It looks like coaches may resort to letting their field go to pot just to stop Rocky Mount's vaunted running attack.
Two major examples really standout on that point.
Last season, Wilson Fike insisted on playing its NEW 6 football contest with the Gryphons at Buddy Bedgood Stadium - in a steady rain. Most RM fans fully thought the game would be cancelled, but Fike head coach Richie Pridgen didn't care if the fans showed up in the rain or not (I know AD John Gay did!).
Pridgen knew a sloppy, wet tract would slow down the Gryphons. And it did, for awhile. The field was just like slop, and holding blocks by the RM offensive line became like walking on ice without skates.
Pridgen got what he wanted. RMHS' offense was slowed and it took a Nick Hahula field goal in the final seconds to give the Gryphons a sloppy 16-13 victory. And needless to say, Fike's field was an absolute mess by the end of the game.
Last Thursday, Northern Vance seemed to take a page out of Fike's field plan to stopping RM's running game.
As I walked in the stadium, I noticed that the field wasn't marked off with yardage numbers, so I knew we might have trouble on our hands - starting with spotting the ball!
Allegedly, rain from Monday night and into Tuesday morning kept the coaching staff from cutting the grass.
Two major examples really standout on that point.
Last season, Wilson Fike insisted on playing its NEW 6 football contest with the Gryphons at Buddy Bedgood Stadium - in a steady rain. Most RM fans fully thought the game would be cancelled, but Fike head coach Richie Pridgen didn't care if the fans showed up in the rain or not (I know AD John Gay did!).
Pridgen knew a sloppy, wet tract would slow down the Gryphons. And it did, for awhile. The field was just like slop, and holding blocks by the RM offensive line became like walking on ice without skates.
Pridgen got what he wanted. RMHS' offense was slowed and it took a Nick Hahula field goal in the final seconds to give the Gryphons a sloppy 16-13 victory. And needless to say, Fike's field was an absolute mess by the end of the game.
Last Thursday, Northern Vance seemed to take a page out of Fike's field plan to stopping RM's running game.
As I walked in the stadium, I noticed that the field wasn't marked off with yardage numbers, so I knew we might have trouble on our hands - starting with spotting the ball!
Allegedly, rain from Monday night and into Tuesday morning kept the coaching staff from cutting the grass.
And folks, this turf was the furriest high school field I have ever seen. I went on the field to check it out before the game, placed my very long ink pen at ground level and the whole thing nearly disappeared from sight! It had to have been nearly five to six inches deep at that spot - near midfield. My shoes were completely surrounded by grass.
And talk about wet. The sidelines were soggy and the middle of the field brought up water when you pressed your foot to the ground.
Mind you, it was supposed to have rained nearly 60 hours earlier - plenty of time for most of this water to dry up. I wonder if the sprinklers were left on by mistake. I wonder ...
And on top of this, a soccer match was played on the field the night before.
My suspicions are that nothing was done to cut the field earlier, and the coaching staff pretty much did everything it could to keep the field as slow as possible.
The supposed plan worked in the first half as RM had but 71 yards on the ground.
But once Coach B.W. Holt and his staff got into the Gryphons' ears at the half, things got better. The Gryphs got 202 yards rushing after intermission to slowly pull away from a very athletic Viking squad.
Don't be surprised to see some of the same tactics in of Rocky Mount's three road games in NEW 6 play this season if it is impacted by rain.
Are you ready for a fourth straight Monday night SouthWest Edgecombe encounter?
1 comment:
That's why they call it "home field advantage."
Besides, a slow field works both ways.
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