NCWC's Long wins 300th game; Bishops post victory No. 1,000

NCWC Sports Information

North Carolina Wesleyan College head baseball coach Charlie Long earned the 300th win of his career on Sunday as the Battling Bishops turned in a 5-2 victory over USA South rival Methodist University in Fayetteville.

Coupled with Saturday’s 5-4 defeat of the Monarchs, the Bishops were able to sweep the series and take over sole possession of first place in the league standings with 3-1 conference record. Wesleyan has now won 10 of its last 11 contests to move to 14-11 overall.

Long, a Northern Nash graduate, chalked up his 299th victory on Saturday in NCWC’s series-opening 5-4 victory.

Wesleyan took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when senior Luke Williford singled, stole second and third, and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Monarchs (16-7, 2-2) answered with a pair of runs in the third to take a 2-1 lead, but the Bishops countered with two of their own in their next at-bat. Sophomore Zach Alexander led off the inning with a solo blast to right-center, and Williford later drove in a run with an RBI-single to right.

Down 3-2, Methodist again plated a pair in the fourth and maintained its 4-3 advantage until the eighth inning. It was then that Williford struck again, this time with a two-out, two-run single that proved to be the game-winner.

NCWC starter Jonathan Lucas went six complete, allowing four runs on 11 hits and striking out four in the no-decision.

Freshman Ben Franceschi (2-0) earned the win in relief after tossing a scoreless 2.0 innings, which set the stage for junior John Child’s fourth save of the season.

Williford finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, while Zollie Woodlief and Alexander each had two hits. Wesleyan ripped 10 hits as a team in the contest.

Saturday’s victory set the stage for Long’s milestone win on Sunday, and senior righty Ben Moore made sure his coach did not have to wait.

Moore (3-1) tossed a complete game, scattering six hits and allowing just two runs while striking out five and walking one.

Long’s 300th coaching victory is the second major milestone for the N.C. Wesleyan baseball program in the past two weeks.

The Battling Bishops also turned in the program’s 1,000th overall victory with a recent 12-10 win over Piedmont College at Bauer Field.

NCWC has three players from Nash County on its roster and all three are Northern Nash alums: Andrew Webb, Daniel Moore and Lucas.

Hahula, Lee headed to Greensboro this summer

Rocky Mount football players Torey Lee and Nick Hahula will play for the East at the Annual NCCA East-West All-Star Football Game on Wednesday, July 22 at Grimsley High School's Jamieson Stadium.

All told, five Twin County area players will be participating (in bold). The head coach for the East will SouthWest Edgecombe's Raymond Cobb. Check out the list of his assistants and you will see some familiar names, too!

East Roster

• Taylor Hanson, Offensive Lineman, Wake Forest-Rolesville

• Dorian Edwards, Offensive Lineman, Kinston

• Roy Marsh, Offensive Lineman, East Wake

• Torey Lee, Offensive Lineman, Rocky Mount

• Marquis Hines, Offensive Lineman, SouthWest Edgecombe

• Charles Crank, Offensive Lineman, Richmond Senior

• A.J. Ferguson, Tight End, South Brunswick

• Danny Allen, Wide Receiver, Nash Central

• Rashad Parker, Running back, Wilson Fike

• Hakeem Strickland, Running Back, Louisburg

• Brad Simmons, Running Back, Northside

• Steven Moore, Running Back, Chapel Hill

• KaRonne Jones, Fullback, Cape Fear

• Nick Hahula, Fullback/Kicker, Rocky Mount

• Ryan Hill, Quarterback, West Brunswick

• Antwan Thorpe, Quarterback, Oxford Webb

• Reggie Geddie, Defensive Lineman, Erwin Triton

• Dylan Buntyn, Defensive Lineman, Havelock

• Darian Tripp, Defensive Lineman, Greene Central

• Ralph Bonner, Defensive Lineman, Fayetteville Jack Britt

• Keegan Ray, Defensive Lineman, Chapel Hill

• T.J. Batchelor, Defensive Lineman, Southern Nash

• Daniel Collins, Linebacker, Holly Springs

• Joseph Blanks, Linebacker, Purnell-Swett

• Mark Walker, Linebacker, Leesville Road

• Carlos Fields, Linebacker, Northern Vance

• Marcus Allen, Linebacker, Pine Forest

• Justin Rodgers, Linebacker, Bunn

• Tyreese Prince, Safety, Harnett Central

• Jared White, Safety, Fayetteville Jack Britt

• Greg Gilbert, Cornerback, South Brunswick

• Jamal Rolle, Cornerback, Wilson Beddingfield

East Coaching Staff

• Head Coach Raymond Cobb (SouthWest Edgecombe)

• Assistant Coach Brian Foster (Southern Nash)

• Assistant Coach Kenneth Grantham (Greene Central)

• Assistant Coach Grover Battle (Northern Nash)

• Assistant Coach Jimmy Williams (East Wake)

• Assistant Coach Ken Whitehurst (D.H. Conley)

Goodwin reaches century mark!

It was a given that senior Brian Goodwin was going to set several RMHS baseball records as he proceeds through his senior season.

Three games in, Goodwin hasn't broken any quite yet, but he did reach a milestone Tuesday in the Gryphons' 5-4 home loss to J.H. Rose.

His bunt single in the ninth inning was the 100th hit of his RMHS career. He trails only Adam Weaver (121) in total career hits in RMHS history.

Goodwin needs just two doubles to take that RMHS career record away from Jeremy Ward and Weaver. Both currently share it at 27, while Goodwin sits at 26.

Strangely enough, through three games, the Gryphons have recorded just two extra-base hits - a double by senior Dillon Cockrell in RMHS' 8-4 season-opening win over South Granville last week, and a double by sophomore Thomas Berry against Wesleyan Christian Saturday (5-2 RM win).

Baseball America article on IMPACT Saturday

Click here to check out the article on Baseball America's website on the day of baseball at the IMPACT Baseball Invitational this past Saturday at the USA Baseball Training Complex.

Rocky Mount won its game with a 5-2 victory over Wesleyan Christian.

On another note, Gryphon senior Brian Goodwin has also been named to Baseball America's 10-member Preseason High School All-America first team.

The Gainey Files

Here are the up-to-date numbers on the coaching careers of Rocky Mount basketball coaches Pam Gainey and Mike Gainey.

PAM GAINEY

2008-09 - 22-5, NEW 6 champ, tourney champ, playoffs

2007-08 - 23-2, NEW 6 champ, tourney champ, playoffs

2006-07 - 16-11, playoffs

2005-06 - 8-18, playoffs

2004-05 - 17-8, Big East champs, playoffs

2003-04 - 23-5, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

2002-03 - 22-3, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

2001-02 - 20-3, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

2000-01 - 24-3, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

1999-00 - 20-5, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

1998-99 - 20-6, playoffs

1997-98 - 12-12, playoffs

1996-97 - 12-13, playoffs

1995-96 - 14-10, playoffs

1994-95 - 15-10, playoffs

1993-94 - 10-14

Career - 278-128, .685 winning percentage (16 seasons)

(Eight conference titles, seven conference tournament crowns, eight 20-win seasons, one sectional title, 15 straight playoff appearances)

MIKE GAINEY

2008-09 - 17-11, NEW 6 tourney champ, playoffs

2007-08 - 19-7, NEW 6 champs, tourney champs, playoffs

2006-07 - 14-14, playoffs

2005-06 - 16-12, NEW 6 champs, tourney champs, sectional champs

2004-05 - 17-9, playoffs

2003-04 - 22-7, playoffs

2002-03 - 25-2, Big East champs, tourney champs, sectional champs

2001-02 - 19-2, Big East champs, tourney champs, playoffs

2000-01 - 13-11, playoffs

1999-00 - 12-12, playoffs

1998-99 - 16-10, Big East tourney champs, playoffs

1997-98 - 17-6, playoffs

Career - 207-103, .655 winning percentage (12 seasons)

(Four conference titles, six conference tournament crowns, two 20-win seasons, two sectional titles, made playoffs all 12 seasons)

NEW 6 hoop seniors made a real mark!

Several senior basketball players in the NEW 6 Conference have made some indelible impressions in their four years as varsity players.

But I am going to start the list with an impressive junior!

Rocky Mount's Tashawn Mabry finished the season averaging 26.5 points a contest - third in the state. He also averaged eight rebounds a game and two assists a game. He recorded 78 blocks (3.4 a game). He has scored 1,823 points. The school record is 2,093 points held by Phil Ford (1974). Mabry has been All-Conference first team three times.

Now with seniors!

RMHS forward Dyonna Battle scored 16.6 pts. a game this past season. She finished her career with 1,290 points. - third on RM's all-time girls basketball scoring list. She also had 594 rebounds. Battle was an All-Conference first-team selection four times.

RM's point guard Alonzo Sharpe finished his career with 1,134 pts. and 507 assists.

Nash Central guard Trey Sumler concluded his fine career with 1,921 points. He's been a first-team All-Conference selection four times. He averaged 23.6 this past season including a career-high 40 points. vs. Bunn. He's the school's all-time assist leader with 405 and steals leader with 260. Sumler also led the Bulldogs to a sterling 74-31 record the last four seasons.

NC's forward Michael Speight also reached the 1,000-point plateau with 1,034 career points and is NC's career leading rebounder with 612.

Wilson Fike's forward Jeremy Atkinson closed his career with 2,001 points. He's a four-time NEW 6 first-teamer. He's been Player and Co-Player of the Year in the league.

Fike guard Tramicka James ended her career with 1,074 points. She'll play soccer at Tusculum (Tn.) next fall.

Southern Nash's scoring tandem of Alyse Hall and Shante Neal also eclipsed 1,000-career points. Hall, a four-time first-team NEW 6 selection, closed her career with 1,515 points. Neal finished with 1,099.

Mabry gets two more offers

Rocky Mount junior All-Stater Tashawn Mabry received two more scholarship offers Monday.

Mabry, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard/forward, had already gotten offers from N.C. State, Wake Forest and Clemson.

Monday, he got offers from Marquette and LSU. Xavier and Virginia Tech are on the verge of making him an offer, says his dad Mike Mabry.

Although the NEW 6 All-Conference basketball team has not been released, Mabry, the co-MVP of the league last season, is a lock to be picked to the first team squad for the third straight season. He averaged 26.4 points this past season and is moving ever so close to becoming Rocky Mount's all-time scorer.

I will have to get up with Charlotte Bobcats assistant Phil Ford to see what he's up to next Christmas, when his 2,093 points - the RM scoring record he's held for 35 years, will come down. Mabry needs just over 280 points to get there.

Ford was very gracious in saluting Tyler Hansbrough when his 31-year stranglehold on UNC's top scoring mark went down this season.

Perhaps he'll do the same for Mabry.

RM's Goodwin named to All-America team

CHARLOTTE - Rocky Mount center fielder Brian Goodwin started gaining national attention for his talents last season and this past summer.

More attention was recently thrown his way when The Sporting News' 2009 Baseball Yearbook hit newstands with him as a member of its 2009 High School All-America Team.

He joins Charlotte Providence infielder Richie Shaffer as the only North Carolina players on the squad.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior was named to the 10-player All-America squad. Weather permitting, fans of the Gryphons can catch him in their season opener at home Wednesday against South Granville.

Goodwin helped Rocky Mount win the NCHSAA 3-A state championship last season while hitting .473, socking a state-leading 15 doubles and 21 RBI while stealing 21of 21 bases.

Goodwin has signed to play next season with the University of North Carolina, which The Sporting News ranked as the team to beat for an NCAA title this season.

NEW 6 Tournament Champs!

Rocky Mount's boys basketball team won its second consecutive NEW 6 Tournament title Friday with an 87-76 overtime win over Nash Central Friday evening. They will face Western Alamance in the first round of the NCHSAA 3-A state playoffs at home Monday at 7 p.m.

Two more Gryphons get scholarships

- RMHS senior Chris Pittman

Bring the total of Gryphons from the 2008 football class that are headed to college on a scholarship to six!

Four signed on National Signing Day, and now add defensive end Jermaine Fields and linebacker Chris Pittman to the list.

Fields, who inked with Elizabeth City State the day after his other teammates signed, will join teammate Keith Strickland there. Pittman will join Nick Harrison at UNC-Pembroke. He signed this past week. He chose between the new upstart D-II program and Catawba.

At 6-foot-2 1/2 and 215 pounds, Fields tallied 56 tackles and recorded five sacks. He also recovered three fumbles and deflected two passes. Fields also scored a touchdown this season when he blocked a punt against East Forsyth and recovered it in the end zone for a score.

An NEW 6 All-Conference selection, his best league game was his his nine tackles against Northern Nash.

Pittman, at 6-1, 192 pounds, received a first-team All-Conference nod for the second straight season and was voted as the league's Defensive Player of the Year and the Rocky Mount Telegram's Defensive Player of the Year. The NCPreps.com 3-A All-State selection led the Gryphons in tackles with 97 and had two sacks and two deflected passes. His conference high was his 11 tackles against Northern Nash.

At least two more Gryphons may sign in the coming days.

Former Gryphon Cobb inks with Arizona

Travis Cobb, who made more of a splash on the baseball field than on the gridiron when he was a student at Rocky Mount High School, has surfaced as one of the country's best junior college return men and has been signed to a letter of intent to play football at the University of Arizona.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder as a player at Blinn Community College near College Station, Tx. helped lead Blinn to a 9-3 record last fall.

Projected as kick returner and wide receiver by the Wildcats' staff, Cobb, who starred on Coach Pat Smith's baseball team in his third season at RMHS, had 36 catches for 508 yards and four touchdowns in 2008.

Cobb originally gave a verbal commitment to Utah before switching to the Wildcats.

He earned first-team All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference honors as a return specialist. He averaged 34 yards per kick return, with a 95-yarder for a touchdown.

Cobb's breakout game as a receiver was in the SJCFC championship game where he had five catches for 162 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-24 upset victory over then-No. 1 Navarro JUCO.

He was one of 15 Blinn players to sign with a D-I school. Eighteen players overall signed with a four-year college team.

He was coached by Brad Franchione, son of former Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione.

Arizona went 8-5 under fifth-year head coach Mike Stoops last fall and closed out the season with a 31-21 win over Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl in Dec.

Former Gryphon sees son follow him to NCWC

Northern Nash senior catcher Tyler Clark, flanked by his parents Greg and Lisa, signs to play baseball at N.C. Wesleyan. Looking on are (l-r) Northern assistant coach Scott Benson and athletic director Dan Richwalski. Both of Clark's parents were standout athletes at NCWC. Father Greg also played baseball at RMHS. (Photo/Geoff Neville)

By Geoff Neville, Nashville Graphic RED OAK -- If the leaf doesn’t fall too far from the tree, Tyler Clark is destined to enjoy a successful baseball career at North Carolina Wesleyan College. Clark is the son of Greg Clark, a former All-American at N.C. Wesleyan who starred for the Battling Bishops from 1979-82. How good was Clark? So much so that he was a member of N.C. Wesleyan’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 1999 -- along with the likes of Mike Fox, Don Scalf and Roger Taylor. Clark even has had his jersey retired by the school. Tyler Clark is now intent on forging his own diamond path at Wesleyan -- as soon as he closes out his career this spring with the Northern Nash Knights. Last Wednesday on the NNHS campus, Tyler Clark signed a letter-of-intent to join the Wesleyan baseball program. Three former Knights -- Jonathan Lucas, Andrew Webb and Daniel Moore -- are currently on the NCWC roster. Baseball has always been in Tyler Clark’s blood, going back to his days with the Nashville Recreation Department. Clark was on a Babe Ruth State Championship Team with Nashville, along with several of his current Northern Nash teammates. Tyler Clark was an outfielder back then, but he soon took up catching, and that would eventually become his position of preference. After playing at Red Oak Middle School, Tyler Clark spent one season on the JV team at Northern before taking over the varsity catching duties as a sophomore in 2007. And what a campaign that would be for the Knights. Handling a strong pitching staff that included fellow senior and East Carolina University signee Tyler Joyner, Tyler Clark helped Northern Nash reach the Class 3-A State Semifinals. Northern dropped a three-game series to a loaded and eventual champion C.B. Aycock squad (two games to one), but that didn’t take away from NN’s amazing campaign. Tyler Clark will close out his Northern career as a three-year starter behind the plate. Last season, Tyler Clark led the Knights with a sparkling .365 batting average. He also threw out 18 baserunners while earning all-conference honors. Tyler Clark, along with several boyhood friends and long-time teammates, will have one final go-round this spring for the Knights in the competitive NEW 6 Conference. He is Northern’s third signee from this current senior class. In addition to Joyner’s signature with East Carolina, NN’s Mike Williams has already inked a letter-of-intent to play at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. Clark, Williams and Joyner were all teammates on the Nashville State Championship Squad, and each of them played key roles in Northern Nash’s march toward the Class 3-A State Semifnals two campaigns ago. But baseball isn’t Tyler Clark’s only endeavor. The son of teachers Greg and Lisa Clark, Tyler was also taught at a young age the value of being successful in the classroom. It’s a message that Tyler Clark took to heart, and it would prove to be a message that would pay off for him when it was time to finalize his plans for college. At North Carolina Wesleyan, Clark will receive the prestigious President’s Scholarship, which will help pay off a substantial amount of his tuition. Clark’s grade-point average is well over 4.0 at Northern Nash, and he may also be able to qualify for other forms of scholarship aid before he heads across Nash County to begin his stint at North Carolina Wesleyan. NC Wesleyan is a powerhouse Division III program with a lofty tradition -- a tradition that Greg Clark helped build over 30 years ago. For the Clark Family, the tradition will live on at Wesleyan four more years.

Gainey gets No. 200!

Rocky Mount head boys basketball coach Mike Gainey is given the game ball from his 200th coaching victory by Gryphon assistant coach Keith Barnes on Feb. 6. (Photo/David Hahula)

Rocky Mount head boys basketball coach Mike Gainey recorded his 200th career victory on Tuesday, Feb. 3 in the Gryphons' 65-43 win at NEW 6 Conference foe Southern Nash.

Gainey, with his win over SouthWest Edgecombe Friday, now has a career record of 201-102 (.663) in 12 seasons as the team's head coach.

His wife, Pam Gainey - girls basketball coach, is churning her way toward 300 career wins. Gainey, who recently moved over to RMHS as a physical education teacher (replacing retired Debbie Webb) after several years at Edwards Middle School, has 272 wins (272-127, .681) as she coaches her 16th season with the Lady Gryphons.

If the girls go really deep into the state playoffs and do well next season, Gainey might just reach the 300-win mark late next season. The only other girls coaches in the Twin Counties with more wins are SouthWest Edgecombe's Sandra Langley and Northern Nash's Grover Battle.

RMHS cancer donation in honor of Dudley Whitley

The family of the late Dudley Whitley was on hand on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Rocky Mount-Northern Nash basketball game as $1,379.16 was raised and given in his name and Rocky Mount High to the Jimmy V Foundation as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative sponsored by the N.C. Coaches Association.

One dollar for every ticket sold that evening, plus donations from the crowd, went toward that total.

Whitley served in many posts during his tenure with the then-Rocky Mount City School System, including athletic director, principal and superintendent.

Pictured were (l-r) grandson Lee Whitley, son-in-law Dwayne Pridgen, daughter Beth Pridgen, widow Sheila Whitley, daughter-in-law Crystal Whitley, son Dee Whitley and grandson Ben Whitley.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

(Photo/David Hahula)

Gryphons sign on the dotted line - Photos from National Signing Day Wednesday

Gryphon senior wide receiver Keith Strickland signs with Elizabeth City State. Head football coach B.W. Holt looks on.

Gryphon senior center Whit Barnes signs with Wake Forest. He is flanked by his dad and mom, Russ and Martha. Behind them are (l-r) RMHS principal Leon Farrow, head football coach B.W. Holt and athletic director Michael Gainey.

Gryphon senior defensive end Nick Harrison signs with UNC-Pembroke. His mom Maggie is to his left. Behind them are (l-r) RMHS principal Leon Farrow, head football coach B.W. Holt and athletic director Michael Gainey.

Gryphon senior kicker/punter Nick Hahula signs with North Carolina Central. He is flanked by his dad and mom, David and Allison. Behind them is head football coach B.W. Holt.

(Click on each picture to enlarge)

Photos/David Hahula

Gryphon Seniors Pictures for sale

David Hahula has copies of this 5x7 photo of Rocky Mount's 2008 senior football class taken the evening of their last football game together.

If you would like a glossy copy or copies of this photo, please email your request to Mr. Hahula at: dhahula@embarqmail.com or call him at 813-2271. The photos are $4.00 each.

Lee selected new Louisburg head football coach

Rocky Mount assistant football coach Chris Lee has paid his dues and it's now time for him to run his own program.

He will be named as the new head football coach at Louisburg High School. He was offered the position last week and he accepted it Wednesday. RMHS head football coach B.W. Holt announced Lee's new position during the football team's award dinner Thursday evening.

He is the fourth Gryphon assistant under Holt (Dickie Schock - Franklinton, Hillsborough Orange; Brent David - Winston-Salem Carver; Chad Smith - Northern Nash) to be selected a head coach since Holt arrived in July of 2003 - and the sixth Nash County assistant coach to become a head coach since 2002.

The others were Southern Nash assistant Lonnie Custer to North Lincoln and Nash Central's T.J. Worrell to Perquimans.

We will have more on Lee's decision to take the Louisburg head job once he is officially hired by the Franklin County Board of Education. Lee has informed RMHS that he will complete his season as JV girls basketball coach.

Gryphon News Tidbits

Here's an opportunity for me to send on some Gryphon news tidbits about current and past Gryphon athletes.

I. Senior center Whit Barnes had successful outpatient surgery on his left shoulder last week and the damage wasn't as bad as originally thought. Barnes will have to endure wearing a sling for a few weeks and then in about a month, he will start rehab on it. It should be as good as new by graduation.

II. Former Rocky Mount pitcher Jeremy Ward and his wife are expecting their first child in April. Ward, of course, led the Gryphons to the 1996 NCHSAA 4-A east regional finals. He played his college ball at Wake Forest and Long Beach State before being drafted into the pros. The couple is now living in Texas.

More good news for Ward's parents Ted and Jackie. Son Travis, former Nash County Babe Ruth Baseball All-Star head coach and a Northern grad, ironically, and his new wife will be giving them a grandchild this spring as well.

III. Ex-Gryphon baseball player Will Pridgen recently got his Master's degree in Sports Management from N.C. State and has landed a position with the Campbell University sports department. The Fighting Camels are now blushing over their new football team and football stadium complex and their recently opened 3,100-seat Pope Convocation Center - replacing that rickety Carter Gym that sat a mere 900!

We were all saddened earlier in the month by the death of his grandfather Dudley Whitley, who was AD at RMHS when I was a student.

IV. Not long ago, we saw former Gryphon athlete Adam Weaver in the dugout as an assistant baseball coach at Wilson Hunt. Now the Elon alum has taken a position with the State Employees Credit Union here in Rocky Mount.

V. Former Gryphon All-Stater Danielle Powell has taken a teaching position at a community colllege outside Seattle, Wash. Powell, who lettered 12 times as a Gryphon (four years in volleyball, basketball and softball and a seven-time conference Player of the Year in those sports), got her Bachelor's and master's degrees in communications at James Madison and a master's degree in divinity from Wake Forest. She played basketball for three seasons at JMU before a knee injury ended her career. She is RMHS' second all-time leading girls basketball scorer at 1,472 points.

J.J. ready for Super matchup

By Geoff Neville

Franklin Times

Just across the border in Nash County, J.J. Arrington was a lightly recruited running back from Northern Nash High School earlier this decade.

Most people outside of the Nash area had never even heard of the diminutive-but-quick running back.

In fact, Arrington wasn’t even the most recruited member of his family. His older sister, Janette, was a star at Northern Nash, helping the Lady Knights win the 1998 Class 4-A State Girls Basketball Championship.

Janette ended up at Louisburg College, where she was a two-year standout before concluding her exceptional career at Division I Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.J.J. regularly made the trip to Louisburg to watch his older sister in action, hoping he might have his opportunity to one day shine at a high level.

Sunday in Tampa, Arrington will compete on the grandest stage of all.

Now a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Arrington will line up against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.

Arrington began his football career in 1992 as a member of the Nashville Hornets youth gridiron squad.

During his four-year stint with the Hornets, Arrington was coached by Jim Glover -- a former basketball stalwart at Louisburg College under J. Enid Drake. Glover taught Arrington the nuances of the game before sending him on to Nash Central Middle School and Northern Nash High School.

At Northern, Arrington was coached by legend Jim Brett -- who also guided current Franklinton mentor Clark Harrell when he prepped at Tarboro in the 1970s.

Arrington was a good high school back, but nobody could have imagined what would happen next. He was only 5-foot-9, so most area colleges shied away from Arrington.

Little did they know what he was on the cusp of accomplishing.One of Brett’s connections gave Arrington the opportunity to play at the College of the Canyons -- a junior college in California.

“J.J. really blossomed when he went out there,’’ said Northern Nash Athletic Director Dan Richwalski.

A successful two-year JUCO stint drew the interested eye of University of California coach Jeff Tedford.Arrington signed with Cal to play in the PAC-10 -- far, far away from his lifelong friends and family members.

An injury to Cal’s starting running back pushed Arrington into the starting lineup as a junior, and he never looked back.During his senior year, Arrington broke Cal’s single-season rushing mark with over 2,100 yards -- one of the most prolific totals in NCAA football history.

The Cardinals drafted Arrington in the second round of the NFL Draft in 2005. This is his fourth season in the desert, where Arrington has served as a backup running back and kickoff-return specialist.

One of Arrington’s strengths is catching the ball out of the backfield -- a strategy that many observers deem necessary for Arizona to be able to move the ball against the staunch Pittsburgh defense.

For the year, Arrington has rushed 31 times for 187 yards and caught 29 passes for 255 yards.In the NFC Championship Game against Philadelphia, Arrington was part of a flea-flicker pass play that resulted in a key touchdown for the Cardinals.

Arrington later left that game with a knee injury, but is expected to be ready Sunday in the Sunshine State.

Not bad for a personable guy from nearby Nash County that nobody wanted coming out of high school.

Silver anniversary reunion for 1984 Demons on Friday at Rocky Mount-Fike halftime

By Paul Durham

Wilson Daily Times

Twenty-five years after Fike's first -- and only -- boys basketball state championship, the memories remain fresh for many of the Golden Demons.

Many more memories will be revived Friday night when the 1983-84 N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A champions will reassemble at the school for a silver anniversary observance. Team members in attendance will be recognized at halftime of the Fike-Rocky Mount varsity boys game.

While most of the 1984 Golden Demons haven't seen each other since high school, the common denominator for all of them over the years was not only winning a title but playing for legendary head coach Harvey Reid Jr.

Reid, who passed away in 1990, is the winningest high school basketball coach in North Carolina history with 818 victories, including six state championships. He won two N.C. High School Athletic Conference state crowns at Elm City's Frederick Douglass High prior to integration then three more NCHSAA 2-A titles at Elm City High in the 1970s.

But Reid, who was assisted by the late Jimmy Howard, seemed to take special satisfaction in the 1984 Demons' accomplishment. No player on the team stood taller than 6-foot-3 and down the stretch in the state playoffs, Reid used his starting five -- dubbed the "Fit Five" -- almost exclusively.

"He made us believe in the impossible and we did the incredible," said reunion organizer Charles Howard, a starting forward on the '84 team.

"Winning the state 4-A championship with five guys and as small as we were -- that was an incredible thing to do."

Howard, a 6-3 junior forward, was joined in the starting lineup by 6-3 senior Andre Virgil, 6-2 sophomore John McNeil, 6-0 senior guard Michael Hilliard and senior point guard Brian Harris. Sixth-man Willie Harris led the group of reserves: Scotty Bridgers, Arthur Braswell, Tim Lucas, John T. Smith, Pat Marshall, Michael Williams, George Ruffin, Greg Ballard and Kevin Watson.

Fike struggled early in the season and lost both regular-season games to highly regarded Kinston, which featured 6-9 Charles Shackleford who would go on to play at N.C. State and Tony Dawson, who played for Florida State.

The Demons also lost to Beddingfield in the first round of the Eastern Carolina Classic holiday tournament.But down the stretch, Fike caught fire. The Demons defeated Hunt in the 4-A Big East Conference tournament semifinals then finally snapped Kinston's domination in the tournament championship.

That win proved to be a turning point for the Demons.

"Kinston was pretty much stacked," recalled Hilliard, now a Fayetteville resident. "We knew that if we could get together and get past Kinston, we could do it."Howard was in agreement.

"That was a big, big boost for us," he said. "We knew we had a chance to run the table then. We never really spoke about it but we had the look in our eyes and knew that if we listened to Coach Reid, who was a state championship coach, he could get us there."

In their first-ever playoff appearance, the Demons defeated Fayetteville Westover 52-47 to earn a berth in the East Regional at Hunt. The Demons downed Raeford Hoke, which had current Fike head coach George Drawhorn as an assistant, in the regional semifinals giving them one more shot at Kinston.

With the starters playing every second (and 63 of a possible 64 minutes in both regional games), Fike outlasted the Vikings 58-51 for its first trip to a state championship game in boys basketball.

In the state championship game in Greensboro Coliseum, McNeil continued his late-season surge by scoring a career-high 27 points in the Demons' 64-52 handling of Roxboro Person.

McNeil would end up signing with NCAA Division I Pittsburgh after graduating two years later but never played for the Panthers. Instead, he played at Chowan College before finishing up at Div. II Elizabeth City State.

Howard initially signed with Div. II Belmont Abbey before transferring to Div. I N.C. A&T State University. Brian Harris, Hillliard and Virgil all spent time in the military. Most of the former players no longer live in Wilson but Howard said the expected turnout should be 10 to 12 of the original 15.

"It will be the first time I've seen a lot of the guys since graduation," said Brian Harris, now a physician in the Clayton area. "I'm excited about that and catching up with everyone.

"There's no doubt the main topic of conversation will the man who put it all together."The thing that stands out to me about the whole time at Fike was being able to play for Coach Reid," Brian Harris said. "He's one of those coaches that has continued to have an impact on you."