Tyler expected to start first game at West Hills CC

Former Rocky Mount quarterback Jason Tyler seemingly has made the best of his cross-country journey to West Hills Community Collge in California.

According to reports from his father Rossie and the local newspaper covering West Hills, The Coalinga Record, Tyler, who listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, will be under center when the Falcons hit the field for their season opener Saturday at home against Foothills C.C.

Sadly, Tyler's former teammates who went with him to the California school, C.J. Ford and Demetric Marshall, have left the program. Ford is reportedly headed to St. Augustine's in Raleigh while Marshall's destination is not known.

To read the article on Tyler and West Hills' scrimmage, click here!

RMHS' Langston headed to Shrine Bowl

Although the 2007 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas won't announce its player rosters for another two months or so, one Rocky Mount High student knows that he will be on the field at Wofford College's Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. on Dec. 15.

Rocky Mount senior Braden Langston is one of two high school student trainers in the state selected to assist the North Carolina squad in the 71st edition of the contest. The son of Joe and Brigitte Langston, the 18-year-old has been a student trainer under longtime head Gryphon trainer Bernie Capps for four years.

Langston, who was born and raised in Rocky Mount, will join Wilson Hunt student trainer Pam Hughes on the North Carolina sideline.

"This is such an honor because I was one of two out of 95 in the state to be chosen for this opportunity," said Langston, who has narrowed his college choices for next year to East Carolina, Barton College and Elon University. "It really feels good to know that I was chosen to be one of two students that gets to take care of the best high school football players in North Carolina. I just hope we don't have any serious injuries."

Fellow RMHS student trainer Addison Teachey got Langston interested in being a student trainer.

"Addison called me up one day before we started our freshman year to come out with him to the football field, and out I came," said Langston, who professes a love for not only football, but golf and track, too. "We fell in love with student training and Mr. Capps has been a wonderful role model for us."

As a N.C. Athletic Trainer associate, he has attended training camps in Greensboro the last four summers. Of the eight who were in the camp's advanced class, Langston and Hughes were ranked as the top two.

He was also chosen to serve as a student trainer at this past summer's N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star Football Game. Nothing could have been better for him than to work with the East team where fellow Gryphons Kendall Noble and Nazir Levine were starters.

But as luck would have it, he was assigned to the West squad instead.

"The first varsity sport I ever watched was Rocky Mount football," said Langston, who will likely take his skills to the college football sidelines.

"The team was pretty good, but when I saw guys getting hurt, I wanted to be on the sidelines and help them out. When I was asked to come out and work on the sidelines, it was like I had found my career in athletic training."

Three Gryphon fall sports teams are ranked

Rocky Mount's football, girls tennis and boys soccer teams are all currently ranked in the Top 10 in statewide polls.

The football team is third in the most recent NCPreps/Rivals.com 3-A poll. The girls tennis team is 10th in the North Carolina High School Tennis Coaches Association 3-A poll, while the boys soccer team is sitting in the No. 8 spot in the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A Boys Soccer poll.

Here are all three polls:

NCPreps/Rivals 3-A Football Poll

1. Western Alamance (1-0)
2. Charlotte Catholic (1-0)
3. Rocky Mount (1-0)
4. A.L. Brown (1-0)
5. Hertford Co. (1-0)
6. Concord (0-0)
7. NE Guilford (0-0)
8. North Gaston (1-0)
9. SW Edgecombe (0-0)
10. Sun Valley (1-0)
11. Dudley (1-0)
12. T.C. Roberson (1-0)
13. NW Cabarrus (1-0)

(Honorable Mention): Andrews, T.W. (0-0), Anson County (1-0), Asheville High (0-0), Franklin (1-0), Glenn (1-0), Harnett Central (1-0), Hickory (0-0), Olympic (1-0), South Point (0-0), SE Guilford (0-0), West Iredell (1-0), West Rowan (1-0)

NCHSTCA 3-A Girls Tennis Poll

1. Hickory
2. Ragsdale
3. Charlotte Catholic
4. Union Pines
5. Wilson Fike
6. Burlington Williams
7. T.C Roberson
8. Rocky Mount
9. Southwest Guilford
10. Southern Alamance

N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A Boys Soccer Poll

1. Lake Norman
2. Jacksonville
3. Western Guilford
4. T.C. Roberson
5. Forestview
6. Rutherfordton-Spindale Central
7. Asheville
8. Union Pines
9. Charlotte Catholic
10. Rocky Mount
11. SW Guilford
12. Western Alamance
13. Hickory
14. Wilson Fike
15. Glenn
15. Porter Ridge

Sinclair matches RMHS return stat of 2006

- RMHS senior Donovan Sinclair

As offensive-minded as Rocky Mount's 2006 football team was, it only recorded one punt return for a touchdown the whole season.

Senior Anthony Smith scooted 60 yards on a punt return to paydirt at Wilson Hunt at a crucial time in that 21-7 Gryphon win. RMHS had trailed 7-0 at halftime and it could have been 10-0 if not for a certain blocked field goal attempt.

Rocky Mount tied it on an 86-yard scoring jaunt by Demetric Marshall, and Smith's return got the Gryphons their first lead.

Friday night, lightning sorta struck again in the Gryphons' favor. Senior Jacobi Jenkins blocked a key extra point attempt by Hunt that kept the game tied late at 20-all.

Guess who also registered that key FG block last season against Hunt? None other than Jenkins, who has received a scholarship offer from East Carolina.

Minutes later, senior Donovan Sinclair delivered an electrifying 65-yard punt return with 1:09 left in the game to give the Gryphons the lead. Senior Emmanuel Davis delivered the crushing block that sprung Sinclair to his dance down the sideline past his teammates for the score - matching last year's team's lone punt return TD.

Rocky Mount's Tom Suiter, Football Friday

- Rocky Mount's Tom Suiter

Since Rocky Mount native son Tom Suiter started "Football Friday" on Raleigh's WRAL TV5, haven't you high school football fans ever wondered how he and his staff can put together a show of highlights so quickly after the players have left the field?

Most games end around 10 p.m., and yet, come 11:35, he and his crew have clips from 25-to-28 games from the Triangle eastward ready to show you.

Suiter, who grew up just blocks away from Rocky Mount High, has detailed the events that go on every week to get "Football Friday" on the air.

Click here to read his WRAL.com blog entry about producing "Football Friday." .

Holt at 295 and counting ...

With the Gryphons' win Friday night, head coach B.W. Holt moved to 295 victories for his career.

I have been doing some number crunching to find the all-time coaching records in the state of North Carolina. Here are the great coaches who are ahead of Holt:

TOP SIX N.C. HS FOOTBALL COACHES - total victories

1. 380 - Jack Holley (Tabor City, South Columbus, Hallsboro, Wallace-Rose Hill - 44 seasons; 380-89-9)

2. 359 - Bob Paroli (Benson, Jacksonville, Fike, Cummings, Douglas Byrd, Seventy-First - 49th season; 359-164-11)

3. 334 - Tom Brown (Bunker Hill, Maiden - 39th season; 334-108-7)

4. 305 - Daryl Allen (Ahoskie, Hertford County - 36 seasons; 305-118)

5. 301 - Babe Howell (Sylva-Webster/Smoky Mountain, Avery County - 46 seasons; 301-122-6)

6. 295 - B.W. Holt (SW Randolph, Franklinton, Starmount, Tennessee High (Tn.), West Montgomery, Rocky Mount - 38th season; 295-109-2)

Paroli, Brown and, of course, Holt are still actively coaching. Paroli is at Seventy-First and Brown is at Maiden. Holt is the baby in this bunch having just turned 63, while Paroli, I believe, is 75, and Brown is 64. Brown announced in January of 2003 that he would coach five more years - so this may be his last season at Maiden.

Northampton-East-Rocky Mount football box score

- Junior WR Keith Strickland

Game 1: Aug. 17

Rocky Mount 44, Northampton-East 0

Northampton-East 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0

Rocky Mount 7-14-13-10 -- 44

NH-E
RM

First downs
5
19

Rushes-yards
32-65
41-256

Passing
5
93

Comp-Att-Int
3-8-0
4-9-1

Fumbles Lost
0
1

Penalties-Yards
3-25
9-61

Total Plays-Yards
39-70
50-349

SCORING SUMMARY

1st quarter
RM – Hagans 16 run (Hahula kick), 1:59 (5 plays, 43 yds.)

2nd quarter
RM – Jenkins 12 run (Hahula kick), 11:15 (4-55)
RM – Hahula 9 run (Hahula kick), 7:24 (5-26)

3rd quarter
RM – C. Berry 4 run (Hahula kick), 5:35 (9-29
RM – Farmer 10 run (kick failed), 1:09 (6-39)

4th quarter
RM – Strickland 49 pass from Bunn (Hahula kick), 9:10 (3-39)
RM – FG 41 Hahula, 0:29.3 (9-46)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – NH-E: L Ashe 9-32; J. Long 9-22; J. Deloatch 4-7; J. Boone 1-3; R. Bishop 4-(-2). RM: Nick Hahula 10-85 (TD); Marquavis Alston 7-53, Derek Hagans 8-46 (TD); Jacobi Jenkins 5-20 (TD); Hiawatha Bunn 2-18; Kendrick Boulware 2-15; Jerman Flowers 2-15; Atarius Farmer 1-10 (TD); #39 2-3; #30 1-0; Chirs Berry 3-(-9)(TD).

Passing – NH-E: J.Long 3-7-0 5. RM: Hiawatha Bunn 1-2-0 49 (TD); Chris Berry 3-7-1 44.

Receiving – NH-E: J. Deloatch 1-3, L. Ashe 2-2. RM: Keith Strickland 3-92 (TD); Jacobi Jenkins 1-1.

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Tackles:
#56 - Ezra Hudgins – 7
#32 - Emmanuel Davis – 7
#41 - Chris Pittman – 6
#61 – Jermaine Fields - 6
#52 - Aaron Barnes – 5
#55 – John Wells – 4
#90 – Nick Harrison - 2
#75 – Jarron Battle – 2
#23 – Atarius Farmer – 2
#51 – Jordan Cooper – 1
#4 – Hiawatha Bunn – 1
#45 – Darryl Cross – 1
#42 – Dedrick Silver - 1

Sacks:
#55 - John Wells – 1
#90 – Nick Harrison - 1

Fumble Recoveries:
None

Interceptions:
None

Pass Deflections:
#32 – Emmanuel Davis – 2

Touchdowns:
None

KICKING

PATs
5-6 – Nick Hahula

Field Goals
1-1 – Nick Hahula (41 yds.)

Touchbacks:
6-7 – Nick Hahula

Punting
1 – Chris Berry (48 yds. gross, 28 yds.net)

Hahula's performance turns back clock

Got a football trivia question for you?

Who was the last Rocky Mount place kicker to lead the Gryphons in rushing in a football game?

Junior fullback/kicker Nick Hahula led Rocky Mount in rushing with 10 carries for 85 yards Friday night in its 44-0 endowment win over Northampton-East. Hahula, in addition to six touchbacks, had five PATs, a career-high 41-yard field goal and scored on a 9-yard run. But place kickers rarely carry the ball that often for the Gryphons.

Got a clue on the question?

Well, if you're around 45 years old or so and a Rocky Mount football fan, then you would remember Rodney Birth.

Birth, a member of the RMHS Class of 1979, led the Gryphons in rushing several times his senior season while also serving as the team's place kicker and punter. In his final game for RMHS (a 10-7 first-round 4-A playoff loss to Eastern Wayne in 1978), he led the Gryphs in rushing with 15 carries for only 40 yards. But it was his ability to boom punts that earned him a scholarship as a punter at N.C. Central.

He's still in the football business now as an assistant coach at CIAA member Virginia Union, where former RMHS lineman Chauncey Perry currently plays and will be a possible starter at center.

2007 NEW 6 Conference Preseason Football Poll

1. Rocky Mount (4) 22 pts.
2. Nash Central (3) 21 pts.
3. SW Edgecombe (1) 16 pts.
4. Wilson Fike (1) 15 pts.
T5. Northern Nash (1) 8 pts.
T5. Southern Nash 8 pts.

Football on the air!

- WRMT 1490's Wes Bradshaw and WZAX 99.3's Dave Richmond

If you like to listen to high school football on the radio, then you will be on Cloud 9 the next few months.

WZAX 99.3 FM will carry the "Game of the Week" broadcast each Friday starting two days from now with the Wilson Beddingfield @ Northern Nash game.

Gone is Tony Doughtie from the booth. He will be replaced by Dave Richmond, a one-time football coach at the N.C. School for the Deaf. He will join longtime radio personality Paul Andre in calling all the games.

Here is this season's Game of the Week schedule:

8/17 - Beddingfield @ N. Nash
8/24 - Hunt @ Rocky Mount
8/30 - Fike @ Hunt
9/7 - N. Central @ Hunt
9/14 - S. Nash @ Hunt
9/21 - SW Edge @ Tarboro
9/28 - Beddingfield @ Fike
10/5 - SW Edge @ Rocky Mount
10/12 - Fike @ N. Nash
10/19 - S. Nash @ Fike
10/26 - Fike @ Rocky Mount
11/2 - Hunt @ Beddingfield

Rocky Mount football will again be carried on WRMT Sports Radio 1490 AM with Bob Maloney handling the play-by-play and new addition Wes Bradshaw taking over the color commentary spot. Bradshaw, the longtime public address announcer for Gryphon football, will see his PA job taken over by Wayne Wallace.

WRMT, however, will not cover the Gryphons' opener Friday due to the fact that when advertising was sold for the season, RMHS had no endowment opponent in place. Northampton-East was a last-minute fill-in on the schedule in mid-July. So if you want to know what's going on with the Rams and the Gryphons, you got to come out to the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex!

Another programming note, next week's WRMT broadcast of the Wilson Hunt-Rocky Mount game will be bumped by a Carolina Panthers preseason game. The Hunt-RM game will be taped and it will air on Saturday morning. The game, however, will be on the air as a part of the "Game of the Week" package.

2007 NEW 6 Conference Football Schedule Poster due out soon

"ALL ABOARD" - This picture will be the centerpiece of the 2007 NEW 6 Conference Football Schedule poster that will be out very soon and will be handed out by each of the conference's schools. The shot is of two football players from each of the league's six teams (in home and away uniforms) on a locomotive from Nash County Railroad in Rocky Mount.

Thanks go out to Mr. Tim Abbott of the Nash County Railroad who was kind enough to hold his train and crew up for over two hours to get this shot.

Left to right, the players are: Travis Diggs, Fike (68); Rashawn Williams, Northern Nash (23); Jermel Harrell, Nash Central (55); Manual Davis, Rocky Mount (52); James Jenkins, SW Edgecombe (22); Matthew Watson, Southern Nash (50); Kendrick Alston, Nash Central (25); Dajuan Lucas, Fike (2); Raleigh Evans, SW Edgecombe (67); Toncellis Davis, Northern Nash (2); Jacobi Jenkins, Rocky Mount (8); Jesse Mercer, Southern Nash (48).

Harrell, Evans, Watson and Jenkins were named to the All-NEW 6 Football Team last season.

For a bigger view of this shot, click on the picture. Click on 'back" to return to the Blog!

(Photo/David Hahula)

Gryphs shine in Wake Forest

Senior Jacobi Jenkins (8) prepares to get a handoff from Gryphon QB Chris Berry against Raleigh Broughton.

RMHS offensive linemen Greg Williams (54), Whit Barnes (50), Torey Lee (62) and Josh Lynch (71) make a hole for the Gryphon backs.

Berry (11) brings the Gryphons to the line of scrimmage against Broughton.

Nick Hahula (44) is tackled by a Broughton player after scoring a touchdown.

(Click on each photo for a bigger view; photos by David Hahula)

WAKE FOREST - Rocky Mount got two touchdowns from junior Nick Hahula and one each from senior Derek Hagans and sophomore Hiawatha Bunn as the Gryphons scored six times times and allowed just one while facing Raleigh Broughton and Durham Jordan during Friday's second annual Friday Night Pigskin Kickoff in Wake Forest-Rolesville's Trentini Stadium.

Hahula was the scoring leader for the Gryphons - getting the first of his two 5-yard scoring runs to go with his 32-yard field goal against Broughton. RMHS topped the Caps 4-0 in total scores.

The highlight play of the evening came in the Gryphs' encounter with Durham Jordan. On the first RMHS offensive play, quarterback Bunn hit Donovan Sinclair with a perfect 40-yard touchdown strike up the right sideline.

Hahula's second TD run came six plays later.

The defense didn't play badly either as junior Nick Harrison recorded two sacks and junior Chris Pittman and senior Ezra Hudgins each tallied one apiece. Jordan got the only score RMHS allowed all evening on a 15-yard run by Delson McAdams.

The Gryphons added a spirited impromptu scrimmage with East Wake on Wake Forest-Rolesville's baseball field after their 90-minute time allotment in Trentini Stadium ended.

Rocky Mount opens the regular season Friday with a 7:30 p.m. home endowment contest with Northampton-East. The Gryphons are opening their 20th season at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex!

2007 Nash County College Signees

Monica Champagne, Southern Nash - softball: signed with Peace
Daniel Moore, Northern Nash - baseball: signed with N.C. Wesleyan
Jason Gay, Northern Nash - baseball: signed with N.C. Wesleyan
Andrew Webb, Northern Nash - baseball: signed with N.C. Wesleyan
Chad Womble, Rocky Mount - baseball: signed with Florence-Darlington CC
Brian Allen, Southern Nash - baseball: signed with Pitt CC
Jason Tyler, Rocky Mount - football: signed West Hills CC (Calif.)
Darrius Dubose, Rocky Mount - football: signed with Louisburg JUCO
Kwamaine Battle, Southern Nash - football: signed with Virginia Tech
Jerry Howard, Southern Nash - football: signed with Livingstone
C.J. Ford, Rocky Mount - football: signed with West Hills CC (Calif.)
Steven Baker, Northern Nash - football: signed with East Carolina
Maurice Mercer, Nash Central - football: signed with East Carolina
Demetric Marshall, Rocky Mount - football: signed with West Hills CC (Calif.)
Zach Woodley, Northern Nash - baseball: signed with Pitt CC
Nick Williams, Southern Nash - football: signed with Western Carolina
Thomas Sykes, Northern Nash - baseball: signed with N.C. Wesleyan
Vernisha Silver, Rocky Mount - volleyball: signed with Louisburg JUCO

If you know of some other Nash Co. athletes that belong on this list, email me at rmsh1976@yahoo.com

Final 2007 Coleman-Pitt Post 58 baseball stats

Nash County Coleman-Pitt Post 58, despite playing just 25 of the original 34 American Legion baseball games it was scheduled to play, had one of its most offense seasons, statistically, in recent memory.

The team suffered through an abnormally high 70 errors, but scored 195 runs while giving up 98. The team batted .340 for the season with an astounding 27 home runs, but the pitching staff had a steep 3.11 ERA.

Here are the top nine Post 58 players in several offensive and pitching categories:

Batting Average

.473 (35/74) - Brian Allen
.407 (37/91) - Jason Gay
.400 (42/105) - Daniel Moore
.356 (31/87) - Xavier Macklin
.327 (17/52) - Chad Womble
.324 ( 24/74) - Andrew Webb
.321 (27/84) - Dillon Cockrell
.298 (17/57) - Adam Hodges
.274 (20/73) - Alex Pearce

Doubles

6 - Jason Gay
6 - Daniel Moore
5 - Brian Allen
4 - Chad Womble
4 - Alex Pearce
3 - Xavier Macklin
3 - Andrew Webb
3 - Dillon Cockrell
2 - Grant Johnson
2 - Tyler Joyner
2 - Chris Berry

Triples

4 - Xavier Macklin
3 - Daniel Moore
2 - Alex Pearce
1 - Brian Allen
1 - Chris Berry
1 - Tyler Joyner

Home Runs

11 - Jason Gay
8 - Xavier Macklin
4 - Brian Allen
3 - Daniel Moore
1 - Dillon Cockrell

Runs Scored

33 - Daniel Moore
30 - Jason Gay
29 - Brian Allen
28 - Xavier Macklin
24 - Andrew Webb
24 - Dillon Cockrell
14 - Adam Hodges
12 - Alex Pearce
12 - Grant Johnson

RBI

37 - Jason Gay
31 - Xavier Macklin
27 - Brian Allen
24 - Daniel Moore
19 - Andrew Webb
11 - Alex Pearce
9 - Chad Womble
9 - Dillon Cockrell
9 - Chris Berry

Stolen Bases

11 - Daniel Moore
9 - Brian Allen
7 - Xavier Macklin
4 - Andrew Webb
4 - Adam Hodges
3 - Alex Pearce
1 - Chris Berry
1 - Dillon Cockrell
1 - Jason Gay
1 - Grant Johnson

Pitching Victories

3 (3-2) - Tyler Joyner
3 (3-3) - Zach Woodley
2 (2-0) - Chad Womble
2 (2-0) - Alex Pearce
2 (2-2) - Adam Hodges
1 (1-0) - Alex Pearce
1 (1-0) - Xavier Macklin
1 (1-0) - Dillon Cockrell
1 (1-0) - Grant Johnson

ERA

0.00 - Alex Pearce
0.00 - Xavier Macklin
2.41 - Zach Woodley
2.41 - Andrew Webb
2.65 - Tyler Joyner
2.70 - Adam Hodges
3.44 - Chad Womble
4.15 - Grant Johnson
4.76 - Brian Allen

Strikeouts

45 - Tyler Joyner
37 - Adam Hodges
36 - Zach Woodley
22 - Andrew Webb
19 - Brian Allen
18 - Chad Womble
12 - Alex Pearce
12 - Dillon Cockrell

Nash Co. makes regional semis

LUMBERTON - Nash County's 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars have made the Southeast region semifinals. A 20-4 victory over Virginia Tuesday at Lumberton High School, combined with a Florida win over Alabama, gave Nash County the No. 1 seed in its side of the bracket.

Nash County (3-1) will face the winner of Wednesday morning's Tallahasse, Fl.-South Carolina matchup later in the day at 4. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Lawrenceburg, Tn. (4-0) has a 7 p.m. date with the victor of the 1 p.m. Saratota, Fl.-Georgia contest.

The two semifinal winners play Thursday at 7 p.m. for the right to go to the World Series.

In that 20-4 Nash County win, Jeremy Sloop got the win - going three innings, giving up four hits and striking out four. Nash County banged out 18 hits in the contest and really helped itself by exploding for nine runs in the second inning. Twelve of the 14 players in the lineup got at least one hit. Catcher Thomas Berry is currently out of the lineup with an ankle injury.

Gryphon Football Gold Cards a good buy

Who doesn't like saving money - especially on food? You gotta eat somewhere - right?

You can now get discounts from local merchants and help out Rocky Mount High School's football team at the same time.

The football team is selling Gryphon Football Gold Cards as a fundraiser. The cards are $10 each and can be bought from any varsity and JV football player for a limited time. Proceeds will go to purchase equipment for the team.

The purchaser will receive a card with the 2007 Gryphon football schedule on the front and on the back is a list of food and goods discounts from 19 various businesses around Rocky Mount. The cards are good for one year.

Below is a list of area businesses on the card and their discounts:

Domino's Pizza:
Free medium 1 topping pizza with purchase of a large 2-topping pizza at reg. price

Papa John's Pizza:
Buy a large pizza at reg. price, get a large pizza free (carryout only)

Claire's:
20% off reg. priced item (excluding ear piercing, prior purchases, gift cards and sale merchandise)

Hardee's:
Buy a thick burger and get 1 free (RM locations)

Quiznos Subs:
$1 off a reg. sub, $2 off a large sub

Mario's Pizza and Restaurant:
10% off a purchase of $25 or more

Shell Rapid Lube and Auto Wash:
$3 off an oil change, $1 off a car wash

Dunkin' Donuts:
Buy 6 donuts, get 6 free

Italian Pizzeria:
$2 off any large pizza

San Jose Mexican Restaurant:
10% off total purchase (excl. alcohol)

Sears Portrait Studio - Golden East Crossing:
Free 8" X 10" with a purchase

Sonic Drive-Inn:
Buy a Sonic burger, get 1 free

Taco Bell (Benvenue Rd. only):
10% off total purchase

Subway:
.50 off a 6" sub, $1 off a foot-long sub

The Bowling Center:
Bowl 2 games, get one free (cardholder only)

Westridge Grill:
Free kids meal with purchase of 2 adult meals

Honeybaked Ham:
10% off total purchase

Chico's Mexican Restaurant:
10% off total purchase

Shoe Carnival:
20% off white sticker prices on footwear and merchandise

(all offers not good with any other discount or combo meals, 1 use per day only)

N.C. Wesleyan picked to win USA South

I can remember it like it was yesterday.

N.C. Wesleyan head football coach Jack Ginn, his wife Sherri and I, after attending the press conference that introduced him as the school's first-ever football coach, rode together over to what is now the Battling Bishops' practice field and surveyed an untamed field and started wondering how things were going to be for the future of Battling Bishops football.

We are wondering no longer!

Tuesday in Fayetteville, NCWC, in a vote of the USA South Athletic Conference's coaches, made the Battling Bishops the preseason favorite to win the league.

But just three short seasons into the program Ginn has methodically built a winner - and the NCWC braintrust has to be patting itself on the back for picking the right man for the job.

Here is the press release of the polling results from NCWC's website:

North Carolina Wesleyan College, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Jack Ginn (pictured), was picked in the preseason coaches' poll to win the USA South Athletic Conference football title in 2007. The Battling Bishops have yet to claim a USA South title but placed third in the standings last fall, which was the best finish in school history. Wesleyan posted a 6-4 record in 2006, including a 5-2 mark in USA South play.

The Blue & Gold hope for even more success in 2008 as they return the last year’s Offensive Player of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year in quarterback Cedric Townsend and tailback Teron Bush, along with approximately 60 letterwinners overall. Entering his fourth season with the Bishops, 2008 will also mark the first senior class for Ginn, who began the program in 2004.

"This could be a very special year for our seniors," said Ginn at Tuesday's USA South Football Media Day press conference. "We started this program with over 140 guys, and these 26 young men have stuck with us. They will be our leaders both on and off the field."

For the first time in conference history, the preseason poll was released at the annual event, which was held this year at Methodist University. The Bishops received six of eight first place votes (48 points) as head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

Christopher Newport University, the five-time USA South co-champions, finished second in the balloting with 44 points and the remaining two first place votes. Methodist University placed third in the poll with 33 points while Averett University, which claimed a share of the USA South title last season, was fourth with 31 points. The bottom half of the preseason poll featured Maryville College with 27 points, Ferrum College with 17 points, Greensboro College with 15 points and Shenandoah University with nine points.

The 2007 USA South football schedule kicks off on Saturday, Sept.1 as six teams begin their seasons with non-conference action. Wesleyan will travel to Dover, De. to take on perennial power Wesley College at 1 p.m.

Gryphons, new coaches, hit the practice field!

- New RMHS assistant coaches Ed Hiatt, Gerald Costen, Donovan Jackson

Over 100 kids turned out for Rocky Mount's first football practice Monday evening.

Fifth-year head coach B.W. Holt said it was the best-conditioned group he's had since he's been here. He was pleased with the turnout and he was pleased with the first day of practice.

There have been some changes on his staff, however.

Defensive coordinator Brent David, who came with Holt to Rocky Mount in 2003, has resigned and has taken a job closer to his native High Point. He will be a defensive coach at Winston-Salem Carver this season.

Holt, despite the lateness of David's departure, would like to fill his coaching spot before the start of the school year, if possible.

Holt, however, has added a coach to fill Chad Smith's (now new Norhthern Nash head coach) position.

Donovan Jackson has joined the staff as an offensive line coach. Jackson, playing on the offensive line, helped lead Winston-Salem Parkland to a 3-A state championship in 2001. He was a four-year starter on the O-line at Norfolk State and he played on the AFL 2's Laredo Lobos football team this summer. He will teach world history at RMHS.

"I am very excited to be here," said Jackson, 22. "I have heard a lot about the program and I am delighted to start my coaching career here. Rocky Mount has had a great amount talent over the years. I hope I can bring some desire and intensity to add to that talent. That's the recipe for winning a championship. Talent mixed in with intensity and desire."

A former RMHS assistant football and head basketball coach has returned as a volunteer coach. Gerald Costen, a former Gryphon player himself (Class of '72) will be helping out the Rocky Mount secondary. Costen has to feel like an empty-nester now. The last of his two children, a former cheerleader Shirleyse, graduated from RMHS in June and is a freshman at the University of Georgia.

This group will join Jason Battle (offensive coordinator), Kent Cox (secondary), Chris Lee (backs, quarterbacks), Curtis Rushing (special teams, defense), J.J. Jones (defense) and new addition Ed Hiatt (defense), who was featured in an earlier blog entry.

Battle, incidently, has been on an emotional ride of late. On Monday, he and his wife celebrated the birth of their first child - a girl. But at the same time, his thoughts were with his father, who is in the Burn Center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. The elder Battle suffered severe burns to his body in an accident in Wilson County a few weeks ago.

Our sincere prayers go out to the Battle family and we wish him a speedy recovery!