Tuesday Football

An NFL football game, Minnesota vs. Philadelphia, was played last night - on a Tuesday for the first time since 1946.

The Rocky Mount Gryphons have also played a varsity game on a Tuesday - only once since integration in 1969.

Now, do you know any details of that historic game?

See if you can answer these any or all of these three questions:

1. What season did the Gryphons play that Tuesday game?

2 . What team did the Gryphons play?

3. What was the final score?

Reply to one or all three questions in the comments section. I will post the answers on Saturday!

TOURNAMENT UPDATES: The 35th Annual Eastern Carolina Classic (Wilson Hunt, Wilson Beddingfield, Wilson Fike, Greene Central) did get underway Tuesday evening at Wilson Hunt. Weather conditions did delay it one day.

And the Edgecombe County Christmas Tournament (North Edgecombe, SouthWest Edgecombe, Tarboro, Riverside-Martin) has been moved to Wednesday for its startup day at SouthWest Edgecombe. All games will now be played during the afternoon with the final game Wednesday and Thursday being played at 5:30.

Holiday News and Notes

Call Mike Gainey a genius ... or perhaps the area's biggest fan of the Weather Channel. 

The Rocky Mount athletic director was instrumental in having the annual Nash County Holiday Basketball Tournament, for the first time in years, moved to before Christmas instead of immediately after it.

By dodging this recent snow storm, the county's teams got play in.

But so many down east hoop events face cancellation this week. In danger right now is the 35th Annual Eastern Carolina Classic, which was set to start Monday at Wilson Hunt.

The event, which has never been snowed out in its previous 34 years, is on thin ice, literally. The Classic, which was, ironically, first won by Rocky Mount in 1976 (62-56 over Saratoga Central), has been moved to a Tuesday start - weather permitting.

With all three Wilson County schools and Greene Central sending boys and girls teams to the affair, at least the opponents are all close by. But like Rocky Mount, Wilson got 12 inches of snow and the temperatures aren't expected to increase that much the next two days.

And Lamm Road, where Hunt is located, is a two-lane country road. 

Not so long ago, much less snow and ice on another two-lane country road, Golf Course Road in front of Northern Nash, forced the postponement of that year's Nash County tourney.

Good luck to you guys in Wilson County.

GRYPHON KILLER - Northern Nash junior guard Michael Brackett made the winning shot - a 12-footer with less than two seconds remaining - in the Knights' 56-54 win over the Gryphons for the Nash County Holiday Basketball Tournament title last Wednesday.

Would you believe Brackett has actually played for Rocky Mount head coach Mike Gainey? He played AAU summer ball for him back when he was 10 years old. I know he never dreamed of making a game-winner on Gainey's home court for a big victory. But he did.

STAR RISING IN LEGGETT - It looks likely that the annual Edgecombe County Holiday Tournament will be shelved by all this white stuff, too.

North Edgecombe's boys were scheduled to open with Tarboro Tuesday evening (7:30) in their opener at host SouthWest Edgecombe.

For those of you who haven't seen junior forward Montrezl Harrell play for the Warriors, you have missed a show. Sadly, count me among them. I had my Tuesday blocked out for this game.

Harrell, who stands 6-foot-7, weighs 215 pounds and sports a wingspan of 7-foot-3, is making a lot of noise in Leggett. He led the Warriors to a 19-6 record last season and a berth in the NCHSAA 1-A East sectional finals.

Two weeks ago, he got some more notoriety as he broke a backboard in the school's Warren Jones Gym during a team workout.

And the offers are coming in from everywhere. So far, UNC-Charlotte, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Miami, Virginia, East Carolina and Clemson all want to see him sign on the dotted line come next November. 

“I’m just having fun with the whole process right now,” Harrell told 2K Sports recently. “I’m just looking to take as many visits as I can and get to see what all the schools have to offer. I’ll probably make my decision at the start of my senior year. No hurry. For now I’m just trying to get better. That’s my only goal, to get better and better!”

Nash County Christmas Basketball Tournament All-Tourney Teams

GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM - MVP Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount; Timisha Walker, Rocky Mount; Jasmine Williams, Nash Central; Camille Bullock, Northern Nash; Khadijah Richardson, Northern Nash; Tyreka Nicholson, Southern Nash.

 

BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM - (l-r), Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central; Darius Freeman, Northern Nash; Exzavier Cooper, Rocky Mount; Bruce Applewhite, Rocky Mount, MVP Deshawn Freeman, Northern Nash. Absent was Josh Sessoms, Southern Nash. (Photos/David Hahula)

(Click on pictures to enlarge)




Nash County Christmas Basketball Tournament kicks off Monday

By Geoff Neville

Nashville Graphic

One of Nash County’s most awaited annual sporting events will begin this coming Monday at the Rocky Mount High School Gymnasium.

That’s when play will begin at the 2010 Nash County Christmas Basketball Tournament, which will feature Big East Conference rivals Nash Central, Northern Nash, Southern Nash and host Rocky Mount.

The Girls and Boys Championships will be played back-to-back on Wednesday to complete the three-day hoops showcase.

Tickets are $6 per person for Monday and Tuesday sessions, and $8 for Wednesday’s tourney finales.

“We didn’t want to interfere with the GlaxoSmithKline Tournament dates just in case someone from the conference was invited,” said Rocky Mount Athletic Director Mike Gainey, who will serve as tournament director. “We also went to a three-day set to keep from having to rush around to get all eight games in.”

Rocky Mount will not only host the Christmas Tournament this year, but it will also entertain the Big East with the season-ending conference tournament.

“I have lost my mind,” said Gainey jokingly. “On a serious note, it is no big deal. The atmosphere is great and people tend to like coming. Once you have hosted a few, and you have a staff that is willing to help, it makes the job very easy.”

Rocky Mount is the defending champion in the boys and girls brackets. The Gryphon boys bested Northern Nash 58-44 for the title, while the Gryphon girls slug it out with Northern Nash for a 40-21 championship triumph.


ANNUAL NASH COUNTY CHRISTMAS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
@ Rocky Mount High School
Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 20-22

UPDATED BRACKET

GIRLS

First Round

Monday

Northern Nash 58, Nash Central 35
Rocky Mount 58, Southern Nash 23

Consolation Round

Tuesday

Nash Central 64, Southern Nash 48

Championship

Wednesday

Rocky Mount 60, Northern Nash 47

BOYS

First Round

Monday

Rocky Mount 58, Southern Nash 41

Tuesday

Northern Nash 45, Nash Central 41

Consolation Round

Wednesday

Nash Central 45, Southern Nash 39

Championship

Wednesday

Northern Nash 56, Rocky Mount 54

Mabry suffers season-ending injury

Rocky Mount's all-time leading scorer Tashawn Mabry has seen his budding freshman season at Modesto Junior College (Calif.) come to a tragic end.

Mabry, who abruptly left Rhode Island back in August, fell to the court with two minutes left in Pirates' opening game of the 73rd Modesto JUCO Tournament against Lassen JUCO last Wednesday. He had to be carried off the court.

The Pirates recovered from a 21-point deficit to win the game 93-91, but Mabry, who was felt to be their most gifted player, suffered a snapped Achilles tendon.

The freshman forward, who was averaging 13 points, eight rebounds and five blocks a game, underwent successful surgery this past Monday to repair the injury. But according to Modesto head coach Paul Brogan, both Mabry and his mother insist he will be back next season. Rehab time will require a minimum of six months.

On another note, former Gryphon point guard Billy Young, who helped Mabry guide RMHS to a state title last season, was already at Modesto and turned Mabry on to the Pirates. It was upon Young's urgence that got him to California after only a disgruntled week's stay at Rhode Island.

2010 All-Big East Football Teams released

WILSON - To the winner goes the spoils. The old adage really held true when the Big East Conference All-Conference football team was released this week. Co-champions Northern Nash and Wilson Hunt got the lion's share of the honorees.

Eleven Knights received first place notices from the league as did 11 Wilson Hunt players. In Nash County, Southern Nash was voted eight spots on the team, while Nash Central also got eight. Rocky Mount, which won just one league game, was awarded six.

Wilson Fike, which did not win a conference contest for the second straight season and recently saw its second-year head coach Kim Brown relieved of his duties, got four positions.

For the first time in recent memory, three brothers on the same team were selected. The Marshall siblings from Northern Nash all received first-team nods - fullback T.J on offense, and defensive standouts Travonne and Tevin on defense. Travonne was also voted as one of three players who shared Defensive Player of the Year honors with Southern Nash's Brandon Jones and Wilson Hunt's Spencer Miller.

The league's Offensive Player of the Year award went to Wilson Hunt's do-everything player Tyrell Vinson.

Conference Coach of the Year was given to Northern Nash's Mickey Crouch and Hunt's Randy Raper.


ALL-BIG EAST FOOTBALL TEAM

OFFENSE

Northern Nash - T.J. Marshall, Rashad Hedgepeth, Mitchell Wells, Rob Richwalski, Tavis Richardson

Wilson Hunt - Caleb Driver, Tyrell Vinson, Brandon Cambra, Jacob Page, Gilbert Niez, Qwenterrius Ballard
Southern Nash - Tracey Coppedge, Trendell Lynch, Terron Huffman, Tony Williams
Nash Central - Jalen Hendricks, Keiffer Griffin, Greg Arrington, Dequan Battle

Rocky Mount - Rodquez Greene, Damien Strickland, Connor Daughtridge

Wilson Fike - Chris Phillips, Danzell Liles

DEFENSE

Northern Nash - Travonne Marshall, Tevin Marshall, Brandon Dawes, Quan Silver, Donovan Cooper, Tay Payton

Wilson Hunt - Josh Bullock, Tim Applewhite, Lewis Neal, Spencer Miller, Brice Parker

Southern Nash - Brandon Jones, Aaron McFarland, Alkeem Thomas, Josh Sessoms

Nash Central - Jeffrey Lucas, Mason Wallace, Letovis Davis, Chris Bullock

Rocky Mount - Nah'jerrelle Graves, Miguel Valdez, Darryn Lewis

Wilson Fike - Adonte Anderson, Tyler Newman

HONORABLE MENTION

Northern Nash - Jamaal Boddie

Wilson Hunt - Phillip Collier

Southern Nash - Jacob Jones

Nash Central - Marquis Thomas

Rocky Mount - Mason Hines

Wilson Fike - Cameron Avery

PLAYER of the YEAR

Offense - Tyrell Vinson, Wilson Hunt

Defense - Spencer Miller, Wilson Hunt; Travonne Marshall, Northern Nash; Brandon Jones, Southern Nash

CONFERENCE COACH of the YEAR

Mickey Crouch, Northern Nash; Randy Raper, Wilson Hunt

Rocky Mount leads Wachovia Conference Cup race after fall season

League titles in volleyball and men’s soccer as well as second-place finishes in men’s and women’s cross country have Rocky Mount atop the Big East  Conference in Wachovia Conference Cup points at the end of the 2010 fall sports season.

Wilson Fike is in second with a championship in women’s cross country and a runner-up finish in women’s tennis. Third place belongs to Nash Central, thanks to first-place finishes in men’s cross country and women’s tennis.

Here are the current standings:

Rocky Mount -------- 65 pts.
Wilson Fike ----------- 62 pts.
Nash Central -------- 60 pts.
Wilson Hunt ----------56.5 pts.
Southern Nash ----- 44.5 pts.
Northern Nash ------ 43 pts.

Wilson Fike head football coach fired

Kim Brown

Kim Brown, the head football coach at Wilson Fike the last two seasons, has been let go according to a release from Fike principal Steve Ellis late Tuesday.

'Fike High School will make a head coaching change in varsity football for the 2011 season. As principal, I've evaluated the program and determined that Fike football must have a new direction. The search for the next head coach will begin in the near future. Because Fike has a long and storied football history, I expect the search to produce a top candidate to lead the Golden Demons back to championship-caliber play.

"Kim Brown, who recently completed his second season as head coach, has fulfilled his coaching contract. Coach Brown remains a Wilson County Schools employee and a member of the Fike faculty."

Brown, who has suffered a number of health problems this past season including having a toe amputated, was 2-9 each of his seasons and never won a Big East Conference game during his tenure.

Listen to and watch the Tarboro Vikings on the Internet Saturday

Many folks have been known to listen to a sports contest on the radio while watching it on TV.

I've done so for years - listening to Woody Durham with the UNC Tar Heels while watching them on ESPN, ABC, CBS or wherever they could be found on my remote.

How about listening to a contest on one website and watching it on another?

You will be able to do that Saturday afternoon when Tarboro takes on Winston-Salem Carver for the NCHSAA 2-A state championship at BB&T Field at Groves Stadium at Wake Forest University.

Starting at 2:30 p.m. (pregame show, game time is 3 p.m.), listen to Paul Andre and Bob Maloney from WZAX 99.3 FM either on the radio or online at http://www.jammin993.com/ and watch the broadcast at http://www.news14.com/. Mute the sound on the video and turn it up on Andre, who will bring you the play-by-play and Maloney, who will handle the color duties.

There is another slight connection to the Rocky Mount area with the matchup. Brent David, who served several seasons as an assistant to B.W. Holt at Rocky Mount, spent the 2008 and 2008 seasons as Carver's head coach. He unexpectedly resigned from the post last spring after posting a sparkling 19-5 record with the Yellowjackets.

Ironically, should Tarboro lose and Carver win the matchup, both Holt and David would have resigned from a school one season before that same team won a state title the next. Starmount won the 1998 1-A title, ironically over North Edgecombe, the year after Holt left for Tennessee High in Bristol, Tenn.

That was two stops before Holt landed for his six-year stay as the Gryphons' head coach.

First Annual Coleman-Pitt Post 58 American Legion Baseball Camp set for Dec. 28, 29

First Annual Coleman-Pitt Post 58 American Legion Baseball Camp is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 28 and 29 at Nash Central High School.

It will be open to students in grades 6-12.

The purpose of this camp is to provide quality instruction from a highly experienced staff in the areas of hitting, pitching, catching, infield play and outfield play. This camp is also a fundraiser to support the Coleman-Pitt Post 58 American Legion baseball program.

The cost of the two-day camp is $75 if registered and paid by Dec. 20. Walk-ins will be allowed for $100.

The cost of the camp includes instruction, beverages, and a t-shirt. Participants need to bring glove, bat, and protective equipment. Catchers need to bring full catcher's gear. Participants should also bring sneakers in case of inclement weather. The camp will take place rain or shine.

Here is the schedule:

Tuesday, Dec. 28

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Walk-in registration
12:00 p.m.-12:45 p.m. - Check-in for pre-registered participants
12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Warm up
1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. - Hitting camp
4:00 p.m. - Pick up and departure

Wednesday, Dec. 29

12:30 p.m.-1:00 p.m. - Warm Up
1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. - Defensive instruction
4:00 p.m. - Pick up and departure

Camp instructors will be:

Pat Smith – Pitching - Head Coach, Rocky Mount High School – retired

Tony Guzzo – Catching - Head Coach, Nash Central Middle School. Previous experience at NCWC, VCU, Old Dominion, N.C State University and Louisburg.

Neil Avent – Infield play - scout for the Oakland Athletics. Played collegiately at Wake Forest.

Billy Best – Outfield play - scout for the Atlanta Braves

Billy Godwin – Hitting - Head Coach, East Carolina University

Hank Jones  - Head Coach, Coleman-Pitt Post 58 American Legion Baseball Team.

For more information, contact Hank Jones at 252-904-4995 or by email at hankjones@suddenlink.net

Gainey goes for No. 300 Friday night

RMHS girls coach Pam Gainey

Two area basketball coaches have won 300 games or more - SouthWest Edgecombe girls coach Sandra Langley and Northern Nash girls coach Grover Battle.

Rocky Mount girls coach Pam Gainey may join that club Friday eveving. Her squad will face Langley's team at SouthWest at approximately 6 p.m.

How much pressure is that? To get No. 300, her squad has to beat a team coached by a woman who has won over 600 games and four state titles. And they will be playing in a gym that was recently named after her (Sandra Shelton Langley Gym). 

Now that's pressure!

The Rocky Mount girls will be concluding a week that will have seen them play three contests on the road (and five straight games away from home). RMHS lost at South Central 58-48 Tuesday and it took a buzzer-beating 15-footer by junior Tia Hudgins Wednesday to beat Wilson Beddingfield 45-44 to go to 4-1 on the season.