Those On Top Stay On Top

Both Nash Central boys and girls teams and Fike boys and girls are all tied in Big East conference play in second place. Neither plays each other this week so all they can do and win the games in front of them tonight and Friday and see how the seedings fall for next weeks tournament.

Fike girls held up their end of the bargain tonight as they hosted Northern Nash and win 51-37.  Fike ups their conference record to 6-3 while Northern slumps to 2-7.

The team with the worse matchup of the night the Fike boys host the top team the Knights of Northern Nash.  If Fike wants any part of second they need to knock off the top dogs at home.  It will not happen as the Knights win their ninth with out loss while Fike falls to 5-4 after losing at home 89-74.

Both Nash Central Bulldog teams need wins in the quest to finish second in the conference standings.  There is now an opening for the boys with the Golden Demons loss to Northern Nash at home.  The Hunt Warriors having one of those years that you like to forget  can play a spoiler and they gave the Bulldogs a fight but come up short as Nash Central 6-3 boys take over second in the Big East with one game to go after a 59-53 win over Hunt 2-7.

Hunt's Lady Warriors with two victories this week over the two teams ahead of them in conference play just might sneak in and grab second but they cannot afford a lost in either game this week if their hopes are to happen.  Nash Central 6-3 prevails 49-48 to stay tied with Fike and Friday is the end of the regular season.  Hunt falls to 4-5.

When they played in Rocky Mount the Firebirds almost won their first conference game so tonight hosting Rocky Mount this is Southern Nash's real chance.  The Gryphons will win their fourth game in nine tries and the Firebirds are  still winless after a Rocky Mount victory 58-44.

The Lady Gryphons as expected had little trouble staying undefeated and for the Lady Birds of Southern Nash winless at Rocky Mount goes to 9-0 while Southern drops to 0-9 after 57-18 game.

Not Much Left To Prove

Big East basketball heads into the final week with first place already determined so not much to play for right?  Are you kidding me?  Northern is having their best season since the dropdown back to 3A 12 years ago.  No team wants to lose any momentum that they have going so the chance for a perfect 10-0 must be their focus this week.

However the Knights are on the road twice heading to Fike who is tied for second an overall record can still get a high seed.  Northern 20-2 8-0 at Fike 15-6 5-3 tonight.  They finish at Rocky Mount.

Rocky Mount girls can go 10-0 and you would think they have the easiest possible schedule to win two this week.  They travel to Southern Nash tonight 0-8 and Northern 2-6 Friday night.  A lost to either or even playing poorly in either or both games  might slow down what has been a dominating momentum this season.

Those teams that look at this week as vital on the boys side are Fike and Nash Central.  Both are 5-3 and they will not meet this week.  So both have to take care of business and wait.

Nash Central 13-6 5-3 have two home games and they need to hold serve.  Tonight host Hunt and Friday invite Southern to the dog pound.  Fike 15-6 5-3 host Northern Nash and play at Hunt Friday.

The bottom of the division has Rocky Mount 3-5 7-10 at Southern Nash tonight host Northern Friday.  Hunt 3-5 6-15 starts the week tonight at Nash Central and host Fike Friday.  If Southern 0-8 is to win a conference game this year their best chance is tonight hosting Rocky Mount they finish the season Friday at Nash Central but host the tournament next Week.

The two girls teams fighting for second  oddly enough are The same as the boys Nash Central and Fike.  You would think the Lady Dogs 5-3 have the advantage with two home contest tonight hosting Hunt and Friday Southern.  Fike 5-3 host Northern tonight and finish on the road Friday at Hunt.

The back end of the division has a wide range. Hunt 4-4 realistically can still finish second starts tonight at Nash Central a Hunt victory at Nash Central and a win Friday hosting Fike and they really do have a shot.  Northern Nash 2-6 at Fike tonight and finish at Rocky Mount.  Southern 0-8 seeks to end a three year conference losing streak but they get Rocky Mount tonight and at Nash Central Friday.

Just Thinking

Many teams in football love to win the coin toss and kick off hoping by the end of the half they score and then receive the second half kickoff without the other team getting the ball and you might score 14 points

Basketball scoring at the end of the half and getting the ball first in  the second half really doesn't impact the game at all.

I think even Wolfpack basketball fans can see that this years basketball team is not very good.  I think one of the biggest problems the team is having is they still think they are good.  To me that is a bad combination when a team or person is in denial and will not accept reality.

When Smith is clicking you can see the other players standing around watching and when it is time to go play  defense after you have stood around on the offensive end they stand around on defense.

Division II baseball began their season this weekend. NC  Wesleyan baseball begins this Saturday and D1 baseball begins the 17th.

This area has Brian Goodwin playing for the Washington Nationals, Benton Moss in the minor league system of the Tampa Bay Rays. Collins Cuthrell who finished the baseball season last year in Kentucky trying to find a major league team is in graduate school at UNC Pembroke and on the baseball coaching staff joining Alex Pearce whom is coaching his second season.

Despite how much I hate New England Tom Brady  put on a show  the last 20 minutes of the Super Bowl.  His arm has to be about to fall off having tossed it 62 times.    Once again a pass play occurs that if the miracle catch doesn't happen  the Patriots never win.  The Edelman catch will become like the helmet catch as a play that will be shown millions of times in the future.

There is that old saying about experience and even though Matt Ryan won the MVP he made the bonehead play of the game when with about three minutes left in the game took a big time loss on a sack when the Falcon's were in field goal range to up their lead to 11.

Just think the missed extra point by New England after their first touchdown if it were made there would never have been overtime.

"Stayin Alive"

Today at NC Wesleyan the Battling Bishops in ninth place taking on Averitt who is just A half game out of first.  What adds spice to this game is that the entire Cougar coaching staff has a Bishop back ground.

Head coach David Doino served seven years in the  Bishops coaching staff leaving for Cougarland at the end of the 2014 season.  Assistant coach Cornelius Snow graduated from Wesleyan after the 2013 year after playing four years of Bishop Basketball three years making all conference.  David Gurganus another Bishop basketball player who graduated after the 2014 season.


Down on the end of the bench is student assistant Michael Brackett who is a 2012 graduate of Northern Nash.  Brackett is a rather known name on the Wesleyan campus as dad John Brackett has coach softball for 25 years.  Rocky Mount may Remember Michael as a Northern Nash guard during Northern's last game in the old Gryphon gym put up a ten foot rebound shot at the buzzer which was Rocky Mount's last lost during their 2012  state championship run.

The largest crowd of the season was on hand which saw a  fast paced action.  Bishops Adrian Moore saddled with three early fouls  could scored four first half points but the Bishops managed a 33-29 half time lead.

Moore came  out on fire in the second half and scored 11 quick points and in doing so became the 18th Bishop to hit a 1000 point for the Plymouth native.

The lead stayed consistently around 10 pointd and the Bishops bring home their fourth conference victory of the year beating Averitt 71-59.  The Bishops don't pass anybody in the standing but are now in a tie for 8th.

Moore finished with 21 points, Justin Tankelewicz added 13.  Moore led the Bishops with 10 rebounds.

The Bishops have five games left in this season the next three on the road.  In order to make the season ending tournament the Bishops need to win  least four.

The News is not as good for the Lady Bishops as they took on the Top team in the league Ferrum and lost 69-52.  The season ends next Sunday and the Ladies have three games to play.   They need to win all three and hope.

Lady Gryphons Clinch Regular Season

If there has ever been a year a  team took the conference by the horns and threw everyone to the side this has turned out  to be the year.  Tonight the Lady Gryphons took the last team that could take the regular season title away from them and tossed them to the shame of having to finish the game with a running clock.  Rocky Mount 76- Fike 35.  Rocky Mount goes to 8-0 while Fike fell to 5-3.

The victory gives the Lady Gryphons the regular season title and the number one seed in the conference tournament as well as the top seeding representing the Big East when the playoffs start rolling

Nash Central got  back into a tie with Fike after They beat Northern Nash 37-26.  The Lady Bulldogs go to 5-3  whole the Lady Knights fall to  2-6

Rocky Mount is not in the habit of doing favors for their bitter rivals but Rocky Mount needs victories to improve their winning percentage with the upcoming playoffs.  Tonight the Gryphons improve their record upsetting Fike 83-79.  Rocky Mount ups their conference record to 3-5 while Fike falls to 5-3.

Northern Nash knew that they could eliminate Nash Central from any chance of taking away the regular season top seed from them by knocking off the Bulldogs and they did 62-43.  What they didn't know is that victory would clinch The regular season as their good friends Rocky Mount would see to that.

It is the Knights 10th win in a row and 20th in the season but most importantly they are 8-0 in the Big East  and both Nash Central
and Fike at 5-3 cannot take the top seed from the Knights.

Hunt boys stay even with Rocky Mount as they kept Southern Nash winless winning in Bailey 79-71.

Saturday is a day of opportunity for  both of the basketball teams at NC Wesleyan.  The men have a home game at 2pm.  They stand 4-5 or ninth place and they play Averitt a team at 6-3 in the USA Conference standing is just a half game out of first.  A big chance to gain ground on all those ahead of the Bishops.  A lost and they could fall further away from any postseason.

The girls are on the road but they are in the same boat as the guys.  They stand in fifth two games out of fourth and the last playoff spot in the eastern division.  4pm Saturday They are at Ferrum who leads the east.  Same story here as it is either win or not making the playoffs.

Super Bowl 51

Two teams are playing in the Super Bowl that in August neither team seemed possible to make the Super Bowl.  Almost a year past before the four game suspension came down banning Tom Brady for his part in deflate Gate.

Those who call Tom Brady the greatest quarterback in NFL history predicted doom and gloom for the Patriots during his four game vacation but in fact they went 3-1 and lost their number two quarter back and had to finish up the four games with their third team quarterback under center and went 3-1.

If they can go 3-1 without him why should they not dominate the worse division in football the AFC North with him back.  Back under center for the last 12 games the Pat's go 11-1.

So with home field advantage the Pat's dominate their two playoff  rivals and Tom Brady heads to his 7th Super Bowl.  Looking back I wonder would Tom Brady be the Tom Brady we know today if the tuck rule had of been called  a fumble which it really was?

Last year at this time the NFC South Champs the Carolina Panthers were headed to the Super Bowl.  They had won their third straight division title.  A dynasty was in the making as Can Newton finally had blossomed into the best player in the NFL.  The Panthers with a good mix of young and old probably will become the next New England Patriots.

Free agent departures and early on the NFL allowed other teams to use Cam Newton for target practice and the Atlanta Falcons take advantage and are the second straight in a row NFC South team in the Super Bowl. Their quarterback just might win the MVP award and the Falcons are the top scoring team in football.

Who wins? Bill Bellicheat has the ability of taking away the other teams best player and for the Falcons that's Julio Jones. Do the Pats have any one who can cover him.  If they can stop him what about the rest of the best offense in football.  I don't think they can stop Jones but the next best stopper will be the quarterback.  Don't give him time to throw to anybody.

I see this as a high scoring game.  I see no reason that New England Patriots don't win this game. I don't know if it is my dislike for the Pats organization or my dislike of Mr Brady.  I think the Falcons win 38-35.  I also have the feeling just like last year with Cam.  The Patriots defense will disrupt Matt Ryan enough that Brady and company Win.  New England 38 Atlanta 28. I sure will hate it!

Buffett Of Big East Action

Cheerleading in recent years has become Big  time Sport.  Recently Northern Nash wins the Big East Cheerleading Championship by a score of 78.7 to Hunts 77.8. I don't know how you score cheerleading  but I don't care what kind of system is used, .9 is close.  Southern Nash finished third 74.4 followed by Rocky Mount 69.6, Fike 67 and Nash Central 36.7

Destini Morton of Rocky Mount was named Cheerleader of the Year.  The All Conference team is Hailey Thomas, Keilah Moore, Princess Anstead and Princess Hendson all of Northern Nash. Hunt's reps are Alexis Bailey,Abria Blunt and Katilyn  Kirby.

Southern Nash has Cierra Jernigan, Kayleigh Denton and Kasie Webb.  Rocky Mount has two others besides the cheerleader of the year in Taylor Lutrell and Quaneshia Hardy.  Fike's members are Brittany Mitchell and Payton Callaway.  Nash Central has Promise Atkinson representing the Bulldogs.

Last night Rocky Mount played in non conference basketball at 4A South Central.  The Lady Gryphons struggled to score but they have one constant area is defense.  Lady gryphons win their 15th game 40-37.  The boys were never in their game losing 64-32

Tuesday night was the opening of the duel wrestling 1st and 2nd rounds of the state championships and Southern Nash lost their opening match 36-40.  Fike won their first match but took on the home team Orange and lost 45-36 in the second.

Northern Nash boys and Rocky Mount girls are trying to make this a boring basketball season. Northern Boys 19-2 7-0 can clinch at least a tie if they beat Nash Central 13-5 5-2 Friday night.  The Gryphon girls 15-2 7-0 can clinch the regular season title if they beat Fike.  If they do every member of  the Big East would have three losses with two to play.  If Fike wins then it is an interesting final week.

Fike boys 15-5 5-2 travel to Rocky Mount 6-10 2-5.  Hunt 5-15 2-5 is at Southern Nash  5-16 0-7.   Hunt girls15-5 3-4 take on the Lady Birds 3- 15 0-7.  Nash Central 10-8 4-3 finished the Friday schedule at Northern 7-13 2-5.

Last night the Lady Bishops best Methodist 71-57 to run their record in conference to 4-5.  They are a game and a half out of fourth and a playoff spot.