Redskins the latest team to offer Brown a tryout

Like many college graduates pounding the pavement searching for a job these days, Everette Brown keeps plugging away and hoping to land with another NFL team.

The Beddingfield High graduate was cut by the Carolina Panthers just before the season (the same Panthers who made the former Florida State All-American defensive end their top draft pick in 2009). Most recently Brown was reported by Aaron Wilson of scout.com to have worked out with the Washington Redskins. That makes at least four teams — New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions being the other three — that have given Brown a tryout. Of course, tryouts of free agents are held each Tuesday in the NFL so that doesn't mean the Redskins are about to offer Brown a contract.

But considering Washington is the second-closest NFL city to Wilson, it'd be nice to see Brown wearing the burgundy and gold.

O'Brien on track to shatter his own scoring mark

Hunt junior Eric O'Brien is on pace to break his own single-season scoring record for the Warriors. After a hat trick in Wednesday night's 10-1 win at Northern Nash, O'Brien has 42 goals, seven shy of the mark he set last fall. With four regular-season matches remaining, O'Brien has a great chance to hit 50 before the postseason begins. If the 3-A Big East Conference holds a postseason tournament this year, O'Brien will have at least one more, if not two chances before the state 3-A playoffs begin.

By the way, the N.C. High School Athletic Association record is 92, set by Surry Central's Michael Richardson in 2001, breaking his own mark of 87 set the year before. O'Brien won't come close to either of those numbers but if he gets to 53, he'll be in the top 10 all-time single-season goal scorers in NCHSAA boys soccer.

If the 14-0 Warriors clinch the Big East's top seed, they should be able to get to the fourth round again, where they will most likely encounter Jacksonville for the fifth straight year. The Cardinals defeated Hunt on penalty kicks in the fourth round last season. The good news for Hunt this time is the Cardinals might not be as strong whereas the Warriors seem better than they were a year ago. If Hunt wins, Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons lurks as the potential winner of the "lower" bracket. Gibbons currently is ranked No. 1 in the state in the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 3-A poll, one ahead of Hunt.

NCPreps.com - And then there was 31!!

NCPreps.com - And then there was 31!!

Still not sure why Hunt doesn't get enough votes to be ranked in The Associated Press 3-A top 10. The Warriors were one of the last eight 3-A teams standing last season so it's not like they've come out of nowhere. At 6-0, Hunt is one of 31 remaining unbeaten teams in the state. The Warriors are going to have a tough time maintaining that perfection with games remaining against Rocky Mount, Southern Nash, Nash Central and suddenly surprising Fike.

The Big East has pretty much lived up to its preseason hype with Hunt, Southern Nash and Nash Central, which has taken the role that Northern Nash had last year, off to a combined 16-2 start. Rocky Mount and Fike are clearly better than they were last year and only Northern is struggling, but still capable of playing anybody tough.

I've felt all along that the Oct. 14 showdown between the Warriors and Firebirds at Hunt would most likely settle the conference championship. But with Southern stumbling at Fike in OT on Monday night and Nash Central dealing a decisive defeat to host Rocky Mount, it might be the Bulldogs who pull off the surprise. And Nash Central, under both Kenneth Grantham and current head coach Kevin Crudup, has always been a tough nut to crack. You just can't ever overlook the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference race is getting pretty interesting with the apparent resurgence of SouthWest Edgecombe. There are some key matchups this Friday with the Cougars visiting a capable North Pitt squad and Tarboro traveling to Kinston for what could be the conference championship game.

Beddingfield is at Farmville Central in another "blast for last." If the Bruins don't beat the winless Jaguars, Beddingfield might not win another game. What has happened on Old Stantonsburg Road? For one, the Bruins running game has been, well, atrocious. I'm not sure if the blame is to fall on the ball carrriers, the blockers or the play calling but if you can't run the ball, you won't win. And the Bruins are finding out that age-old axiom has never been more true. The good news for head coach Tyrone Johnson (if this season doesn't kill him) is many of the Bruins should be back next season and, if they take heed of the lessons being conducted this fall, they could be pretty good in 2012.

Bruins' Speight verbals to ECU

Beddingfield High senior defensive end Reece Speight gave his verbal commitment to East Carolina University last week. If Reece does become a Pirate, he will be the first Bruins to ink with an FBS program since Everette Brown signed with Florida State in 2005.

Brown gets workout with Titans

Former Carolina Panthers defensive end Everette Brown had a workout this week with the Tennessee Titans but hasn't been signed, as of Tuesday afternoon.

Brown, the Panthers' top pick in the 2009 NFL draft, was an All-American at Florida State after graduation from Beddingfield High. Carolina, under new head coach Ron Rivera, waived Brown a few days before the season began last week.