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Friday, October 31, 2008

The ADMs are out!

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released the average daily membership (ADM) numbers of its member institutions Friday, just in time to get an idea of who's going where in the upcoming football playoffs.

In the 3-A classification, there are 93 schools (and most of them will make the playoffs. Seriously, the ADMs are how the NCHSAA determines who will go to 3-AA and who will go to 3-A. Because the playoff field hasn't been set, it's still speculation for many schools near the midpoint of the ADM list but here's how it looks.

Right now, the teams (with ADMs and rank in parentheses) that fall under the midpoint are Kinston (946, 87th), SouthWest Edgecombe (975, 86th), Beddingfield (980, 84th), West Craven (1,093, 77th), Waynesville Tuscola (1,121, 70th), , Eastern Alamance (1,144, 65th), West Rowan (1,168, 58th) and Rocky Mount (1,210, 48th).

All of those teams are either ranked in The Associated Press Top or have received votes. But the midpoint could go either way, depending on who makes it.

Of local interest, Hunt (1,376, 17th) is the biggest 3-A school around while Fike is next (1,243, 40th). Charles B. Aycock (1,239, 42nd) is just in the upper tier while Southern Nash (1,217, 46th) sits right on the line.

The largest school in the NEW 6 Conference is Northern Nash (1,320, 24th) while Nash Central (1,242, 41st) is the third biggest.

Hunt is also the biggest in the Eastern Carolina Conference with CBA second, followed by Eastern Wayne (1,158, 61st), Southern Wayne (1,096, 76th), Beddingfield and Kinston.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

A pumpkin packed full o' polls

Here's a trio of weekly high school football polls.

The Associated Press Prep Football Poll

RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football poll for North Carolina for the week of Oct. 29, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:
Class 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (11) (8-0) 119 1
2. Matthews Butler (1) (9-0) 109 2
3. Fayetteville Britt (8-1) 89 3
4. Wilmington Hoggard (7-1) 73 4
5. Asheville Reynolds (7-1) 59 6
6. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor (8-1) 54 7
7. East Mecklenburg (8-1) 43 8
8. West Forsyth (8-1) 37 9
9. Fayetteville Seventy-First (8-1) 28 10
10. Mallard Creek (10-0) 21
Others receiving votes: Raleigh Millbrook 10, Raleigh Leesville Road 8, Wake Forest-Rolesville 7, East Burke 2, East Forsyth 1.
Class 3-A
1. Greensboro Dudley (10) (9-0) 118 1
2. Rocky Mount (2) (9-0) 110 2
3. Eastern Alamance (9-0) 84 3
4. Belmont South Point (8-1) 78 4
5. Jamestown Ragsdale (10-0) 61 5
T6. Waynesville Tuscola (9-0) 57 7
T6. West Craven (9-0) 57 6
8. Winston-Salem Carver (8-1) 38 8
9. Harnett Central (8-1) 25 9
10. West Rowan (8-1) 16 10
Others receiving votes: Charlotte Catholic 6, SouthWest Edgecombe 4, Wilson Beddingfield 3, Anson County 1, Kinston 1, Newton Foard 1.
Class 2-A
1. Reidsville (12) (9-0) 120 1
2. Jacksonville Northside (9-0) 108 2
3. Tarboro (8-1) 82 4
4. East Lincoln (9-1) 75 5
5. Lenoir Hibriten (8-1) 60 7
6. Salisbury (9-0) 55 6
7. Southwest Onslow (8-1) 46 3
8. Newton-Conover (8-1) 42 9
9. South Columbus (8-1) 31 10
10. Eastern Guilford (7-2) 26 8
Others receiving votes: East Henderson 6, Bunn 4, Canton Pisgah 2, North Pitt 1, Elizabeth City Northeastern 1, East Duplin 1.
Class 1-A
1. Warsaw Kenan (8) (9-0) 113 1
2. Thomasville (3) (9-0) 107 2
3. Mt. Airy (1) (9-0) 101 3
4. Murphy (9-0) 86 4
5. Albemarle (8-1) 69 5
6. Topsail (9-0) 58 6
7. Dunn Midway (8-1) 31 9
8. East Bladen (9-1) 27 10
9. Siler City Jordan-Matthews (7-2) 24 7
10. Jones County (8-1) 14
Others receiving votes: Louisburg 10, Plymouth 8, Elkin 4, Hendersonville 4, Cherokee 4.


The NCPreps.com Baker's Dozen


Class 4-A

Team Record
1. Independence (Charlotte) 8-0
2. Butler (Matthews) 9-0
3. Wake Forest-Rolesville (Wake Forest) 8-1
4. West Forsyth (Clemmons) 8-1
5. Leesville Road (Raleigh) 9-1
6. Jack Britt (Fayetteville) 8-1
7. Millbrook (Raleigh) 7-2
8. Mount Tabor (Winston Salem) 8-1
9. East Mecklenburg (Charlotte) 8-1
10. A. C. Reynolds (Asheville) 7-1

Class 3-A
Team Record
1. Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount) 8-1*
2. Dudley (Greensboro) 9-0
3. South Point (Belmont) 8-1
4. West Rowan (Mount Ulla) 8-1
5. Tuscola Senior (Waynesville) 9-0
6. West Craven (Vanceboro) 9-0
7. Southwest Edgecombe (Pinetops) 6-2
8. Anson (Wadesboro) 7-3
9. Eastern Alamance (Mebane) 9-0
10. Fike (Wilson) 7-2

Class 2-A
1. Reidsville Senior (Reidsville) 9-0
2. Tarboro (Tarboro) 8-1
3. Northside (Jacksonville) 9-0
4. East Lincoln (Denver) 9-1
5. Hibriten (Lenoir) 8-1
6. Bunn (Bunn) 7-2
7. Newton Conover (Newton) 8-1
8. Southwest-Onslow (Jacksonville) 8-1
9. Salisbury (Salisbury) 9-0
10. Shelby (Shelby)

Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50

NCHSAA 4A Rankings (Top of page)
1) Independence (8-0) 145.1
2) Butler (9-0) 142.3
3) West Forsyth (8-1) 133.2
4) Jack Britt (8-1) 132.2
5) Mount Tabor (8-1) 129.3
6) Seventy-First (8-1) 129.2
7) Wake Forest-Rolesville (8-1) 129.1
8) Asheville Reynolds (7-1) 127.7
9) East Mecklenburg (8-1) 126.6
10) Leesville Road (9-1) 126.2
11) Hoggard (7-1) 125.8
12) Mallard Creek (1-9) 125.5
13) East Forsyth (8-1) 125.4
14) Crest (6-3) 125.0
15) Byrd (7-2) 124.2

NCHSAA 3A Rankings
1) Rocky Mount (8-1) 140.1
2) South Point (8-1) 138.4
3) Dudley (9-0) 136.0
4) West Craven (9-0) 134.2
5) Carver (8-1) 133.0
6) Tuscola (9-0) 130.4
7) Southwest Edgecombe (6-2) 129.1
8) Charlotte Catholic (8-2) 125.2
9) Eastern Alamance (9-0) 124.1
10) Kings Mountain (6-3) 124.0
11) Forestview (6-3) 123.5
12) Beddingfield (9-0) 122.5
13) West Rowan (8-1) 121.4
14) Hertford County (7-2) 121.4
15) Fike (7-2) 120.5

NCHSAA 2A Rankings
1) Reidsville (9-0) 137.2
2) Jacksonville Northside (9-0) 132.9
3) Newton-Conover (8-1) 130.0
4) Tarboro (8-1) 124.6
5) Hibriten (8-1) 124.4
6) East Lincoln (9-1) 123.5
7) South Columbus (8-1) 120.1
8) Southwest Onslow (8-1) 119.8
9) Bunn (7-2) 117.9
10) Shelby (6-3) 117.1
11) Northeastern (8-1) 116.7
12) Lincolnton (6-3) 114.5
13) Salisbury (9-0) 113.1
14) East Duplin (6-3) 113.0
15) Eastern Guilford (7-2) 112.6

NCHSAA 1A Rankings
1) James Kenan (9-0) 130.5
2) Thomasville (9-0) 125.7
3) Mount Airy (9-0) 119.3
4) Murphy (9-0) 118.5
5) Louisburg (8-1) 114.5
6) Albemarle (8-1) 113.7
7) Topsail (9-0) 112.2
8) Midway (8-1) 110.7
9) Hendersonville (9-1) 109.8
10) East Bladen (9-1) 109.4
11) Jones Senior (8-1) 109.2
12) Camden (7-2) 107.8
13) Jordan-Matthews (7-2) 106.9
14) West Montgomery (5-4) 106.5
15) East Surry (8-1) 106.4

The Bills fans are here and they want you!

If names such as Joe DeLamielleure, Frank Reich, Joe Cribbs, Trent Edwards, Lou Saban, Marv Levy, Bruce Smith or Marshawn Lynch have signficant meaning to you, then you're in luck.

Only a Buffalo Bills fan (and me) would know all of those people are former and current players and if you're a Buffalo Bills fan, you're going to like this. Wilson has its very own Buffalo Bills fan club — The Buffalo Bills Backers. The group likes to gather at O'Cools of Wilson in Brentwood Shopping Center to watch their beloved Bills on the big screen.

Not only does this group have its own Web site but it has its very own Buffalo Bill — sort of. As the site says, Wilson is also the birthplace of former Bills (and East Carolina University) wide receiver Glenn Bass.

Don't forget that Wilson's most celebrated high school running back also spent time in a Bills uniform. Carlester Crumpler, who helped the Fike Cyclones win three straight 4-A state championships in the late 1960s, was drafted by Buffalo in the fourth round of the NFL draft in 1974.

This Sunday at 1 p.m., the Bills are taking on the hated New York Jets in an AFC East showdown in Ralph Wilson Stadium (hey! there's another Wilson connection!) So if you bleed red and blue, get nauseous when you hear the name "Scott Norwood" and know that trailing by 32 points in the second half of a playoff game is no reason to believe the game is over, you should be at O'Cools with these folks.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Duke's Boyette to miss rest of season

In a not surprising but still disappointing announcement Wednesday morning, the Duke football program announced senior tailback Re'quan Boyette would not return from a knee injury this season.

Boyette, a former Fike High School star and the 2005 Wilson Daily Times Athlete of the Year, underwent surgery on Aug. 9 following an injury suffered in preseason practice. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Boyette was named one of four captains for the Blue Devils. He led the team in rushing in both his sophomore and junior seasons and has 1,072 career rushing yards.

"While we are disappointed that Re'quan will not get on the field this season, we are excited about him returning in 2009," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said in a statement. "We are not going to play a young man if he is not ready, and with five games to play, Re'quan is not to the point where he could contribute. What is undeniable is Re'quan's commitment to our program. He has been an outstanding leader for our team."

Former Fike principal Jimmy Tillman told me Monday night at the Golden Demons' game against Northern Nash that Boyette is on pace to graduate in May. But Re'quan can enroll in graduate school at Duke, which would mean another year of free education.

In my four-plus years at the WDT, Boyette has been one of the most outstanding young athletes and men I've been privileged to cover. Here's to a full recovery for him and a chance to come back next season when the expectations for the Blue Devils should be markedly higher than this preseason now that they've already won four games, matching their victory total from the previous four seasons combined.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Polls, polls and more polls

I hope you like high school football polls because I'm about to create a scroll-fest by unleashing a few here. I've bolded teams from The Wilson Daily Times readership area.

Let's start with the latest Associated Press prep football rankings, which came out a day later this week due to several games played Monday.

The AP High School Football Poll

RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football poll for North Carolina for the week of Oct. 22, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:
Class 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (12) (7-0) 138 1
2. Matthews Butler (2) (8-0) 128 2
3. Fayetteville Britt (7-1) 106 3
4. Wilmington Hoggard (6-1) 83 T5
5. Raleigh Millbrook (7-1) 61 T5
6. Asheville Reynolds (7-1) 55 8
7. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor (7-1) 53 7
8. East Mecklenburg (7-1) 49 4
9. West Forsyth (7-1) 43 9
10. Fayetteville Seventy-First (7-1) 24 10
Others receiving votes: Mallard Creek 12, Wake Forest-Rolesville 6, West Johnston 4, Southern Pines Pinecrest 4, Raleigh Leesville Road 2, South Mecklenburg 1, East Burke 1.
Class 3-A
1. Greensboro Dudley (11) (7-0) 137 1
2. Rocky Mount (3) (8-0) 126 2
3. Eastern Alamance (8-0) 102 3
4. Belmont South Point (8-1) 89 4
5. Jamestown Ragsdale (9-0) 73 5
6. West Craven (8-0) 62 6
7. Waynesville Tuscola (8-0) 55 7
8. Winston-Salem Carver (7-1) 41 8
9. Harnett Central (7-1) 26 9
10. West Rowan (7-1) 25 10
Others receiving votes: Wilson Beddingfield 7, Asheville 5, Monroe Sun Valley 5, Washington 4, SouthWest Edgecombe 4, Oxford Webb 3, Charlotte Catholic 3, Western Alamance 1, Kinston 1, Newton Foard 1.
Class 2-A
1. Reidsville (14) (8-0) 140 1
2. Jacksonville Northside (8-0) 125 2
3. Southwest Onslow (8-0) 112 4
4. Tarboro (7-1) 73 6
5. East Lincoln (8-1) 71 7
6. Salisbury (8-0) 57 8
7. Lenoir Hibriten (7-1) 56 10
8. Eastern Guilford (7-1) 45 5
9. Newton-Conover (7-1) 39 3
10. South Columbus (7-1) 37 9
Others receiving votes: Canton Pisgah 14, Lincolnton 1.
Class 1-A
1. Warsaw Kenan (9) (8-0) 131 1
2. Thomasville (3) (7-0) 125 2
3. Mt. Airy (2) (8-0) 118 3
4. Murphy (8-0) 99 4
5. Albemarle (7-1) 80 5
6. Topsail (8-0) 64 8
7. Siler City Jordan-Matthews (6-2) 33 6
8. Plymouth (7-1) 30 9
9. Dunn Midway (7-1) 28 7
10. East Bladen (8-1) 27 10
Others receiving votes: Jones County 15, Louisburg 7, Cherokee 4, Elkin 4, Robbinsville 3, Hendersonville 2.


Compare these to The Bakers Dozen by Arnold Solomon of NCPreps.com.

Class 4-A
1. Independence (Charlotte) 7-0
2. Butler (Matthews) 8-0
3. Millbrook (Raleigh) 7-1
4. Wake Forest-Rolesville (Wake Forest) 7-1
5. West Forsyth (Clemmons) 7-1
6. East Mecklenburg (Charlotte) 7-1
7. Jack Britt (Fayetteville) 7-1
8. Leesville Road (Raleigh) 8-1
9. Mount Tabor (Winston Salem) 7-1
10. Hoggard (Wilmington) 6-1

Class 3-A
1. Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount) 7-1*
2. Dudley (Greensboro) 8-0
3. South Point (Belmont) 8-1
4. West Rowan (Mount Ulla) 7-1
5. Tuscola Senior (Waynesville) 8-0
6. West Craven (Vanceboro) 8-0
7. Southwest Edgecombe (Pinetops) 5-2
8. Sun Valley (Monroe) 7-1
9. Eastern Alamance (Mebane) 8-0
10. Fike (Wilson) 6-2

Class 2-A
1. Reidsville Senior (Reidsville) 8-0
2. Tarboro (Tarboro) 7-1
3. Northside (Jacksonville) 8-0
4. Hibriten (Lenoir) 7-1
5. Newton Conover (Newton) 7-1
6. East Lincoln (Denver) 8-1
7. Southwest-Onslow (Jacksonville) 8-0
8. Bunn (Bunn) 6-2
9. Salisbury (Salisbury) 8-0
10. Pisgah (Canton) 7-1

Class 1-A
1. Mount Airy (Mount Airy) 8-0
2. Murphy (Murphy) 9-0
3. Louisburg (Louisburg) 7-1
4. James Kenan (Warsaw) 8-0
5. Thomasville (Thomasville) 9-0
6. East Bladen (Elizabethtown) 8-1
7. Albermarle (Albemarle) 7-1
8. Jones Senior (Trenton) 7-1
9. Midway (Dunn) 7-1
10. Topsail Senior (Hampstead) 8-0


Finally, there's Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50


NCHSAA 4A Rankings
1) Independence (7-0) 146.3
2) Butler (8-0) 143.0
3) West Forsyth (7-1) 132.8
4) Jack Britt (7-1) 130.8
5) Mount Tabor (7-1) 128.7
6) Wake Forest-Rolesville (7-1) 128.7
7) Seventy-First (7-1) 128.1
8) Asheville Reynolds (7-1) 127.5
9) East Mecklenburg (7-1) 126.5
10) Millbrook (7-1) 126.4
11) Hoggard (6-1) 125.8
12) Mallard Creek (9-0) 125.1
13) West Charlotte (5-3) 124.8
14) East Burke (5-3) 124.6
15) East Forsyth (7-1) 124.1

NCHSAA 3A Rankings
1) Rocky Mount (7-1) 139.7
2) South Point (8-1) 139.1
3) Dudley (8-0) 135.0
4) West Craven (8-0) 133.9
5) Carver (7-1) 131.9
6) Tuscola (8-0) 127.2
7) Southwest Edgecombe (5-2) 126.9
8) Charlotte Catholic (7-2) 125.6
9) Eastern Alamance (8-0) 125.1
10) Kings Mountain (5-3) 124.2
11) West Rowan (7-1) 122.2
12) Forestview (5-3) 122.2
13) Beddingfield (8-0) 121.7
14) Hertford County (7-2) 120.8
15) Asheville (5-2) 120.5

NCHSAA 2A Rankings
1) Reidsville (8-0) 139.2
2) Newton-Conover (7-1) 130.8
3) Jacksonville Northside (8-0) 128.7
4) Hibriten (7-1) 125.3
5) East Lincoln (8-1) 124.6
6) Tarboro (7-1) 124.5
7) Southwest Onslow (8-0) 122.2
8) Bunn (6-2) 118.7
9) South Columbus (7-1) 118.3
10) Lincolnton (6-2) 117.8
11) Northeastern (7-1) 117.3
12) Shelby (5-3) 116.6
13) Eastern Guilford (7-1) 115.5
14) Pisgah (7-1) 114.4
15) East Duplin (5-3) 113.0

NCHSAA 1A Rankings
1) James Kenan (8-0) 130.2
2) Thomasville (9-0) 126.6
3) Mount Airy (8-0) 119.3
4) Murphy (9-0) 118.2
5) Louisburg (7-1) 115.1
6) Albemarle (7-1) 112.3
7) Topsail (8-0) 111.3
8) Midway (7-1) 111.0
9) Jones Senior (7-1) 110.2
10) Jordan-Matthews (6-2) 108.6
11) Hendersonville (8-1) 107.4
12) East Bladen (8-1) 107.2
13) Plymouth (7-1) 106.7
14) West Montgomery (4-4) 106.4
15) Camden (6-2) 105.1

CBA wins ECC tournament

Charles B. Aycock defeated Hunt 4-2 in the finals of the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference boys soccer tournament in Pikeville on Wednesday evening.

The Golden Falcons get the No. 1 seed from the ECC in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs, which begin next week. Aycock will play a wild card entry.

Hunt, on the other hand, gets .... Fike. The Warriors and Demons split their pair of regular-season meetings. The game, which will be played at Hunt, is either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The winner will get a second-round match with the winner of the No. 1 seed from the Northeastern Coastal Conference and the No. 2 from the Coastal Conference. After that, No. 8 state-ranked Jacksonville lurks in the bracket.

Beddingfield, the ECC's No. 4 seed, will take on Northern Nash, the top seed from the NEW 6 Conference.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Pirates, Mountaineers to renew rivalry

East Carolina University announced Tuesday it will renew its football rivalry with Appalachian State University next September.

The game will be played in Greenville on Sept. 5 and revive an in-state rivalry that began in 1932. The Mountaineers have won 29 of the 39 meetings. The last time the teams played was Nov. 3, 1979.

Now all we need is for Barton College to bring back its football program and get on the schedules of these two old rivals...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Greenfield basketball drawing some big-time attention

Some interesting news comes out of Greenfield where basketball season is just around the corner. The talented cast under head coach Rob Salter has attracted the attention of many college coaches, including Virginia's Dave Leitao, who was in Wilson last week. His target? Knights junior 6-foot-6 wing Brian Richardson, who was offered a scholarship, Salter told me today.

Richardson been contacted by several top-level programs and a host of mid-major teams but, Salter said, probably won't decide until after the season.

Richardson's teammate and good friend Brian McNair has given a verbal commitment to Gardner-Webb and plans to make it official with the NCAA Division I program next month during the signing period.

Also getting looks are juniors Darian Cahill and Jarred Hinton.

Former Hunt standout Jeremy Jeffers is now at Greenfield but the Knights lost promising youngster Damont Williams, who opted to attend Hunt this season.

Steele coming back to Tobs; tickets on sale for Reds in Five County Stadium

As the baseball season is heading for its last week, I've got a couple of items for next year.

The Wilson Tobs announced Monday that Jeff Steele will be back to manage the summer collegiate baseball team for the fifth straight season.

Steele has become an icon of sorts for summer baseball in Wilson and his Tobs teams have played exciting baseball in the past four seasons. Glad to hear that Jeff will be back in town next May because the Tobs wouldn't be the same without him.

Some more baseball news for Carolina Mudcats fans. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday for an exhibition game featuring the Double-A Southern League team's new major league affiliate, the Cincinnati Reds, on Friday, April 3.

The Reds opposition will be an all-star team of talent from the Cincinnati farm system. Tickets can be purchased over the phone using a major credit card by calling 919-269-2287 or by visiting the Mudcats Web site. Tickets will also be sold at Five County Stadium.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Busy Saturday of high school playoff action

There was a lot of high school playoff action going on Saturday and here are the results I've got thus far.

In the N.C. High School Athletic Association volleyball 3-A playoffs, Beddingfield beat Fike in four games while Hunt swept Northeast Guilford and C.B. Aycock was eliminated at West Brunswick in three games.

Hunt will host Havelock in the second round Tuesday and Beddingfield will travel to Currituck.

In the 1-A classification, North Johnston swept Hobbton and the Lady Panthers will visit Midway on Tuesday.

Greene Central was ousted in three games from the 2-A playoffs by defending champion Cardinal Gibbons of Raleigh.

In the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference boys soccer tournament, Beddingfield lost to Southern Wayne 1-0. The Bruins now await their assignment in the NCHSAA playoffs — as long as Southern Wayne doesn't win the ECC tourney and take the No. 4 seed for itself.

In the other ECC semifinal, Eastern Wayne earned a berth opposite Hunt in Monday's semifinals by beating Kinston 6-1.

Finally, the NCHSAA 3-A East Regional girls tennis tournament was suspended by rain again. However, the finals are set with Fike's Mary-Katherine Prince facing teammate, doubles partner and friend Connor Allegood in the final, which will be played Monday at 4 p.m. at Barton College Tennis Complex.

In doubles, Fike's Mallory Short-Meredith Pruden defeated Rocky Mount's Caroline Gray-Kate Gray in the semifinals and will take on another Lady Gryphons duo, Addie Keeter-Lindsay Thomas, in the final Monday.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Sunday evening meditations

There was little time for reflection this Saturday morning so 36 hours later things have settled down, the 20-month-old terror is nestled in his crib and I'm finally able to think properly — meditate even.

Friday night went pretty much as I thought it would on the area high school football scene. Hunt's freefall continued with a 29-10 loss at Kinston. I wish I knew the last time the Warriors lost to the Vikings but it might have been back in the old 4-A Big East Conference days.

I can't say what Hunt's problem is. I know injuries have taken their toll but 1-6 can't all be blamed on injuries. I wonder if the Warriors just have the personnel they once had. Size is down on the Hunt roster and the skill positions seem limited. Sophomore quarterback Tyrell Vinson has struggled at times but that's more a youth issue than ability.

Still you can't count the Warriors out of the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference race and, if nothing else, they could be the team to hand Beddingfield its first loss when the rivals meet for the final time as ECC foes in the regular-season finale.

The Bruins had a prototypical performance Friday night. And I say that not only because they scored 41 straight points on Charles B. Aycock but also because Beddingfield dug a 21-0 hole for itself. It was the best and the worst of the Bruins.

Beddingfield clearly has the ability to make big plays and any team like that is dangerous but the Bruins continue to be a danger to themselves as well. Someone might catch them napping and be able to hold onto a lead like CBA couldn't.

One team that really hasn't beaten itself all season is Fike. The Golden Demons have made a few mistakes (such as the pair of red-zone fumbles in the 34-28 loss to Beddingfield two weeks ago) but for the most part have played as consistently as any high school team could expect to play. That's why Fike has five wins in seven games. Both the Demons losses were by tight margins to good teams playing at home.

I know I haven't given Fike the respect it deserves when it comes to my weekly picks this season but it doesn't mean I haven't recognized the Demons have been putting out the steadiest product of any Wilson team all fall. But the 3-A NEW 6 Conference is tough, tough, tough and Fike will have to figure out a way to get back that loss at SouthWest Edgecombe on Friday night. Doing it at Rocky Mount would be a great way to end the regular season.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Update on Div. I soccer players from Wilson

Taking a peek at area athletes on the NCAA Division I soccer scene, former Fike star Sarah Winslow continues to enjoy a solid junior season at No. 15-ranked Wake Forest.

Winslow has scored five goals and added a pair of assists (including one against No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday night) for 12 points, third-best on the Lady Demon Deacons who will visit No. 11 Duke on Thursday night.

Making an impression in his freshman season at Appalachian State is former Wilson Youth Soccer Association star Collin Taylor. The Mountaineers goalkeeper, who graduated from Morganton Freedom High, has started all 11 games and registered four shutouts and 54 saves.

Despite making seven saves, Taylor was unable to stop Elon University from taking a 2-1 victory in Boone on Tuesday night. The Phoenix did not require the services of freshman defender Austen King, who helped Fike reach the state 3-A championship match last fall. King has played sparingly (four games, starting once) but is behind 2007 team MVP Steven Kinney and returning starter Clint Collins on the depth chart.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Hesmer, Crew rolling along

Don't look now but William Hesmer is ranked among the top goalkeepers in Major League Soccer.

Hesmer, a Wilson native and Hunt High School graduate, has the third-best goals-against average with a 1.15 and has recorded nine shutouts for the Columbus Crew. The Crew, by the way, has easily clinched a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs with a league-high 53 points.

The Crew, which clinched the Eastern Conference championship with a 1-0 defeat of the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, needs three points in their final five matches to secure the MLS Supporters Shield. The Shield goes to the MLS team with the best regular-season record.

Good luck to William and the Crew as they begin their MLS Cup quest.

Check out the video links on his bio page.

Ginyard's season off on a bad foot

The basketball season for North Carolina senior guard Marcus Ginyard got off on a bad foot, literally.

The Tar Heels defensive player of the year for the past two seasons had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot Wednesday morning. He is expected to be out of action for eight weeks which would make him miss UNC's first eight or nine games.

But better now than later, says Heels head coach Roy Williams.

"You hate this for Marcus because he has worked so hard to get ready for his senior season, but he decided it was better to have the surgery now and be ready sometime in December, than risk a more substantial injury that would knock him out of action later in the season," Williams said in a release. "We will miss his play on both ends of the floor as well as his leadership with the young players. I am hopeful others will step forward to fill those roles. Marcus has been a joy to coach and I look forward to his return."

Ginyard started all 39 games last season, averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds.

The Fantastic 50 for Oct. 7

Drew Pasteur weighs in with his Fantastic 50 for this week.


NC Rankings and Predictions
(posted Oct. 7, 2008, through Monday's games)
Drew Pasteur's NC Fantastic 50
1) Independence (5-0, 4A) 147.1
2) Butler (6-0, 4A) 141.5
3) Rocky Mount (5-1, 3A) 139.6
4) Reidsville (6-0, 2A) 139.1
5) Dudley (7-0, 3A) 138.8
6) Charlotte Christian (6-0, NCISAA D-I) 138.5
7) Newton-Conover (6-0, 2A) 134.6
8) South Point (6-1, 3A) 134.3
9) Carver (5-1, 3A) 133.8
10) Charlotte Country Day (5-1, NCISAA D-I) 132.8
11) West Craven (6-0, 3A) 132.7
12) James Kenan (6-0, 1A) 132.5
13) Seventy-First (6-0, 4A) 131.7
14) Davie County (5-1, 4A) 130.5
15) West Forsyth (5-1, 4A) 130.4
16) East Mecklenburg (6-0, 4A) 129.6
17) Millbrook (6-1, 4A) 129.1
18) Tuscola (6-0, 3A) 129.0
19) Thomasville (7-0, 1A) 128.7
20) Richmond County (4-1-1, 4A) 128.2
21) Hoggard (4-1, 4A) 127.6
22) Charlotte Latin (4-2, NCISAA D-I) 127.2
23) Asheville Reynolds (5-1, 4A) 127.0
24) Charlotte Catholic (5-2, 3A) 126.1
25) Wake Forest-Rolesville (5-1, 4A) 126.0
26) Jack Britt (5-1, 4A) 125.7
27) Jacksonville Northside (6-0, 2A) 125.7
28) West Charlotte (4-3, 4A) 125.7
29) West Rowan (5-1, 3A) 125.3
30) Eastern Alamance (6-0, 3A) 124.9
31) East Burke (3-3, 4A) 123.9
32) East Forsyth (5-1, 4A) 123.9
33) Southwest Onslow (6-0, 2A) 123.8
34) Page (3-3, 4A) 123.7
35) Southwest Edgecombe (4-1, 3A) 123.6
36) Crest (4-2, 4A) 123.4
37) Mount Tabor (5-1, 4A) 123.0
38) East Lincoln (6-1, 2A) 123.0
39) Hibriten (6-0, 2A) 122.9
40) Tarboro (5-1, 2A) 122.8
41) Broughton (5-2, 4A) 122.6
42) Nash Central (3-3, 3A) 122.6
43) Forestview (4-2, 3A) 122.5
44) Southern Durham (4-2, 4A) 122.0
45) Mallard Creek (7-0, 4A) 121.8
46) Beddingfield (6-0, 3A) 121.7
47) Leesville Road (6-1, 4A) 121.2
48) Harnett Central (6-0, 3A) 120.8
49) Shelby (4-2, 2A) 120.6
50) Hertford County (5-2, 3A) 120.6

NCHSAA 4A Rankings
1) Independence (5-0) 147.1
2) Butler (6-0) 141.5
3) Seventy-First (6-0) 131.7
4) Davie County (5-1) 130.5
5) West Forsyth (5-1) 130.4
6) East Mecklenburg (6-0) 129.6
7) Millbrook (6-1) 129.1
8) Richmond County (4-1-1) 128.2
9) Hoggard (4-1) 127.6
10) Asheville Reynolds (5-1) 127.0
11) Wake Forest-Rolesville (5-1) 126.0
12) Jack Britt (5-1) 125.7
13) West Charlotte (4-3) 125.7
14) East Burke (3-3) 123.9
15) East Forsyth (5-1) 123.9

NCHSAA 3A Rankings
1) Rocky Mount (5-1) 139.6
2) Dudley (7-0) 138.8
3) South Point (6-1) 134.3
4) Carver (5-1) 133.8
5) West Craven (6-0) 132.7
6) Tuscola (6-0) 129.0
7) Charlotte Catholic (5-2) 126.1
8) West Rowan (5-1) 125.3
9) Eastern Alamance (6-0) 124.9
10) Southwest Edgecombe (4-1) 123.6
11) Nash Central (3-3) 122.6
12) Forestview (4-2) 122.5
13) Beddingfield (6-0) 121.7
14) Harnett Central (6-0) 120.8
15) Hertford County (5-2) 120.6

NCHSAA 2A Rankings
1) Reidsville (6-0) 139.1
2) Newton-Conover (6-0) 134.6
3) Jacksonville Northside (6-0) 125.7
4) Southwest Onslow (6-0) 123.8
5) East Lincoln (6-1) 123.0
6) Hibriten (6-0) 122.9
7) Tarboro (5-1) 122.8
8) Shelby (4-2) 120.6
9) Bunn (4-2) 119.1
10) Eastern Guilford (6-0) 119.0
11) Lincolnton (5-2) 118.4
12) Pisgah (5-1) 117.5
13) South Columbus (5-1) 116.2
14) Northeastern (6-1) 115.7
15) East Duplin (4-2) 115.5

NCHSAA 1A Rankings
1) James Kenan (6-0) 132.5
2) Thomasville (7-0) 128.7
3) Mount Airy (6-0) 119.6
4) Murphy (7-0) 115.5
5) Louisburg (5-1) 114.8
6) Topsail (6-0) 113.8
7) Jones Senior (5-1) 111.0
8) Albemarle (5-1) 110.1
9) Jordan-Matthews (6-1) 108.9
10) Midway (6-0) 108.8
11) East Bladen (6-1) 108.2
12) Pender County (4-3) 107.5
13) Hendersonville (6-1) 105.2
14) Robbinsville (7-0) 105.2
15) West Montgomery (3-3) 104.1


Predictions for this week's games
Ayden-Grifton (3-3, 1A) by 24 (96%) at Rosewood (1-5, 1A)
#46 Beddingfield (6-0, 3A) by 19 (91%) at Aycock (2-4, 3A)
Eastern Wayne (3-3, 3A) by 7 (69%) vs Southern Wayne (1-5, 3A)
Greene Central (2-4, 2A) by 3 (58%) at North Pitt (3-3, 2A)
Kinston (4-2, 3A) by 11 (78%) vs Hunt (1-5, 3A)
#42 Nash Central (3-3, 3A) by 22 (94%) vs Southern Nash (3-2, 3A)
North Johnston (1-5, 1A) by 14 (83%) vs North Duplin (2-4, 1A)
North Lenoir (3-3, 2A) by 5 (64%) at Farmville (0-6, 2A)
Princeton (2-4, 1A) by 16 (87%) at Spring Creek (0-6, 1A)
#3 Rocky Mount (5-1, 3A) by 40 (99%) vs Northern Nash (1-5, 3A)
#35 Southwest Edgecombe (4-1, 3A) by 7 (69%) vs Fike (5-1, 3A)
#40 Tarboro (5-1, 2A) by 9 (74%) vs Goldsboro (4-1-1, 2A)

AP high school football poll for Oct. 7

RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football poll for North Carolina for the week of Oct. 7, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:

CLASS 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (12) (4-0) 138 1
2. Matthews Butler (2) (5-0) 128 2
3. Fayetteville Britt (5-1) 78 6
T4. Davie County (5-1) 67 5
T4. East Mecklenburg (5-0) 67 8
6. Fayetteville Seventy-First (6-0) 58 T10
7. Wilmington Hoggard (4-1) 46 7
8. Raleigh Millbrook (6-1) 39 3
9. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor (6-1) 38 9
10. Asheville Reynolds (5-1) 37 T10
Others receiving votes: Richmond County 21, Raleigh Leesville Road 16, West Forsyth 13, Mallard Creek 12, West Johnston 7, Wake Forest-Rolesville 3, Raleigh Wakefield 1, East Burke 1.

CLASS 3-A
1. Greensboro Dudley (9) (6-0) 135 1
2. Rocky Mount (5) (5-1) 131 2
3. Eastern Alamance (6-0) 99 3
4. Belmont South Point (6-1) 78 5
5. Jamestown Ragsdale (6-0) 77 4
6. West Craven (6-0) 66 6
7. Waynesville Tuscola (6-0) 58 7
8. Winston-Salem Carver (5-1) 47 8
9. Harnett Central (5-1) 22 9
10. West Rowan (5-1) 18
Others receiving votes: Oxford Webb 17, SouthWest Edgecombe 6, Monroe Sun Valley 5, Charlotte Catholic 3, Wilson Beddingfield 3, Asheville 2, Mooresville 1, North Buncombe 1, Kinston 1.

CLASS 2-A
1. Reidsville (14) (6-0) 140 1
2. Jacksonville Northside (6-0) 123 2
3. Newton-Conover (5-0) 106 3
4. Southwest Onslow (6-0) 94 4
5. Lenoir Hibriten (6-0) 78 6
6. Eastern Guilford (6-0) 56 8
7. Tarboro (5-1) 39 10
7. South Columbus (5-1) 39 9
9. East Lincoln (6-1) 23
10. Salisbury (6-0) 20
Others receiving votes: Canton Pisgah 17, Lincolnton 15, Monroe 7, Shelby 7, Bunn 4, East Duplin 1, Elizabeth City Northeastern 1.

CLASS 1-A
1. Warsaw Kenan (9) (6-0) 130 1
2. Thomasville (3) (6-0) 127 2
3. Mt. Airy (2) (6-0) 117 3
4. Murphy (7-0) 99 4
5. Albemarle (5-1) 78 5
6. Siler City Jordan-Matthews (6-1) 54 6
7. Dunn Midway (6-1) 47 8
8. Plymouth (5-1) 26 9
T9. East Bladen (6-1) 22 10
T9. Topsail (6-0) 22
Others receiving votes: Cherokee 12, Robbinsville 10, Jones County 10, Louisburg 8, Hendersonville 5, Elkin 3.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Saturday morning reflections

It's Saturday morning and I'm still marveling over the game at Beddingfield on Friday night. The Bruins' 34-28 defeat of previously unbeaten Fike was chock full of great plays by both teams and they started right from the beginning.

On the second play from scrimmage, senior Marcus Ruffin of Beddingfield took a handoff and raced around the right end, dodging one would-be tackler and not stopping until he hit the end zone 77 yards later. Ruffin, who would throw a 79-yard touchdown pass later in the first quarter, had 81 of Beddingfield's 80 rushing yards in the first 12 minutes. That's right, the Bruins' only other ballcarrier netted a minus-1 in yardage in the first quarter.

Ruffin had 104 yards by halftime and so I was surprised to see him shelved for the Bruins' first possession of the second half. By then, Fike had overcome a 14-3 deficit with 22 straight points, including a six-play, 50-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter.

But even trailing 25-14 there was no reason for Beddingfield to panic as there was lots of time left and the Bruins are one team that needs but a few seconds to score from anywhere on the field. When they got the ball back in the third, they went to the air and junior quarterback Lance Price and his receivers seemed out of synch.

Beddingfield got one first down on Ruffin's 8-yard ramble on third-and-3 and another on a Fike roughing-the-passer penalty. But the drive sputtered at midfield as Price went 1 for 5. When Beddingfield got the ball back, they used Ruffin to set up two 31-yard pass plays, including tight end Tobias Brown's over-the-shoulder TD catch.

Here's a couple of other things from Friday night:

• After delivering a smack on Fike's Rashad Parker, Bruins senior defensive back Dahnique Eddie broken the ulna and radius bones in his forearm. When he finally got to his feet with a splint on his arm, Eddie's expression wasn't one of pain but rather annoyance that he had to come out of the game. There was no doubt "Q-Ball's" injury rallied his teammates and I can see why,
Eddie is one tough cookie.
• Speaking of Parker, his 64-yard ramble for a TD to end the first half was an instant WILSY. He was met at the line of scrimmage by two Bruins defenders, bounced off and darted left. Seemingly hemmed in along the sideline, Parker was able to find a seam behind the rest of the Fike players who had caught up to him and were throwing blocks 20 and 30 yards downfield. Parked picked his way back to the center of the field and sprinted to the end zone. Sixty-four yards on the scoresheet but I bet he ran more than 100 on the play.

Where do these teams go from here? Well, Fike goes from the proverbial frying pan to the fire as the Demons open 3-A NEW 6 Conference play Friday at SouthWest Edgecombe. But let's just say it now: The Demons are for real. Fike made a couple of mistakes Friday night and they were costly but for the most part, the Demons have avoided hurting themselves. That credit must go to head coach Richie Pridgen and his staff.

The NEW 6 has plenty of hurt to go around so a team that can limit its mistakes is going to do well. I believe Fike can beat any team in the NEW 6, even No. 2 state-ranked Rocky Mount, which barely edged the Demons last season.

For the Bruins, as I laid out above, if Beddingfield uses the run to set up the pass, it will be tough to beat in the 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference.

The loss of Eddie hurts but Beddingfield, at this point, must be considered the class of the ECC. However, a vastly improved Kinston squad lurks and we can never forget the Hunt Warriors, who can still win the conference after a 1-5 start.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Great but not greatest

In case you haven't seen this catch by Edwin Baptiste of Morgan State against Winston-Salem State last Saturday, check it out.

I don't know about greatest ever. After all have we already forgotten David Tyree's incredible catch in the Super Bowl last January?.

Or Lynn Swann's amazing hauls in Super Bowl X (which are somewhere in here.

There's a mess of mind-boggling catches in this clip.

You see, it's just hard to call something "the best ever."

Thursday, October 2, 2008

This week's AP high school football poll

RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football poll for North Carolina for the week of Sept. 30, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers.

CLASS 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (11);(3-0);119;1
2. Matthews Butler (1);(4-0);105;2
3. Raleigh Millbrook;(6-0);96;3
4. Raleigh Leesville Road;(6-0);74;5
5. Davie County;(4-1);47;6
6. Fayetteville Britt;(4-1);42;4
7. Wilmington Hoggard;(3-1);38;7
8. East Mecklenburg;(4-0);34;8
9. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor;(5-1);27;9
T10. Asheville Reynolds;(4-1);25
T10. Fayetteville Seventy-First;(5-0);25
Others receiving votes: Richmond County 15, Mallard Creek 4, West Forsyth 2, Charlotte Myers Park 2, East Forsyth 2, East Burke 1, Greensboro Page 1, Greenville Rose 1.<

CLASS 3-A
1. Greensboro Dudley (10);(5-0);118;1
2. Rocky Mount (2);(4-1);105;2
3. Eastern Alamance;(5-0);81;3
4. Jamestown Ragsdale;(5-0);73;4
5. Belmont South Point;(5-1);69;5
6. West Craven;(5-0);52;6
7. Waynesville Tuscola;(5-0);48;9
8. Winston-Salem Carver;(5-1);42;7
9. Harnett Central;(4-1);22
10. Oxford Webb;(4-1);18;10
Others receiving votes: Asheville Roberson 9, West Rowan 8, Wilson Fike 3, Kinston 3, Kannapolis Brown 3, Southeast Guilford 2, Mooresville 1, Charlotte Catholic 1, Asheville 1, Hertford County 1.

CLASS 2-A
1. Reidsville (12);(5-0);120;1
2. Jacksonville Northside;(5-0);101;2
3. Newton-Conover;(5-0);87;3
4. Southwest Onslow;(5-0);83;5
5. Lincolnton;(5-1);64;7
6. Lenoir Hibriten;(5-0);58;6
7. Bunn;(4-1);37;8
8. Eastern Guilford;(5-0);32;9
9. South Columbus;(4-1);22;10
10. Tarboro;(5-1);19;4
Others receiving votes: Canton Pisgah 11, Salisbury 10, East Lincoln 8, Shelby 7, East Duplin 1.

CLASS 1-A
1. Warsaw Kenan (7);(6-0);112;1
2. Thomasville (3);(5-0);105;3
3. Mt. Airy (2);(5-0);104;2
4. Murphy;(6-0);83;4
5. Albemarle;(4-1);62;5
6. Siler City Jordan-Matthews;(5-1);37;6
7. Cherokee;(6-0);30;9
8. Dunn Midway;(5-0);27;10
9. Plymouth;(4-1);26;7
10. East Bladen;(5-1);18;8
Others receiving votes: Topsail 14, Jones County 10, Robbinsville 6, Louisburg 5, West Montgomery 5, Seven Springs Spring Creek 5, Elkin 4, Hendersonville 4, East Surry 3.