Rocky Mount's 2011-12 basketball schedules released

The road will be Rocky Mount's calling card in basketball this upcoming season. 

Of the school's 22-game regular season schedule, 14 of them will be played on the road as each of Rocky Mount's varsity teams will play in not, one, not two, but three different tournaments - all on the road.

Make that four when they play this year's Big East Conference Tournament at Northern Nash at the end of the regular season.

The Gryphons will see their home court - their last season there - just eight times!

Check out what the road warriors have before them! 

2011-12 Rocky Mount Boys/Girls Basketball Schedule (Girls 6 p.m., Boys 7:30 p.m.)

Nov. 25 - @ Triangle Tip-off Tournament - Knightdale HS - Girls vs. Millbrook, 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 25 - @ Triangle Tip-off Tournament - Knightdale HS - Boys vs. Knightdale, 6 p.m. 
Nov. 26 - @ Triangle Tip-off Tournament - Knightdale HS - Girls vs. TBA, TBA 
Nov. 26 - @ Triangle Tip-off Tournament - Knightdale HS - Boys vs. TBA, TBA 

Nov. 29 - WILSON BEDDINGFIELD

Dec. 2 - @ Hertford County

Dec. 6 - @ Wilson Beddingfield

Dec. 9 - @ South Central

Dec. 16 - GREENVILLE ROSE

Dec. 20 - @ Nash County Christmas Tournament - Southern Nash HS - Girls vs. Northern Nash, 5 p.m. 
Dec. 20 - @ Nash County Christmas Tournament - Southern Nash HS - Boys vs. Northern Nash, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 - @ Nash County Christmas Tournament - Southern Nash HS - Girls vs. TBA, TBA 
Dec. 21 - @ Nash County Christmas Tournament - Southern Nash HS - Boys vs. TBA, TBA

Dec. 26 - @ Holiday Invitational - Cary Academy - Girls vs. Holly Springs, 12:40 p.m.

Dec. 27 - @ Holiday Invitational - Cary Academy - Girls vs TBA, TBA

Dec. 27 - @ Holiday Invitational - Broughton HS - Boys vs. Broughton, 4 p.m.

Dec. 28 - @ Holiday Invitational - Broughton HS - Boys vs. TBA, TBA

Jan. 3 - WILSON FIKE

Jan. 4 - HERTFORD COUNTY

Jan. 6 - @ Nash Central

Jan. 13 - @ Wilson Hunt

Jan. 20 - @ Southern Nash

Jan. 24 - NORTHERN NASH

Jan. 27 - NASH CENTRAL

Jan. 31 - WILSON HUNT

Feb. 3 - @ Wilson Fike

Feb. 7 - SOUTHERN NASH

Feb. 10 - @ Northern Nash

Feb. 13-17 - Big East Conference Tournament @ Northern Nash HS

Gryphon girls headed to Holiday Invitational

For the first time ever in the same season, both the Rocky Mount girls and boys basketball teams are headed to the 40th Annual Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament in Raleigh. The event has lost its longtime title sponsor, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

The Gryphon girls will be playing in the four-team girls bracket that will begin play on Monday, Dec. 26 at Cary Academy. They will join host Cary Academy, Cary High School and Holly Springs High School in the event - four of 12 girls teams that will be participating in the overall tournament.

Rocky Mount, which went 25-4 last season, return leading scorer senior forward Tia Hudgins and all-state junior guard J'Kyra Brown, who has verbally committed to play for East Carolina.

The boys, who will start play on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at Broughton High School's Holliday Gym, will hit the floor as part of the 40th Anniversary bracket. Rocky Mount, along with Sanderson, Garner and Kinston, played in the first-ever tournament - won by Phil Ford and the Gryphons in 1972. 

All members of those four original teams will be guests at this year's tournament and will be honored during the event.

Rocky Mount's teams will open the 2011-12 season Friday afternoon at the Triangle Tip-off Tournament (four girls, four boys teams) at Knightdale High School. Pam Gainey's girls will open with Millbrook at 4:30 p.m., while Mike Gainey's boys will take on host Knightdale at 6 p.m..

The Gryphon girls are the defending champions in the event - beating Knightdale in overtime. RMHS' boys placed third last season.

2011 NCHSAA Football Playoff Pairings - Regional Finals

Here are the pairings for Round 4 of the 2011 NCHSAA Football State Playoffs Friday evening.

In each classification, the East regional final game is listed first, followed by the West regional final game.

The winners from Friday will meet the following weekend in the state championship games in Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill and Raleigh.

If you can't make it to the Tarboro-South Columbus game - the only remaining playoff contest in the Twin Counties area, you can listen to the game on WDLX 99.3 FM, or online at jammin993.com 

The Wilson Hunt-Northern Guilford contest will be carried online at northcarolina.ihigh.com/absports 

NCHSAA FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE - REGIONAL FINALS
(seedings listed are for each team's pod or subregion) 

CLASS 4-AA
No. 1 Fayetteville Jack Britt (11-2) at No. 1 Garner (14-0)
No. 1 Charlotte Mallard Creek (13-0) at No. 1 Greensboro Page (13-0)

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CLASS 4-A
No. 1 New Bern (12-1) at No. 1 Scotland County (13-0)
No. 2 Mooresville (12-2) at No. 1 Indian Trail Porter Ridge (13-0)

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CLASS 3-AA
No. 2 Northern Guilford (12-1) at No. 1 Wilson Hunt (13-0)
No. 2 Boiling Springs Crest (11-3) at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (13-0)

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CLASS 3-A
 No. 1 West Rowan (12-2) at No. 2 Lawndale Burns (13-1)
No. 2 Clayton Cleveland (11-3) at No. 1 Havelock (14-0)

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CLASS 2-AA
No. 3 Reidsville (11-3) at No. 1 Kinston (12-1)
No. 1 Shelby (9-5) at No. 1 West Stokes (14-0)

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CLASS 2-A
No. 4 South Columbus (10-3) at No. 5 Tarboro (11-2)
No. 2 Thomasville (10-4) at No. 1 Lincolnton (13-1)

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CLASS 1-AA
No. 1 Ayden-Grifton (12-1) at No. 1 Wallace-Rose Hill (13-1)
No. 3 West Montgomery (11-2) at No. 2 Swain County (13-1)

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CLASS 1-A
No. 3 Jones County (9-4) at No. 1 Manteo (13-1)
No. 1 Murphy (10-4) at No. 1 Albemarle (13-1)

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Big East All-Conference volleyball, girls tennis, girls golf teams released

Rocky Mount senior Tia Hudgins was voted volleyball Player of the Year for the Big East Conference for this past season. The entire All-Conference teams for volleyball, girls tennis and girls golf were released Wednesday. 

Here are those teams:

2011 Big East All-Conference Volleyball Team 

Camille Branch, Northern Nash
Claire Fleming, Northern Nash
Myrick Clark, Northern Nash
Deja Lewis, Northern Nash

Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount

Evie Hunter, Rocky Mount

Precious White, Rocky Mount

Jordan Young, Wilson Hunt
Brittany Edwards, Wilson Hunt
Brittany Faulkner, Nash Central
Lesley Murray, Nash Central
Myra Mitchell, Wilson Fike
Laura Bland, Wilson Fike
Haley Wood, Southern Nash

Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount - Player of the Year
Patricia Haggerty, Northern Nash - Conference Championship Coach

2011 Big East All-Conference Girls Tennis Team

Randi Price, Nash Central
Kaley Price, Nash Central
Lizzie Eakin, Nash Central
Dana Kelly, Nash Central
Caley Bass, Nash Central
Meredith Davis, Nash Central

Elizabeth Thompson, Rocky Mount

McKenzie Warner, Rocky Mount

Annah-Claire Summerlin, Wilson Fike
Aly Jones, Wilson Hunt
Casey Strickland, Southern Nash
Katie Beeman, Northern Nash

Randi Price, Nash Central - Co-Player of the Year
Kaley Price, Nash Central - Co-Player of the Year
Susan McCarthy, Nash Central - Conference Champion Coach


2011 Big East All-Conference Girls Golf Team

Myranda Melton, Wilson Hunt

Samantha Corn, Wilson Hunt

Casey Potter, Wilson Hunt

Rachel Boyette, Southern Nash

Allison Pitts, Southern Nash

Kadijah Barfield, Northern Nash

Abby Glover, Northern Nash

Kaitlin Beal, Nash Central

Rachel Bissette, Southern Nash - Player of the Year

Sue McGuire, Wilson Hunt - Conference Champion Coach

Eldest Hudgins lands hoop coaching job at NCWC

Tanika Hudgins, the oldest of the Hudgins siblings who have had such an impact on Rocky Mount athletics the last 10 years, has accepted a position as assistant coach with the North Carolina Wesleyan women's basketball program. 

Brother Terrell was a three-sport star for the Gryphons and went on to be named NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year in 2005. The Elon University grad set many NCAA records as a receiver for the Phoenix. Sister Tia is currently a senior at RMHS and is following in her big sister's footsteps in volleyball and basketball.

A prep standout at RMHS in the early 2000s, Tanika brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and experience to the Battling Bishop sideline.

Hudgins' stellar prep career saw her garner All-Big East volleyball and basketball accolades, as well as recognition as Rocky Mount's Female Athlete of the Year in 2002. Additionally, she was named an All-Conference Track and Field performer and concluded her prep career by participating in the North Carolina Coaches' Association East/West All-Star girls basketball game .

Upon graduation, she took her talents to Mount Olive College and later transferred to Elizabeth City State University where she played volleyball and basketball. During her collegiate career, Hudgins was an All-CIAA performer in volleyball, while helping lead the ECSU women's basketball team to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Most recently, Hudgins served as a physical education teacher and girls head basketball coach at Southampton High School in Courtland, Va., where she coached current Bishop standout Samantha Urquhart.