Tyler leads West Hills to its second win

COALINGA, Calif. - Former Rocky Mount Gryphon quarterback Jason Tyler had perhaps his best overall performance of the season as the freshman threw for three touchdowns and ran in two more in helping West Hills Community College defeat non-conference opponent Modesto Junior College 45-28 last Saturday afternoon.

Tyler, who started for the Gryphons for two seasons, completed 25 of 40 passes for 392 yards and four scores. He ran in two more - both 1-yard touchdowns. He had 19 yards on seven carries.

His touchdown tosses covered 57, 18 and 29 yards for the now 2-3 Falcons. West Hills piled up 491 total yards.

"This team has improved each and every week," said Tyler to the Coalinga Record, the weekly newspaper that covers West Hills. "We knew we were supposed to beat Modesto. The important thing is that we improve also. We have two weeks to prepare for Fresno City. To our team that translates into two more weeks of developing into a championship team."

Rocky Mount Telegram features Holt

The Rocky Mount Telegram sports department honored Rocky Mount
head football coach B.W. Holt in Monday's sports section with a beautiful pictorial page commemorating his 300th career coaching victory - a 49-7 win over Southern Wayne on Sept. 28.

To check it out, click here!

Gryphs stay put at No. 2; SWE falls into tie at No. 4

Here is the latest Associated Press 3-A high school football poll. Rocky Mount stayed planted in the No. 2 spot, but mysteriously, the SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars, the Gryphons' next opponent (Oct. 5), dropped to a tie for fourth despite their 28-14 win over Tarboro last Friday.

Belmont South Point, a 31-0 winner over East Gaston Friday, leap-frogged the Cougars and left them in a tie for No. 4 with Asheville's T.C. Roberson.

Here is the complete 3-A poll:

Class 3-A

W-L Pts LW

1. Western Alamance (12) 6-0 147 1
2. Rocky Mount (3) 6-0 138 2
3. Belmont South Point 5-0 94 4
T4. Asheville Roberson 5-0 88 5
T4. SW Edgecombe 5-0 88 3
6. Anson County 5-1 51 7
7. Charlotte Catholic 4-2 49 6
8. West Rowan 5-0 38 10
9. North Gaston 4-1 36 8
10. Northeast Guilford 4-1 22 9

Others receiving votes: Kernersville Glenn 20, Hickory 14, Eastern Alamance 10, Kannapolis Brown 9, Greensboro Dudley 8, Wilson Hunt 7, Hertford County 6.

Postgame pictures from Holt's 300th victory

Thanks to David Hahula, we've got some shots from the postgame activities after Rocky Mount head coach B.W. Holt watched his Gryphons give him his 300th career victory with a 49-7 triumph over Southern Wayne.

By the way, don't pay attention to the scoreboard. It didn't work right the entire second half of the game. It, at one time, read "50-1" and the "50-7" score on it in the picture, of course, isn't right either. In fact, at one point, the scoreboard clock began ticking upward instead of downward! Iwas stuck on 1:42 when the game ended.

(To enlarge your view of each picture, just click on it!)

Hudgins plays big in Elon's win over Liberty

ELON - Redshirt sophomore All-America Terrell Hudgins had his best night ever as a receiver while helping Elon beat Liberty 42-14 Saturday.

The former Gryphon quarterback caught a school-record 16 passes for a career- best 218 yards and four touchdowns. With true freshman Scott Riddle (Eastern Randolph) delivering him the ball, Hudgins caught a 32-yard score in the first period, a 24-yard scoring strike in the second, a 15-yard TD as time ran out in the third and a 29-yarder for a score with about nine minutes left in the game.

Riddle was 33-of-39 for 368 yards. The Phoenix is now 2-1 in the season with Appalachian State coming to town this Saturday.

Already this season - in just three games, Hudgins has 38 receptions for 453 yards and six touchdowns.

When the NCAA stats were released Monday, Hudgins leads the Southern Conference and the nation in both receiving yards (151.0 per game) and receptions (12.7 per game). He was also named Monday as the Southern Conference Player of the Week and the Sports Network National Player of the Week.

Tyler shines in another West Hills loss

West Hills College (Calif.) is 0-3 so far this season, but its freshman quarterback Jason Tyler is doing his best to get the Falcons a win.

Tyler, who threw for more than 2,000 career yards as the Gryphons' signal caller, was 27-for-51 for 322 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-23 loss to College of San Mateo last Saturday. San Mateo is ranked as the No. 4 JUCO in Northern California.

Next up for the Falcons is a contest with winless Hartnell College in Salinas.

Gryphs solidly in second spot in AP 3-A poll

The Associated Press released its N.C. High School Football polls tonight and Rocky Mount maintained its No. 2 spot in the rankings, but the Gryphons did receive three first-place votes.

Guess who has jumped into the No. 3 spot - NEW 6 foe SouthWest Edgecombe. I watched the Cougars run all over Southern Vance Monday evening in their makeup game from last Friday. SWE nearly had three 100-yard rushers, and it mixed in the pass as well - including a 31-yard TD pass on a fourth-and-nine!

Losses by North Gaston (No. 3), Kannapolis Brown (No. 4) and Hertford County (No. 5) opened the way for the Cougars to grab the No. 3 ranking.

Here is the 3-A Poll:

W-L Pts LW

1. Western Alamance (16) 5-0 186 1

2. Rocky Mount (3) 5-0 168 2

3. SW Edgecombe 4-0 108 6

4. Belmont South Point 4-0 105 8

5. Asheville Roberson 4-0 100 9

6. Charlotte Catholic 3-2 55 10

7. Anson County 4-1 41 —

8. North Gaston 3-1 36 3

9. Northeast Guilford 3-1 34 7

10. West Rowan 4-0 32

Others receiving votes: Kernersville Glenn 30, Kannapolis Brown 29, Hertford County 26, Eastern Alamance 23, Hickory 22, Wilson Hunt 13, Monroe Sun Valley 7, Greensboro Dudley 6, Asheville 6, Winston-Salem Parkland 4, Winston-Salem Carver 3, Franklin 3, East Rowan 2, Gastonia Forestview 2, Southern Lee 2, Jacksonville 1, Currituck County 1.

Trivia question for RM football fans

- RMHS senior Emmanuel Davis

Rocky Mount junior Brian Goodwin took the opening kickoff in the Hertford County game Friday 85 yards for a score.

The question is, who was the last Gryphon to perform that feat (a kickoff return for a score) and who was it against?

I'll give you a hint ... it was in 2005 and it was an 86-yard kickoff return for a score. (Use some internet resources because the answer can be found online!)

I'll give you until Thursday evening to guess. Just register your guess under the comment section of the blog below!


DAVIS PLAYS REALLY BIG: How big was the play of senior linebacker Emmanuel Davis in the game the Bears?

Can you spell H-U-G-E?

He recorded a career-high 21 tackles. He now leads the Gryphons in total tackles with 50. He also leads the squad in pass deflections (two).

Junior Chris Pittman is second with 37, followed by senior Ezra Hudgins with 31. Junior Nick Harrison leads the team in sacks with five, junior Zack Williams is tops in interceptions with two and junior Torey Lee is the fumble recovery leader with two.

LANE GETS IN: Senior kicker John Lane finally got some playing time in the Hertford County game.

The lanky former homeschooler got to launch Rocky Mount's only punt of the night and it went 38 yards with no return.

Time for No. 300?

If there ever was a time Rocky Mount football fans should hit the road, it's this week as the Gryphons will travel to Dudley to face the Southern Wayne Saints Friday.

A piece of N.C. prep sports history will be on the line along with an unblemished non-conference slate. Rocky Mount head coach B.W. Holt will be going for career win No. 300.

Should the Gryphons (5-0, ranked No. 2 in the AP 3-A poll) pull off the victory over the 2-3 Saints, Holt (299-109-2) would become just the sixth N.C. high school football coach to join the 300-win club.

The milestone is considered the benchmark among high school football coaches across the country.

Make plans to make the 53-mile trip Friday night to possibly see a bit of prep football history in the making!

Tyler passes for over 400 yds. in JUCO loss

On Saturday, Sept. 8, former Gryphon quarterback Jason Tyler had a career day - but it was not enough to get his West Hills CC (Ca.) team a win as the Falcons fell to Allen Hancock College 41-24.

Tyler, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, was 38-for-59 for 403 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. His TD passes were 31 and 51 yards - both coming in the fourth quarter. The Falcons fell to 0-2 with the loss.

"The team has made a lot of strives to be where we need to be and we are taking a lot of steps forward and not back," Tyler told the Coalinga Record, the weekly newspaper that covers the Falcons.

In West Hills' season opener the week before, Tyler had 200 yards passing in a loss to Foothills JUCO.

A new Gryphon has been born

Rocky Mount swim coach Kelley Tyndall and her husband Chris welcomed Ayden Lane Tyndall into the world last Friday afternoon at 4:43 - weighing 7 lbs. and 14 oz., born just hours before Rocky Mount's big win over J.H. Rose.

Mother and son came home on Sunday and are doing fine.

What memories this future Gryphon will be told of the weekend of his birth!

Father Chris and uncle Jonathan will inform him that the night he was born, the Gryphons pounced on rival Greenville Rose. Both Tyndalls played football for Rocky Mount.

And Grandpa Bernie, along with Chris and Jonathan, will give Ayden a blow-by-blow recap of the East Carolina Pirates' exciting last-second win over UNC!

Bernie and Chris, as most of you know, are longtime members of Rocky Mount's football "Chain Gang." and ECU alums. Jonathan is a sophomore at ECU.

Two RMHS football records set Friday

While Rocky Mount was ending J.H. Rose's 39-game winning streak Friday night, the Gryphons unknowingly saw two records set.

When senior Darius Hagans fell on Nick Hahula's fumble in the end zone for the Gryphons' first touchdown, Rocky Mount scored in its 78 straight game - beating the 77-game streak it set from a 14-0 blanking to Northeastern in 1991 to a 24-0 shutout to Wilson Hunt in 1999.

The Gryphons have not been shutout since the 2001 season-opener - a 24-0 loss to Hunt. By the way, RMHS, during that streak, has scored in double figures in its last 58 games.

Kicker Hahula also became the school's all-time leader in field goals made - and he did it in exciting fashion.

With time running out in the first half Friday, he and the rest of the field goal unit hustled onto the field as he managed to get his 27-yarder through the uprights as the clock expired.

Hahula now has 11 career field goals - topping the 10 Barrett Bodiford made from 1995-97.

RMHS head coach B.W. Holt, who picked up career win No. 298 in the process, also moved up one more spot on RMHS' football coaches all-time victory list. One more win will tie him with 60's coaching marvel Chris Carpenter - who led Rocky Mount to state titles in 1962 and 1963. Holt has won 47 games in his four-plus seasons as the Gryphons' coach.

Walt Wiggins is the school's all-time winningest coach with 105 victories.

Longest Team Scoring Streak –

78 games, (2001, 24-0 loss vs. Hunt; to G4, 2007 season)

77 games, (1991, 14-0 loss vs. Northeastern; to 1999, 24-0 loss vs. Hunt)

Most Field Goals made (Career) –

11 (11/21), Nick Hahula, 2005-07-G4

10 (10/24), Barrett Bodiford, 1995-97

Most RMHS Varsity Coaching Victories –

105, Walt Wiggins, 1970-82, 1993 – 14 seasons (105-46-2, .691)

63, George Kelley, 1983-92 – 10 seasons (63-41, .606)

48, Chris Carpenter, 1959-64 – 6 seasons (48-14-2, .762)

47, B.W. Holt, 2003-07-(G4) - 5th season (47-10, .825)

Rocky Mount-J.H. Rose stat box (17-7 Gryphon win)

Rocky Mount 17, J.H. Rose 7

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
J.H. Rose 0 0 7 0 7
Rocky Mount 7 3 0 7 17


JHR RM
First downs 7 13
Rushes-yards 27-61 43-206
Passing 71 38
Comp-Att-Int 7-16-0 4-8-0
Fumbles Lost 1 1
Penalties-Yards 3-35 5-25
Total Plays-Yds 41-132 51-244

SCORING SUMMARY

1st quarter
RM – Hagans 1 run (Hahula kick), 8:27 (7 plays, 50 yds.)
2nd quarter
RM – FG 27 Hahula, :00.0 (3-38)
3rd quarter
JHR – Muldrow 2 run (Harvey kick), 7:00 (2-10)
4th quarter
RM – Alston 62 run (Hahula kick), 6:15 (3-67)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – JH Rose: L. Muldrow 11-34 (TD); K. White 12-17; T. Turnage 3-11; M. Joyner 1-0; T. Merritt 2-(-2). RM: Marquavis Alston 12-100 (TD) ; Nick Hahula 11-46; Jacobi Jenkins 2-32; Derek Hagans 9-20 (TD); Hiawatha Bunn 9-8.

Passing – JH Rose: Merritt 4-10-0 56; White 3-6-0 15. RM: Bunn 4-8-0 38.

Receiving – JH Rose: Muldrow 3-44; Waller 2-13; Hobbs 1-10; Staton 1-4. RM: Jacobi Jenkins 2-41; Wilkins 1-10; Hagans 1-(-13).

DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

Tackles:
#32 – Emmanuel Davis – 11
#41 – Chris Pittman – 8
#56 – Ezra Hudgins – 8
#55 – John Wells – 5
#61 – Jermaine Fields – 4
#8 – Jacobi Jenkins – 4
#24 – Brian Goodwin – 4
#23 – Atarius Farmer – 3
#34 – Matthew Coburn – 3
#90 – Nick Harrison – 2
#42 – Dedrick Silver – 2
#53 – Brandon Dennis – 2
#52 – Aaron Barnes – 2
#44 – Nick Hahula – 1
#4 – Hiawatha Bunn – 1

Sacks:
#90 – Nick Harrison – 1
#55 – John Wells – 1
#41 – Chris Pittman – 1
#61 – Jermaine Fields – 1

Fumble Recoveries:
#61 – Jermaine Fields –1

Interceptions:
None

Pass Deflections:
#90 – Nick Harrison – 1
#56 – Ezra Hudgins –1
#42 – Dedrick Silver –1

Blocked Kicks (Punt/FG)
None

Special Teams Touchdowns:
None

KICKING

PATs
2-2– #44 Nick Hahula

Field Goals
1-1 – #44 Nick Hahula (27 yds.)

Touchbacks:
1-4 – #44 Nick Hahula

Punting:
5 – #11 Chris Berry (144 yds., 28.8 avg.)

Could the Gryphons repeat 2004's performance?

Rocky Mount's 3-0 start has earned it two top 10 rankings in two different high school football state polls.

The Gryphons, who will host J.H. Rose (ranked No. 3 - 4-A AP, NCPreps.com polls) Friday evening, are ranked third in the first Associated Press 3-A football poll of the season and ninth in the NCPreps.com 3-A Baker's Dozen.With Independence High losing last weekend, Rose and Thomasville now share the title of being the high school teams with the longest winning streak at 39 games.

Rocky Mount was the last team to hand the Rampants a loss, ironically. On Oct. 8, 2004 in Greenville, RMHS quarterback Terrell Hudgins led the Gryphons to a 42-33 victory over Rose.

Hudgins played perhaps the best game of his career as he ran for 145 yards and four touchdowns, and he passed for 215 yards and threw a 74-yard scoring pass to Wayne Noble.

Rose leads the series between the two Eastern football powers 22-21. Rocky Mount dominated the series in the 70s and 80s, but since 1990, the Rampants have only loss three times to the Gryphons (1990, 1998, 2004).

Could we see a repeat of 2004 Friday night? We could - and it could be another shootout!

AP 3-A POLL

1. Western Alamance (9) 3-0 131
2. Charlotte Catholic (2) 2-1 80
3. Rocky Mount 3-0 79
4. Kannapolis Brown 3-0 78
5. North Gaston (1) 2-0 60
6. Hertford County 3-0 48
7. Monroe Sun Valley 3-0 45
8. SouthWest Edgecombe 2-0 41
9. Northeast Guilford 2-0 40
10. Belmont South Point 2-0 38

AP 4-A POLL

1. Charlotte Independence (12) 1-1 148

2. Matthews Butler (3) 2-0 129
3. Greenville Rose (1) 2-0 103
4. Richmond County 2-0 73
5. Wilmington Hoggard 2-0 70
6. Shelby Crest 2-0 50
7. West Charlotte 3-0 49
8. Garner 3-0 40
9. Scotland County 2-0 39
10. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor 3-0 25

Terrell's No. 1 fan!

Dr. Barbara Holt, wife of RMHS head football coach B.W. Holt, was showing her support of Elon's No. 19 on the sidelines Friday night at the RMHS-Northern Vance football game. Of course, the jersey is of former Gryphon, now All-America Phoenix receiver Terrell Hudgins.

Holt purchased the jersey at Elon University's bookstore during one of her many trips to the couple's Bristol, Tn. retreat. Hudgins made his redshirt-sophomore season debut Saturday in the Phoenix's 28-13 loss to South Florida before some 34,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

But Hudgins had a great day - latching onto a personal-high 14 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown (26 yards). He came up one reception short of the school record of 15.

Tyler expected to start first game at West Hills CC

Former Rocky Mount quarterback Jason Tyler seemingly has made the best of his cross-country journey to West Hills Community Collge in California.

According to reports from his father Rossie and the local newspaper covering West Hills, The Coalinga Record, Tyler, who listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, will be under center when the Falcons hit the field for their season opener Saturday at home against Foothills C.C.

Sadly, Tyler's former teammates who went with him to the California school, C.J. Ford and Demetric Marshall, have left the program. Ford is reportedly headed to St. Augustine's in Raleigh while Marshall's destination is not known.

To read the article on Tyler and West Hills' scrimmage, click here!

RMHS' Langston headed to Shrine Bowl

Although the 2007 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas won't announce its player rosters for another two months or so, one Rocky Mount High student knows that he will be on the field at Wofford College's Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. on Dec. 15.

Rocky Mount senior Braden Langston is one of two high school student trainers in the state selected to assist the North Carolina squad in the 71st edition of the contest. The son of Joe and Brigitte Langston, the 18-year-old has been a student trainer under longtime head Gryphon trainer Bernie Capps for four years.

Langston, who was born and raised in Rocky Mount, will join Wilson Hunt student trainer Pam Hughes on the North Carolina sideline.

"This is such an honor because I was one of two out of 95 in the state to be chosen for this opportunity," said Langston, who has narrowed his college choices for next year to East Carolina, Barton College and Elon University. "It really feels good to know that I was chosen to be one of two students that gets to take care of the best high school football players in North Carolina. I just hope we don't have any serious injuries."

Fellow RMHS student trainer Addison Teachey got Langston interested in being a student trainer.

"Addison called me up one day before we started our freshman year to come out with him to the football field, and out I came," said Langston, who professes a love for not only football, but golf and track, too. "We fell in love with student training and Mr. Capps has been a wonderful role model for us."

As a N.C. Athletic Trainer associate, he has attended training camps in Greensboro the last four summers. Of the eight who were in the camp's advanced class, Langston and Hughes were ranked as the top two.

He was also chosen to serve as a student trainer at this past summer's N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star Football Game. Nothing could have been better for him than to work with the East team where fellow Gryphons Kendall Noble and Nazir Levine were starters.

But as luck would have it, he was assigned to the West squad instead.

"The first varsity sport I ever watched was Rocky Mount football," said Langston, who will likely take his skills to the college football sidelines.

"The team was pretty good, but when I saw guys getting hurt, I wanted to be on the sidelines and help them out. When I was asked to come out and work on the sidelines, it was like I had found my career in athletic training."

Three Gryphon fall sports teams are ranked

Rocky Mount's football, girls tennis and boys soccer teams are all currently ranked in the Top 10 in statewide polls.

The football team is third in the most recent NCPreps/Rivals.com 3-A poll. The girls tennis team is 10th in the North Carolina High School Tennis Coaches Association 3-A poll, while the boys soccer team is sitting in the No. 8 spot in the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A Boys Soccer poll.

Here are all three polls:

NCPreps/Rivals 3-A Football Poll

1. Western Alamance (1-0)
2. Charlotte Catholic (1-0)
3. Rocky Mount (1-0)
4. A.L. Brown (1-0)
5. Hertford Co. (1-0)
6. Concord (0-0)
7. NE Guilford (0-0)
8. North Gaston (1-0)
9. SW Edgecombe (0-0)
10. Sun Valley (1-0)
11. Dudley (1-0)
12. T.C. Roberson (1-0)
13. NW Cabarrus (1-0)

(Honorable Mention): Andrews, T.W. (0-0), Anson County (1-0), Asheville High (0-0), Franklin (1-0), Glenn (1-0), Harnett Central (1-0), Hickory (0-0), Olympic (1-0), South Point (0-0), SE Guilford (0-0), West Iredell (1-0), West Rowan (1-0)

NCHSTCA 3-A Girls Tennis Poll

1. Hickory
2. Ragsdale
3. Charlotte Catholic
4. Union Pines
5. Wilson Fike
6. Burlington Williams
7. T.C Roberson
8. Rocky Mount
9. Southwest Guilford
10. Southern Alamance

N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A Boys Soccer Poll

1. Lake Norman
2. Jacksonville
3. Western Guilford
4. T.C. Roberson
5. Forestview
6. Rutherfordton-Spindale Central
7. Asheville
8. Union Pines
9. Charlotte Catholic
10. Rocky Mount
11. SW Guilford
12. Western Alamance
13. Hickory
14. Wilson Fike
15. Glenn
15. Porter Ridge

Sinclair matches RMHS return stat of 2006

- RMHS senior Donovan Sinclair

As offensive-minded as Rocky Mount's 2006 football team was, it only recorded one punt return for a touchdown the whole season.

Senior Anthony Smith scooted 60 yards on a punt return to paydirt at Wilson Hunt at a crucial time in that 21-7 Gryphon win. RMHS had trailed 7-0 at halftime and it could have been 10-0 if not for a certain blocked field goal attempt.

Rocky Mount tied it on an 86-yard scoring jaunt by Demetric Marshall, and Smith's return got the Gryphons their first lead.

Friday night, lightning sorta struck again in the Gryphons' favor. Senior Jacobi Jenkins blocked a key extra point attempt by Hunt that kept the game tied late at 20-all.

Guess who also registered that key FG block last season against Hunt? None other than Jenkins, who has received a scholarship offer from East Carolina.

Minutes later, senior Donovan Sinclair delivered an electrifying 65-yard punt return with 1:09 left in the game to give the Gryphons the lead. Senior Emmanuel Davis delivered the crushing block that sprung Sinclair to his dance down the sideline past his teammates for the score - matching last year's team's lone punt return TD.

Rocky Mount's Tom Suiter, Football Friday

- Rocky Mount's Tom Suiter

Since Rocky Mount native son Tom Suiter started "Football Friday" on Raleigh's WRAL TV5, haven't you high school football fans ever wondered how he and his staff can put together a show of highlights so quickly after the players have left the field?

Most games end around 10 p.m., and yet, come 11:35, he and his crew have clips from 25-to-28 games from the Triangle eastward ready to show you.

Suiter, who grew up just blocks away from Rocky Mount High, has detailed the events that go on every week to get "Football Friday" on the air.

Click here to read his WRAL.com blog entry about producing "Football Friday." .