouthWest Edgecombe failed to score in a 40-0 lost to the top seeded T W Andrews. The end of this week has turned the future of several local girls sports stars. Rocky Mount basketball player Carmen Richardson has signed to play basketball at Queens College in Charlotte with her former high school teammate Tia Hudgins. Richardson as a sophomore was the third leading scorer behind J Kyra Brown and Hudgins. As a junior she moved up to second behind Brown but this year she will be expected to take the lead on this year's Gryphon girls team. Over at Northern Alexis Hill has signed with Gardner-Webb where she will play basketball. Hill the last two years has been the main engine to a high powered Lady Knight basketball team having averaged over the last two years 12.9 points. Jessica Ricks a Lady Knight center fielder who just might be the best hitter in the history of Northern Nash hit over 550 last year and she has all next spring to hit some more before she heads to App State.

We Might Find Out About Duke

When you look at the seven wins that Duke has the Virginia Tech win is the the star on their cap. Saturady the Southern Nash of the ACC Miami rolls in to Durham and what do I mean by that is the injured Hurricanes who has had plenty of wind shear to calm the Hurricanes down as the season has grown into November. Last week I was 5-3 which runs me to 52-22 on the college perdiction business. Miami at Duke: You have to give it to the Devils as they have thrown 7 ints in the last two games and won both. This is the Blue devils last home game of the year and a win here elevates this season even higher with every added win. I think this is their last lost of the season until the Bowl game. Miami 31 Duke 26 Georgia Tech at Clemson: You know Clemson can still work it's way into a BCS Bowl game if they don't lose again this year and I suspect they won't lose this week. Clemson 46 Georgia tech 26. Didn't realize that this was Thursday night game. N C State at Boston College. Before the season started this was already in the win column for the Pack but the rotatation quarterbacks for State continue to see who can play worse than the other. Boston College 27-24 Syracuse at Florida State: This is last real good chance for anybody to derail the Noles. Will be interesting to see if the Cuse defense can slow them down or if all the negative pub this week hurts the Noles. I doubt it FSU 38 Syracuse 20 North Carolina at Pitt: This game will surely show us whether Carolina has improved or caught the slack part of their schedule at the right time. Pitt 31 Carolina 28 Maryland at Virginia Tech: Go Gobblers beat the quitters VT 31 Maryland 17 North Carolina Wesleyan at Methodest: The religious folks are good Meth 38 NCW 23 It seems as if the Big East is the second best soccer conference in the east behind the Coastal with Jacksonville. After Hunt had beaten the other Coastal team White Oak looked as if somebody from the Big East just might beat Jacksonville in the eastern Finals. No way Jax 6- Hunt 1.

First Round Picks

Sure does help to be a high seed in any playoff because that gets you matched up in the early rounds with teams that are about halfway shocked that they made the playoffs. Last week I was 6-1 missing only the Fike loss so for the regular season finished 76-13 on the year. As they say "playoffs start a new year" so let's see where these playoffs are going. East Columbus 4-7 @ North Edgecombe 5-5: This is one of those games where neither team has played the same team during the year so how do you pick such a game. EC has allowed 408 points during the season so do I think the Warriors can score in this one? I sure do North Edgecombe 28 East Columbus 14 Moving up to 1AA Spring Creek at Tarboro: This is one of those games in which the playoffs need to be cut back to four games instead of five. More bad can happen for Tarboro than good. Nothing could be worse than getting an important player hurt in a 45-0 playoff game and can't play rest of the playoffs. I'll take the Vikings with ease. SouthWest Edgecombe: What a reward for being in the playoffs. You get the best team in the tournament first game. SWE 5-6 travels to T W Andrew 10-1 who's only loss all year was the first game of the season to a much larger school. The Cougar defense had better be ready as Andrews has scored at least 35 in ten of eleven games. Andrews 42 SWE 22 Southern Nash 8-3 @ Swansboro 8-3: Oh boy Swansboro is in the league with West Craven, Jacksonville and the likes. I keep hearing rumors that the Firebirds are beginning to get some folks back and if that is true they could be a sleeper in the 3-A race because we all know that the Firebirds were my pick to win the Big East until all those injuries. I like the Birds in a slugfest 36-32 over Swansboro. Fike 10-1 at Lee County 9-2: If the Big East is as good as they think they are then Fike should go handle this one in a close game. This truly is a game of which conference is better because these are two #2's colliding. Fike 31 Lee County 28 Terry Sanford 4-7 at Hunt 8-3: If Hunt has their game face on this is a no brainer. But after beating Fike they could be flat and this game could be closer than needed. Hunt 35 Terry Sanford 21. Rocky Mount 8-3 at Orange 10-1: If Rocky Mount has penalties like they had last week kiss this one good bye. Here we are again looking at the strength of the conferences of these two teams. I don't get any feeling from the Gryphon fan base that they have a chance hitting the road in the opening round. They are could be right Orange 26 Rocky Mount 17 Southampton Academy at Rocky Mount Academy at Rocky Mount Sports Complex. State private school state championship on the line in eight man football. Southampton handled the Eagle at Southampton already this year. Now this one is in Rocky Mount where I hope a big crowd is following the Eagles. Holt and company earn respect but not a title Southampton 34 RMA 28.

The Old Ball Coach Just Might Finally Get One

2009 B W Holt retired as the head coach at Rocky Mount High School.  His last day as the head football coach he walked away with 321 victories in his back pocket.  Funny thing but Holt's coaching career and my radio career crossed paths in 1974 when he was the coach in Franklinton an  I worked at WPTM radio in Roanoke Rapids as we covered Weldon and on that night Holt did not collect one of those 321 wins.

While covering the Gryphons on the radio here in Rocky Mount Holt gave me the opportunity to watch film with him and you learn a lot about a coach when you see him stop the film and start diagraming plays that would work against the defense being shown on the film.  Not only could you see this man is a real coach but his teams he put on the field would convince anybody he could coach.

His ability to coach and win games  makes people appreciate his coaching ability.  Somewhere Holt has that ability that those players who play for him or people who he touches on a daily basis some how some way become devoted to him.  Yes he has a crust on the outside and for those who don't know him feel he is brash.  Yet those who are able to get under that crust find Holt devoted to those around him.  His devotion to them is handed back to him ten fold.

I don't know whether Starmount is in the state playoffs this year or not.  If they are out of the playoffs I will bet you there will be a delegation from Starmount here Friday night.  Those people still love him today for what he did for their program for 19 years. You know the Gryphons are on the road Friday night as they travel to Orange County.  The Gryphons are under dogs in the opening playoff game and I know die hard Gryphons will be in Hillsbourgh.  I believe since this game between RMA and Southampton Academy is being played at the sports complex instead of at the Academy there will be many Gryphon fans who are not going to Hillsbourgh but they will be at the Complex pulling for B W.

As for me I have to be in a Buies Creek for the final home game for Campbell volleyball Friday night.  Would love a rainout Friday so I could be there Saturday at the Sports Complex to see Holt try to win that elusive  state title. The man deserves a title.  I don't care whether it's eight man or Eighth grade a state title is a state title and 69 year old B W a Holt deserves one.

Having  already lost to Southampton by 32 points points earlier this year the Eagles will be big time under dogs in this game. Once again over whelming odds will be against him winning a title. Yet, once again B W Holt has a team playing late in the football season. Any man who can coach like he can needs at least one title. Go get him one Eagles!

Are The Panthers For Real?

Just a month and a half ago all of us Carolina Panther fans had relegated ourselves to another season lost.  In five short weeks the Panthers have won five games in a row and most of those five have been the butt kicking kind like 38-0 over the Giants.  Here is the good news about this win streak.  It has been lead by the defense.  With the exception of the Broncos just about every division leader has a good defense first.

Cam Newton has shown improvement but this winning streak is not totally  Cam.  Yes, the offense has a running game which helps Newton.  There is however a major change in the Panther approach with Newton.  They have cut down on the length  of Newton's passes.  They have gone to the ten yards down field instead of show us how far you can throw it and those passes were incomplete.

Earlier in the lost to Buffalo where the Bills drove 90 yards in less than two minutes the Panthers were a simple play zone and hope they don't throw one over our heads.  That is called a prevent defense and all that prevents is you winning the game.

Somewhere along the way the Panthers changed the direction the offense was going and the way the defense attacked the other teams offense.  More pressure instead of laying back and when you look what both sides of the ball have done in improving this team looks like a real contender.

If the playoffs started your Carolina Panthers would be the number five seed and travel to Dallas. As you know every week who's in and who's out changes.  There is one thing that should give all Panther fans hope as with seven weeks to go the Panthers are a healthy team.

The hope of every NFL team is win enough games to make the playoffs and if we get hot we just might win the Super Bowl.  Most of the time the hot team is the healthiest team left in the playoffs. Let's all hope the Panthers stay healthy.  If they do they might just surprise us all and make the playoffs.

New Format Does No Favors For Big East

We all wanted to get rid of the POD and that wish was granted.  The results will not favor the Big East. I would like to say that there is no perfect way when there are more teams in any playoff and there are several not deserving to be in it.  I do however favor this method being used where all the conference champions are seeded by record And then the second place and so forth.

Hunt is the only conference member that will be favored in their first round game and as conference champs draw the only home game.  They will host Terry Sanford from  Fayetteville who brings in a 4-7 record.  Sanford is one of those traditional 4-A schools similar to Rocky Mount that has dropped to 3-A with all the new schools built in Fayetteville reducing their size.

If there is one team that can say who did we make mad is Fike.  Ten and one one this season  and they don't even get to play home the first game as they travel to Lee County who will host with a nine and two record.

Rocky Mount will travel to Hillsbourgh to take on Orange who stands at ten and one while the Gryphons will come in eight and three.  You have to give it to Jason Batle as his first two years as Gryphon coach has produced 16 victories.  Number 17 will be hard to come by.

Southern Nash travels to Swansboro who is another one of those coastal schools growing due to the rush of people to live at the beach.  Topsoil is another of those schools that recently were either 1-A. Or 2-A that has moved up while most in this area are dropping.  There is one thing this year the Big East can do is prove as they have in the past that they are the best football conference in the east and win. two or more games next weekend.

Hunt has made it all the way to the Eastern Finals in Soccer. As they beat White Oak 2-1 to advance to meet Jacksonville later this week for the right to go the the State Finals

The college basketball season ifs off and running and the Louisville Cardinals are off to a good start as North Edgecombe basketball player Montrezl Harrell played  33 minutes for the Cardinals and scored ten points and had ten rebounds.  Montrezl as a sophomore was named one of the tri-captains of the team with two other senior players.