RM's junior and senior girls, come to the baseball game in your prom gown!

For the dates of Rocky Mount's baseball team members who are headed to this year's prom, be prepared to have your pre-prom meal at Gryphon Stadium, to take your couple pictures on the field's infield and sitting in your prom dresses on aluminum bleachers.

Instead of a steak at Outback, or a lobster platter at the Red Lobster for that meal, the bill of fare will likely include a hot dog all the way and nachos.

For the first time that I can remember, Rocky Mount will be playing an athletic event as the prelude to its annual Junior-Senior Prom.

Rocky Mount (18-8) will host North Lenoir (18-7) Friday at 6 p.m. at Gryphon Stadium in a NCHSAA 3-A state playoff baseball third-round matchup. Neither team has ever faced each other before. 

Rocky Mount officials, wanting to stay away from a Thursday meeting, were hoping to play the contest Saturday evening. But North Lenoir claimed it didn't want to play Saturday because should it rain, the two would be forced to play on Monday - a day before round 4 begins.

With both Berrys, Thomas and Matthew, now suffering from hamstring pulls, an extra day of rest would have helped them as RM's bench is wearing thin. For example, Matthew's pitching efforts are out and freshman Sam Lilley is recovering from facial surgery earlier in the week.

So an unhappy medium was struck. We are stuck with playing the Hawks on Prom Night. A 10-run mercy-rule Gryphon win would be in order and God help them if it goes into extra innings!

And when was the last time RMHS played an extra-inning playoff game?

The year was 1996 in a 6-5 eight-inning win over Anson County at Gryphon Stadium.

Nash County's top performers at the NCHSAA 3-A Track and Field Championships

GREENSBORO - Here are Nash County's best performers at last weekend's NCHSAA 3-A State Track and Field Championships held at Irwin Belk Track on the campus of N.C. A&T University. Nash Central's Xaviera Bass was the only athlete to come away with a state championship medal, thanks to her winning effort in the 100 meter hurdles.

Rocky Mount's athletes are listed in bold.

Boys

• Shot Put -- Kieffer Griffen, Nash Central (6th at 50-07.50) and Johvone Smith, Rocky Mount (13th at 44-07.25)

• Discus -- Aaron McFarland, Southern Nash (4th at 143-06)

• Long Jump -- Justin Hines, Northern Nash (10th at 20-09.50) and Devonte Jenkins, Rocky Mount (12th at 20-08)

• Triple Jump -- Chris Yarborough, Southern Nash (8th at 43-04) and Devonte Jenkins, Rocky Mount (11th at 42-10.25)

• Pole Vault -- Russell Langley, Nash Central (9th at 12-06); Will Smith, Southern Nash (9th at 12-06) and Josh Taylor, Nash Central (no height)

• 3200 Relay -- Nash Central (7th at 8:11.93) and Rocky Mount (12th at 8:26.31)

• 110 Hurdles -- Exzavier Cooper, Rocky Mount (3rd at 14.55) and Danny Simmons, Rocky Mount (6th at 14.94)

• 800 Relay -- Rocky Mount (6th at 1:30.41) and Southern Nash (10th at 1:32.11)

• 1600 -- Jeremy Judd, Nash Central (12th at 4:42.15); Andrew Nguyen, Nash Central (15th at 4:42.15) and Paul Lilley, Rocky Mount (DNF)

• 400 Relay -- Southern Nash (3rd at 43.00) and Rocky Mount (6th at 43.33)

• 300 Hurdles -- Alkeem Thomas, Southern Nash (6th at 41.24) and Dominique Allen (7th at 41.93)

• 800 -- Tevin Richardson, Nash Central (3rd at 1:54.58) and Paul Lliley, Rocky Mount (5th at 1:56.20)

• 200 -- Exzavier Cooper, Rocky Mount (8th at 22.82)

• 3200 -- Nepolian Patel, Southern Nash (14th at 10:16.91)

• 1600 Relay -- Nash Central (2nd at 3:26.64) and Northern Nash (13th at 3:30.48)

Girls

• Long Jump -- Aerostata Brown, Rocky Mount (11th at 16-0)

• Triple Jump -- Aerostata Brown, Rocky Mount (5th at 36-02) and Danaisha Pitchford, Nash Central (8th at 35-09)

• High Jump -- Xaviera Bass, Nash Central (4th at 5-02) and Takeyra Thomas, Rocky Mount (13th at 4-08)

• 3200 Relay -- Rocky Mount (11th at 10:42.92)

• 100 Hurdles -- Xaviera Bass, Nash Central (1st at 14.89)

• 800 Relay -- Rocky Mount (13th at 1:54.02)

• 1600 -- Michaela Williams, Nash Central (DNF)

• 400 -- Zikeena Parker, Rocky Mount (4th at 57.33)

• 200 -- Zikeena Parker, Rocky Mount (5th at 25.53)

• 3200 -- Michaela Wiliams, Nash Central (11th at 12:00.06) and Kaitlyn Jacob, Rocky Mount (13:31.72)

• 1600 Relay -- Rocky Mount (6th at 4:09.27)