Rocky Mount High School releases its 2012 varsity baseball schedule

Gryphon Stadium

Here is the 2012 Rocky Mount varsity baseball schedule and it will be the last season the Gryphons will play its home games at Gryphon Stadium.

On the slate is the return of the Big East (last called NEW 6) Baseball Tournament - back for the first time since 2006 - where Southern Nash won the title played at SouthWest Edgecombe.

For the third straight season, the Gryphons will participate in the South Johnston Easter Tournament (March 31, April 2-3).

Rocky Mount will open the season with four straight home games, including its traditional season-opener with J.H. Rose on Tuesday, Feb. 28.


2012 ROCKY MOUNT VARSITY BASEBALL SCHEDULE

Feb. 21     @ Roanoke Rapids (Scrimmage), 5 p.m.

Feb. 24     BUNN (Scrimmage), 4 p.m.

_________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 28     J.H. ROSE, 4 p.m.

Feb. 29     SOUTHERN WAYNE, 4 p.m.

Mar. 1       DURHAM RIVERSIDE, 4 p.m.

Mar. 6       SOUTHWEST EDGECOMBE, 4 p.m.

Mar. 7       @ East Wake, 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 9       @ J.H. Rose (Guy Smith Stadium), 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 13     @ SouthWest Edgecombe, 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 15     @ Nash Central, 7 p.m.

Mar. 17     TARBORO, 1 p.m. (Endowment)

Mar. 20     @ Wilson Hunt, 7 p.m.

Mar. 22     WILSON FIKE, 7 p.m.

Mar. 27     @ Southern Nash, 7 p.m.

Mar. 29     NORTHERN NASH, 7 p.m.

Mar. 31     @ South Johnston Easter Tournament, Four Oaks, TBA

Apr. 2       @ South Johnston Easter Tournament, Four Oaks, TBA

Apr. 3       @ South Johnston Easter Tournament, Four Oaks, TBA

Apr. 12     @ Northern Nash, 7 p.m.

Apr. 17     NASH CENTRAL, 7 p.m.
Apr. 19     WILSON HUNT, 7 p.m.

Apr. 24     @ Wilson Fike, 7 p.m.

Apr. 26     SOUTHERN NASH, 7 p.m.

Apr. 31-May 3  Big East Conference Tournament, TBA

May 11     NCHSAA 3-A State Playoffs - First Round

 

Rocky Mount trio headed to All-Star Games

Over the last decade, Rocky Mount's basketball programs have been well represented at postseason all-star games.

This year will be no different.

It was announced at last night's Nash Central-Rocky Mount varsity games that three more Gryphons will be playing after their senior varsity seasons are over.

Senior Terrill Hilliard, Tia Hudgins and Alexus Cooper will be headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the annual Carolinas All-Star Basketball Classic All-Star Games to be played on Saturday, March 18 at Socastee High School. Since the inception of the Classic, RMHS has never had more than one player attend in one season.

The Classic, co-sponsored by the N.C. Coaches Association, will also have Rocky Mount boys head coach Mike Gainey on the N.C. boys coaching staff as an assistant. Gainey's appointment was announced last summer. 

He led Rocky Mount to a NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2010 and is working his way to his 300th career win. In his 15th season as head coach, he is 268-117 (.696 winning percentage) with five conference titles, seven conference tournament crowns, four 20-win seasons and has had the Gryphons in the playoffs each of his previous 14 seasons.

Hilliard, a 6-foot-6 forward, has helped guide the Gryphons to a 15-3 record and first place in the Big East Conference (6-0). Hilliard leads the team in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.7 reb.). He also dishes out 1.9 assists a game and records 1.4 steals a contest.

Hudgins, who topped the 1,000-point scoring mark for her career earlier this season, is second on the RM girls team with 14.7 points a game in helping RMHS to a 16-2 record and also a first-place slot in the Big East. She leads the Gryphons in rebounding (8.4) and steals (2.9).

Cooper, a guard who transfered from Nash Central two seasons ago, has gotten into the groove of things after missing last season with a knee injury. She is third on the team in scoring (10.7) and is grabbing 4 rebounds a game. She's second on the team in assists (2.6) and steals (2.8) a contest.

Don't be surprised if two or all three of these players also gets an invite to the NCCA's East-West All-Star Basketball Games in Greensboro this July.

Big East 3-A Conference Basketball Scoreboard - Jan. 28

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

  

BOYS

Rocky Mount 75, Nash Central 62

Southern Nash 46, Wilson Fike 42

Wilson Hunt 42, Northern Nash 22

GIRLS

Rocky Mount 67, Nash Central 39

Southern Nash 46, Wilson Fike 44

Northern Nash 44, Wilson Hunt 37

FRIDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

Miya Bryant, Southern Nash - 31 pts.
J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount - 23 pts.

Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount - 21 pts.

Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount - 19 pts. 

Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central - 17 pts.

Ni'ya Styles, Nash Central - 17 pts.

Jasmine Griffin, Northern Nash - 16 pts.

Marcus Hicks, Southern Nash - 15 pts.

Kenneth Peoples, Rocky Mount - 14 pts.

Khadijrah Richardson, Northern Nash - 14 pts.

Khadirah Manning, Southern Nash - 14 pts.

Darryl Prunty, Northern Nash - 14 pts.

Justin Jefferson, Wilson Hunt - 14 pts.

Quanisha Brown, Wilson Hunt - 14 pts.

Shatera Black, Wilson Fike - 13 pts.

 

STANDINGS

BOYS

School Conf.    Overall Rocky Mount  6-0 15-3 Nash Central  4-2 11-5 Wilson Hunt  4-2 11-7 Southern Nash  2-4 4-10 Wilson Fike   2-4 3-13 Northern Nash  0-6 1-14

GIRLS School Con. Overall Rocky Mount  6-0 16-2 Northern Nash  5-1 14-1 Wilson Hunt  2-4  9-9 Wilson Fike  2-4  7-9 Southern Nash   2-4 3-11 Nash Central  1-5 9-7

NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Wilson Hunt @ Rocky Mount

Wilson Fike @ Nash Central
Northern Nash @ Southern Nash 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Wilson Hunt @ Wilson Beddingfield 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Rocky Mount @ Wilson Fike
Northern Nash @ Nash Central
Southern Nash @ Wilson Hunt

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Fundraiser set for RMHS Baseball Thursday

If you wish to support Rocky Mount High School's baseball program, here's an easy way to do it - and have a meal in the process.

Make plans Thursday night (Feb. 2) to eat dinner at the Chick-Fil-A Restaurant at Cobb Corners - in front of Wal-Mart on Jefferys Road..

From 5-8 that evening, Chick-Fil-A will donate 15 percent of all designated sales during that period to the Gryphon diamond program.

All you to have to do is to present a special slip to the cashier designating "RM Baseball" as the recipient of those proceeds.

You can get a slip from Rocky Mount head coach Kent Cox or from any Rocky Mount baseball player.

We will have a link later this weekend on this blog entry where you can print out a slip.

Please support Rocky Mount Baseball in its final season at the current Gryphon Stadium!

Former Nash Central star helps WCU light up scoreboard

Western Carolina guard Trey Sumler

CULLOWHEE - Former Nash Central basketball star Trey Sumler helped Western Carolina's men's basketball team set all sorts of records recently and turned the heads of college hoop fans across the nation - for one night.

Sumler, a redshirt sophomore guard for the Southern Conference member Catamounts, was the leading scorer for WCU with a game-high 18 points (6-for-9 from the floor, six assists) in a win over Toccoa Falls on its home court at the Ramsey Center on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

But it wasn't just an ordinary victory.

Western, which tallied the game's first 18 points, scored a school record 141 points against Toccoa that evening. What turned heads across the nation that night was the final score - 141-39!

Even ESPN's SportsCenter got into spreading the news of the rout that evening.

Sumler, Nash Central's all-time leading scorer (1,921 points), was among nine players who scored in double figures in the most lopsided victory in school history. It was also the third-largest margin of victory (102 points) in NCAA history.

The school records set that night by the Catamounts included the most points in a game (141), the most points in a half (72 in the first), the largest margin of victory (102), and the most double-figure scores in a game (nine).

Sumler and his teammates, however, couldn't follow up that point explosion last weekend against rival Appalachian State. WCU fell to 9-11 on the season with a 84-72 league loss.

But Sumler is playing at his best in his first year as a starter.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder, who is third behind Rocky Mount's Tashawn Mabry and Phil Ford as Nash County's all-time leading scorer, is WCU's second-leading point maker at 12 a game. He's grabbing 4.4 rebounds a contest and he is its leading assist man with just over three a game.

His offensive game has been coming on since the Christmas break. He has been the Catamounts' leading scorer their last three games.

Big East 3-A Conference Scoreboard - Jan. 25

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25

  

BOYS

Green Hope 57, Wilson Hunt 56

GIRLS

Green Hope 75, Wilson Hunt 46

TUESDAY, JANUARY 24

  

BOYS

Rocky Mount 77, Northern Nash 73

Nash Central 42, Southern Nash 40

GIRLS

Rocky Mount 59, Northern Nash 52

Nash Central 52, Southern Nash 49

WEDNESDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

Quanisha Brown, WIlson Hunt - 15 pts.

TUESDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

Lavon Brutus, Rocky Mount - 28 pts.

Josh Sessoms, Southern Nash - 23 pts.

Timyra Staton, Nash Central - 21 pts.
J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount - 20 pts.

Alexus Cooper, Rocky Mount - 20 pts.

Wesley Battle, Northern Nash - 18 pts.

Miya Bryant, Southern Nash - 17 pts.

Khadijah Manning, Southern Nash - 17 pts.

Ni'ya Styles, Nash Central - 15 pts.

Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount - 14 pts.

Nathaniel Pittman, Nash Central - 13 pts.

 

STANDINGS

BOYS

School Conf.    Overall Rocky Mount  5-0 14-3 Nash Central  4-1 11-4 Wilson Hunt 3-2 10-7 Wilson Fike 2-3 3-12 Southern Nash  1-4 3-10 Northern Nash 0-5 1-13

GIRLS

School Conf.   Overall Rocky Mount 5-0 15-2 Northern Nash 4-1 13-1 Wilson Hunt 2-3 9-8 Wilson Fike 2-3 7-8 Nash Central 2-3 9-6 Southern Nash 1-4 2-11

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

Nash Central @ Rocky Mount

Wilson Hunt @ Northern Nash
Southern Nash @ Wilson Fike

NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31

Wilson Hunt @ Rocky Mount

Wilson Fike @ Nash Central
Northern Nash @ Southern Nash 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Wilson Hunt @ Wilson Beddingfield 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Rocky Mount @ Wilson Fike
Northern Nash @ Nash Central
Southern Nash @ Wilson Hunt

Big East Conference Basketball Scoreboard - Jan. 21

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20

  

BOYS

Rocky Mount 73, Southern Nash 63

Nash Central 56, Wilson Hunt 46
Wilson Fike 56, Northern Nash 48

GIRLS

Rocky Mount 67, Southern Nash 24
Wilson Hunt 54, Nash Central 50

Northern Nash 76, Wilson Fike 46

FRIDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

Alexus Hill, Northern Nash - 25 pts.
Tia Hudgins, Rocky Mount - 22 pts.
J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount - 20 pts.
Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central - 20 pts.
Jasmine Griffin, Northern Nash - 19 pts.
Ni'ya Styles, Nash Central - 19 pts.
Shatera Black, Wilson Fike - 19 pts.
E.J. Proctor, Wilson Fike - 19 pts.
Quanisha Brown, Wilson Hunt - 17 pts.
Josh Sessoms, Southern Nash - 16 pts.

Lavon Brutus, Rocky Mount - 15 pts.

Josh King, WIlson Fike - 15 pts.

Timyra Staton, Nash Central - 14 pts.

Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount - 14 pts.

Nathaniel Pittman, Nash Central - 13 pts.

 

STANDINGS

BOYS

School Conf.    Overall Rocky Mount  4-0 13-3 Nash Central  3-1 10-4 Wilson Hunt 3-2 10-6 Wilson Fike 2-2 3-12 Southern Nash  1-3 3-9 Northern Nash 0-4 1-12

GIRLS

School Conf.   Overall Northern Nash 4-0 13-0 Rocky Mount 4-0 14-2 Wilson Hunt 2-3 9-7 Wilson Fike 2-3 7-8 Nash Central 1-3 8-6 Southern Nash 1-3 2-10

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

TUESDAY

Northern Nash @ Rocky Mount

Southern Nash @ Nash Central

WEDNESDAY

Wilson Hunt @ Green Hope 

FRIDAY

Nash Central @ Rocky Mount
Wilson Hunt @ Northern Nash
Southern Nash @ Wilson Fike

Big East Conference Basketball Scoreboard - Jan. 18

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18

  

BOYS

 

Wilson Hunt 60, Wilson Fike 58, OT

Tarboro 57, Northern Nash 42

GIRLS

Wilson Fike 39, Wilson Fike 36

Northern Nash 73, Tarboro 34

WEDNESDAYS TOP SCORERS 

Jermaine Crowder, Wilson Fike - 17 pts.

Shatera Black, Wilson Fike - 15 pts.

Sam Ellis, WIlson Fike - 14 pts.

Parker Lamm, Wilson Hunt - 13 pts.

 

STANDINGS

BOYS

School Conf.    Overall Rocky Mount  3-0 12-3 Wilson Hunt  3-1 10-5 Nash Central  2-1 9-4 Southern Nash 1-2 3-8 Wilson Fike 1-2 2-10 Northern Nash 0-3 1-12

GIRLS

School Conf.   Overall Northern Nash 3-0 12-0 Rocky Mount 3-0 13-2 Wilson Fike 2-2 7-6 Nash Central 1-2 8-5 Wilson Hunt 1-3 8-7 Southern Nash 1-2 2-9

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

Rocky Mount @ Southern Nash

Wilson Hunt @ Nash Central

Northern Nash @ Wilson Fike

Northern Nash girls, Rocky Mount girls and boys state-ranked

The Northern Nash Lady Knights maintained their ranking in the latest NCPreps.com/HS Media Basketball polls released Monday evening.

Northern stayed in its No. 4 spot in the 3-A ranks from a week ago after beating Wilson Fike 61-38 last Friday night in its only contest of the week. Nash County teams were all in exams until Friday afternoon. Coach Grover Battle's girls are 11-0 entering this week of play (won 73-34 over Tarboro Wednesday night) and are one of only two 3-A girls teams still sporting no losses. The other team is West Craven. Hickory (16-1) stayed in the No. 1 spot for the third straight week.

The Rocky Mount girls, ranked No. 9 last week, moved up two spots to No. 7 after its 66-40 victory over Wilson Hunt last Friday. The 12-3 Lady Gryphons got 29 points from junior J'Kyra Brown in the win. Both Northern Nash and Rocky Mount are 3-0 in Big East Conference play and seem to be on a collision course for first place at RMHS on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Rocky Mount's boys also made a two-position move this week. After beating Wilson Hunt Friday (61-57) for the first time since the 2010 season, the Gryphons (12-3) improved from No. 9 to No. 7 in the 3-A boys poll. Three squads are still unbeaten in the 3-A ranks (Chapel Hill, Concord, West Craven) with Chapel Hill sitting at No. 1.

NCPreps.com/HS Media Basketball Polls - Week 3

3A Girls
 
1. Hickory (6) (16-1) - 69 (1)
2. West Craven (1) (14-0) - 62 (2)
3. Carson (14-1) 54 - (3)
4. Northern Nash (11-0) - 53 (4)
5. RS Central (15-1) - 43 (5)
6. Berry (14-1) - 32 (6)
7. Rocky Mount (13-2) - 23 (9)
8. Forestview (14-2) - 18 (NR)
9. South Central (8-2) - 17 (8)
10. Chapel Hill (13-2) - 9 (7)

Honorable Mention: Harding (12-2) - 5.

3A Boys
 
1. Chapel Hill (5)(16-0) - 68 (1)
2. Concord (2)(14-0) - 65 (2)
3. West Craven (15-0) - 55 (3)
4. Freedom (16-1) 48 - (4)
5. North Forsyth (13-2) - 45 (5)
6. Hickory (15-2) - 31 (8)
7. Rocky Mount (12-3) - 17 (9)
8. Asheboro (16-1)15 - (10)
9. Charlotte Catholic (12-3) - 14 (6)
10. Harding (13-3) - 10 (NR)

Honorable Mention: Statesville (11-3) - 7; Southern Wayne (13-3) - 5; Triton (15-3) - 5; South Point (11-2) - 4; Berry (12-4) - 1; JM Robinson (10-3) - 1.

Big East Conference Basketball Scoreboard

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13

  

BOYS

Rocky Mount 61, Wilson Hunt 57

Nash Central 59, Wilson Fike 49

Southern Nash 50, Northern Nash 38

GIRLS

Rocky Mount 66, Wilson Hunt 40

Wilson Fike 49, Nash Central 42

Northern Nash 61, Southern Nash 38

FRIDAY'S TOP SCORERS 

J'Kyra Brown, Rocky Mount - 29 pts.

Timyra Staton, Nash Central - 25 pts. 

Khadijah Manning, Southern Nash - 21 pts.

Lavon Brutus, Rocky Mount - 19 pts.

Alexus Hill, Northern Nash - 19 pts.

Justin Jefferson, Wilson Hunt - 16 pts. 

Terrill Hilliard, Rocky Mount - 15 pts.

Jaquan Wilkins, Nash Central - 15 pts.

Alexus Cooper, Rocky Mount - 14 pts. 

Jameka Ruffin, Wilson Fike - 13 pts.

Jasmine Griffin, Northern Nash - 13 pts.

Phillip Jones, Nash Central - 13 pts.

Jalen Hendricks, Nash Central - 13 pts.

 

STANDINGS

BOYS

School Conf.    Overall Rocky Mount  3-0 12-3 Nash Central  2-1 9-4 Wilson Hunt  2-1 9-5 Southern Nash 1-2 3-8 Wilson Fike 1-2 2-10 Northern Nash 0-3 1-11

GIRLS

School Conf.   Overall Northern Nash 3-0 12-0 Rocky Mount 3-0 13-2 Nash Central 1-2 8-5 Wilson Hunt 1-2 8-6 Wilson Fike 1-2 6-6 Southern Nash 1-2 2-9

NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY

Wilson Hunt @ Wilson Fike

Northern Nash @ Tarboro

FRIDAY

Rocky Mount @ Southern Nash

Wilson Hunt @ Nash Central

Northern Nash @ Wilson Fike

Fly to be inducted into Whitfield Hall of Fame tonight

Longtime basketball and baseball official and former Rocky Mount resident Ron Fly will be inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame during ceremonies Friday at 7 p.m. at Goldsboro High School's auditorium. 

Ron, who now lives in Goldsboro, and his twin brother Don have called hundreds of games in the Twin Counties - including in the gym at Rocky Mount High School where I first saw then both call a basketball game. 

I had trouble telling them apart back in the winter of 1973, and I still do now! The duo has been in stripes or in shirts and chest protectors for the past 40 years.

As usual, a great cross-section of sports dignitaries from across the state will be inducted with Ron this evening. Also being inducted from this area are N.C. Wesleyan head trainer Carol Carson and Edgecombe County native and Northern Nash assistant football coach Richie Pridgen. Pridgen was head coach at Wilson Fike for many seasons.

This is the complete list of honorees for the 40th annual event: 

— Former NFL and UNC star and Goldsboro native David Thornton

— Former voice of the Tar Heels Woody Durham 

— Air Force Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers

— Former ACC champion tennis player Alexander “Andy" Andrews

— A five-time N.C. Sports Writer-of-the-Year recipient Wilt Browning

— Richard Bell, Arkansas tight end in late 1950s
— Carol Carson, head athletic trainer at N.C. Wesleyan College
— Wes Chesson, played in NFL with Atlanta and Philadelphia
— Bill Davis, served in World War II and played football at Duke
— Ron Fly, well-renowned basketball official
— Wells Gulledge, Mount Olive graduate who coaches at Kinston High
— Mark Johnson, retired head baseball coach at Sam Houston State
— Robert P. Kennel, former football player at N.C. State
— Ray Korn, prep and collegiate standout athlete from New Jersey
— Mac Morris, compiled 400-plus victories as basketball coach
— Wendell H. Murphy, Duplin County native and agricultural genius
— Richard Pridgen, former head football coach at Wilson Fike
— William Rowe, started 8-man football program at Parrott Academy
— Don Shea, former sports director at WTVD-TV in Durham
— Carl R. Tacy, former men’s basketball coach at Wake Forest
— Timothy Taft M.D., played soccer and ran track at Princeton University
— David Thompson, played on N.C. State's 1974 National Championship basketball team
— Jerry R. Tolley, lettered in four sports at Holmes HS in Edenton
— Robert Vaughan, started men’s basketball at Elizabeth City State
— Lindsay Warren, Washington native has served several positions
— Tony Womack, played in Majors with Pittsburgh and Arizona
— Larry Worsley, played for legendary Everett Case at N.C. State