2015 ALL-AREA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Greene’s thoughts never far from brother during state title run

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary
The 2015 Telegram All-Area Defense Football Player of the Year, Sherrod Greene, of Rocky Mount High School.

Ask Sherrod Greene about specific games in which he’s played, and the Rocky Mount High junior linebacker will struggle to recall details.

Game-changing, fumble-return touchdowns against Wilson Fike and Southern Nash in conference play?

Both faded into a haze of adrenaline and pent-up aggression.

The entire NCHSAA 3-A state championship game, a 24-21 Gryphons win in overtime over Belmont South Point on Dec. 11? Greene mostly remembers crying happy tears on Kenan Stadium’s north sideline, after the dust had settled.

Even in postgame interviews all season, Greene, ranked by at least one recruiting service as one of the top 150 players in the country for the class of 2017, would offer little detail about specific plays, but he would always have a wide grin plastered on his face – a stark comparison to the laser-eyed, see-through-you stare that marked his gameface.

Football has always been – from when he started playing in the backyard and when he joined the Rocky Mount city league at nine – where Sherrod, the Telegram’s 2015 Football All-Area Defensive Player of the Year, has gone to relieve stress and to release anger without fear of repercussions.

The 120-by-53 1/3-yard football field is where Sherrod, who led the Gryphons with 134 tackles and added 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles, goes to think of nothing but football. No thoughts of his struggles in English class, or doubters at school, or girls, or that he’s grown up in a city where guns and drugs are easy to find and not-so-easy to avoid, as he has seen firsthand. No thoughts of trying to get his mother, Chanda Underwood, a better life, and no thoughts of a brother who passed away in the blink of an eye in 2013.

Just before midnight on February 20, 2013, Justin Alston, Sherrod’s 22-year-old brother, was crossing railroad tracks in Battleboro when the car he was driving became stuck between two downed crossing arms that had dropped as an Amtrak train approached.

The speed limit for Amtrak in the area is 79 miles per hour, authorities said; one of Alston’s passengers escaped, but Sherrod said his brother panicked and did not move as the train struck the car’s passenger side. Alston passed away at the scene.

“I looked up to him a lot, our bond was tight,” Greene said. “It really hurt when I lost him.

It happened at night, and I found out that next morning from mom. Waking up to something like that…”

Greene’s voice trailed.

“I don’t ever let any of my anger get out to people,” Greene continued. “So I’ve let all that anger from the past build up inside of me. I know that’s bad, but that’s just how I am, I don’t like to talk my problems out. But a big one is the fact I lost my (Justin), I’m still angry about that. Justin was the only brother I really talked to my problems about, so I haven’t had him around for that.”

Justin gave Sherrod the tough love and advice that only an older brother with experiences could. Alston had seen others in the Parker community succumb to Rocky Mount’s seedier element.

“Justin always was trying to tell him to keep his head straight and stay out of trouble because Justin had seen it, had been affiliated with those types of people and didn’t want Sherrod to get in with that,” Rod White, one of Greene’s oldest and closest friends and a junior linebacker for the Gryphons, said by telephone. “He was a good big brother. He wanted Sherrod to go somewhere in football because he saw how good and how big he was.”

What’s more, Alston had seen another brother, Rodquez Greene – who Sherrod said was bigger and more talented – star for Rocky Mount High earlier this decade. But Rodquez never took football past the 252 area code.

Rodquez lives with Sherrod and Underwood now, and White said he’s taken over the role in Sherrod’s life that Alston once played.

“(Quez) is hard on Sherrod like Justin always was,” White said. “Certain stuff Sherrod might wanna do, Quez won’t allow it. Say Sherrod wants to hang with somebody, if Quez knows them and knows they ain’t good people, then he says, ‘nah, you’re staying in the house.’”

Sherrod, for the most part, keeps to himself. He plays football, and goes home. On the field and on the sidelines, he’s not particularly vocal or in teammates’ faces after a bad play or series.

But the looks on teammates’ faces after some of his bigger plays this year spoke volumes. Most were too busy giving each other wide-eyed, knowing glances, to celebrate, as if to say, ‘glad that guy is on my side.’”

Sherrod was a big target for all of the Gryphons’ opponents this season, and he knew that would be the case. Teams see an opposing player with Division I-talent – Sherrod has verbal offers from UNC, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and East Carolina, among others – and know where to focus their scouting attention.

One Rocky Mount High playoffs opponent, to remain anonymous, took it a step further, taking any opportunity to step on Greene’s legs and, well, nether regions, trying to force him out of the game.

Sherrod played through that. He injured his left shoulder in Rocky Mount High’s third-round win over Eden Morehead but returned to help force a huge fourth-quarter stop. He played through a high ankle sprain in the state championship game suffered just one week prior at Eastern Alamance.

Given the support system around him, there might be no stopping Sherrod from becoming the next star athlete to leave the Twin Counties for bigger and better things. Some will talk about wanting to make it out, but Sherrod, with the early college offers and, as of now, the grades to qualify, can almost touch his route out.

“I feel like I’m not stopping until I gets my mom what she wants,” Sherrod said. “I’m not stopping until she doesn’t have to work anymore. I want to do well for her.”

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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2015 ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL: Cannie’s leadership guides Gryphons to best season in five years

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary / Sports Writer
The 2015 Telegram All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year, Natalya Cannie, of Rocky Mount High School.

Natalya Cannie has a unique way of bonding with people.

The Rocky Mount High senior has a knack for understanding the best way to communicate with her teammates. Some respond to being yelled at, and there are others who need the constant encouragement to stay confident in their abilities. It can seem like a balancing act to most people, but for Cannie it simply comes natural to her.

Which is why through all the chaos and unpredictability of the 2015 season, Cannie emerged as the All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year for a second consecutive year. Without Cannie’s steady leadership, the Gryphons likely wouldn’t have finished second in the Big East this season, and without her powerful attacks, the court wouldn’t have been as open for the rest of her teammates.

“I know when my leadership wasn’t there, we didn’t play well at all,” Cannie said. “I know if I’m not there for my teammates, things go downhill, so I try to push myself so I can not get get down on myself. … When I get down on myself, everything just drops, and it gets really bad.”

Cannie, who is planning on studying nursing in college, said being helpful is one of her defining qualities. Sometimes that means lending a hand to a friend in need, but other times that means being a leader on the court and ensuring her teammates are on the same page.

One example of this came in the huddles between points on the court. Cannie said she was constantly encouraging one of her teammates who seemed to receive the brunt of the squad’s frustration after a poor play. Those little moments are an example of Cannie’s desire to help people be happy and also her ability to use different motivational tactics to connect with teammates.

“I get along with everyone, and I’m always helping people,” Cannie said. “I like making people feel better about themselves. I don’t like seeing people get down on themselves.”

Cannie describes herself as talkative and goofy, two adjectives that don’t seem to be great combinations on the court. However, Cannie said those traits let her teammates know that she’s still confident and working hard. It’s when she gets silent and less animated that her teammates begin to worry.

“If I’m not loud and playful and smiling at my teammates, they’ll either think I’m mad or they’ll probably be quiet,” Cannie said. “I’m always laughing with my teammates, trying to make them laugh and trying to make everything brighter and bigger.”

But behind that fun-loving personality was the fiery competitor that propelled the Gryphons back to the postseason for the first time in five years. Cannie was just as dominant as she was last season, finding ways to make an impact even if teams focused their defense on her — not that she noticed those shifts. Cannie was zoned in on just playing the game, not worried about whether teams were scheming to stop her.

It’s one of the main reasons she graded her season a perfect 10 out of 10. She stayed focused on the court, worked hard in practice and led the team to the Big East runner-up spot, leaving herself nothing to regret as her senior year came to a close.

It was a fitting way to honor the memory of Tiara Hinton, a Rocky Mount High volleyball player who died in a car accident last year. Cannie was close to Hinton and said even a year later, her friend gave her motivation to finish her career strong.

“She was still my motivation to push hard, fight hard and finish,” Cannie said. “She’s still the biggest motivation that I had.”

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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2015 ALL-AREA GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY: Gryphons’ Leland invests in teammates while improving herself

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary
The 2015 Telegram All-Area Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year, Mary McCall Leland, of Rocky Mount High School.

Mary McCall Leland was taught from an early age that community was an important part of life.

When her mother was killed in a car accident in 2004, the Rocky Mount High senior first began to understand the importance of a community through the teachings of her father, William.

When Leland struggled as a junior to reclaim the running form she had as a sophomore, the purpose of community became even more apparent.

By her own admission, Leland was miserable last year on the cross country team.

She was running about 35 seconds slower than she had as a sophomore, and the lack of individual success ate at her.

She said she was counting down the days until the end of the season, and when that finally came, the anger did not subside too much.

Yet, it was those negative experiences that became the catalyst for Leland to become a better runner and leader for Rocky Mount High in 2015.

With a new sense of purpose and goals, Leland’s times returned to form, and she finished second in the Big East Conference.

She was the conference’s lone representative at the NCHSAA 3-A state meet, and earned the distinction of being named the 2015 Telegram All-Area Girls’ Runner of the Year.

“Those negative emotions changed my focus,” Leland said. “I realized I had to change, I can’t do this again. So, I focused my attention not on perfection and times, but on progress as a team.

“Last year, I put so much pressure on myself [and] this year, looking back, I shifted that, and that’s what made our team closer and me a better leader.”

Leland made it her mission to ensure team chemistry was the best it could possibly be, hosting pre-race jam sessions with both the girls’ and boys’ teams and also gathering her teammates around before they went to the starting line to promote a positive mindset.

That chemistry continued to build during the season and reached its peak at the Big East championship meet where the Gryphons took home the conference title.

Her father said it was no surprise to him to see his daughter build such an effective community because of her empathetic and compassionate nature.

“She’s very others-centered,” William Leland said. “She invites other people in a way that she’s able to see what’s important in the worlds of other people.”

Mary McCall Leland became so beloved inside the team that everyone began to run harder for her in the hopes of pushing her to the state meet again.

When the Gryphons fell three points short in the regional meet of qualifying as a team, there was little disappointment in their faces and more pure joy that Leland qualified as an individual.

Even her coach could not contain her joy for Leland’s accomplishment.

“She’s just the type of person that you always want the best for,” Rocky Mount High coach Dee Anna Davis said after that regional meet in October. “Everybody wants to see her succeed. … I feel lucky to have been able to have the opportunity to coach her for the past three years.”

Leland said those types of comments didn’t put any extra pressure on her during the season, but while reflecting on the year as a whole, she said it became a bit overwhelming for her to receive all the love and admiration. She was so invested in the community she built, she felt it was odd for her to receive so much praise.

But that feeling also informed her that she had succeeded in building a community within the team.

“It’s so undeserving,” Leland said. “That’s when you’ve reached a well-developed community when you feel what you get in return is undeserved. I don’t deserve for them to love me that well.

“It’s just a beautiful picture of what it means to be in a community.”

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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2015 ALL-AREA GIRLS’ TENNIS: Fashion-forward Bryant finding footing on tennis court

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary / Sports Writer
The 2015 Telegram All-Area Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year, Brenna Bryant, of Rocky Mount High School.

At first, Lee Bailey could only stand and shake his head.

Bailey, Brenna Bryant’s first tennis coach, would watch as his naturally-gifted, 11-year-old pupil adjusted her hair, or tidied up her outfit, or cleaned her shoes instead of concentrating on what was taking place on the court.

The signs of an athlete were there, though, from her muscular build to her swift feet. Brenna comes from great athletic stock – her father, Kelvin, rushed for 1,000 yards or more in three straight seasons (1980-82) for North Carolina, and his No. 44 jersey is retired in Chapel Hill – but Brenna’s mother, Teresa, lovingly describes her as a ‘priss.’

Case-in-point: there’s a constant debate in the Bryant household about whether Brenna gets to wear an oversized bow in her hair while on the court.

Some days, Brenna wins that argument, but most of the time, Kelvin gets his way, and Brenna goes without her favorite accessory.

“Brenna probably was destined to be athletic, but her personality was so adverse to that,” Teresa said. “Anyone who doesn’t want to get dirty or sweaty, it’s hard to play a sport…”

Brenna interjected, her voice rising.

“I’m not like that now!”

“No, you’re not, and you’ve really progressed,” Teresa said.

Indeed, she has. After sitting out her freshman year of tennis at Rocky Mount High (by Teresa’s insistence, so that she could adjust to the academic demands), Brenna’s presence this year gave the Gryphons a major lift.

Playing No. 1 singles and as part of Rocky Mount High’s No. 1 doubles pair, the sophomore just kept winning.

Brenna, the 2015 Telegram All-Area Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year and the Big East Conference Player of the Year, went 13-2 in her singles matches for a Gryphons team that reached the third round of the 3-A state playoffs and combined with senior Chandler Brice to win the 3-A Eastern Regional and advance to the state semifinals in doubles.

Brenna has always held an interest in fashion, according to Teresa, though to say it’s an ‘interest’ may be underselling Brenna’s intentions.

She learned how to sew at the age of seven. Around the time when her current peers on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) circuit were beginning to train with professionals, Brenna was working with and designing clothes.

Her interest in fashion was the main reason the Bryants, who live in Tarboro, sent Brenna to Rocky Mount High for her freshman and sophomore years – namely, that the school was one of a select few in the area to offer live French instruction (with a real instructor and not online).

Brenna said she plans to travel to France to learn more about the fashion industry and wants to know the language as well as possible before heading across the Atlantic.

She’s planning on starting to build a portfolio of her own clothing creations, if a busy, year-round USTA and N.C. State Tennis Academy schedule will allow.

And, most importantly for the purposes of this story, fashion was what drew Brenna to tennis in the first place. She loved the outfits girls got to wear on the court.

So John Davidson, a family friend about 10 years Brenna’s senior, took her along to play. There would be nobody bumping her or getting too physical, as Brenna had experienced in one short-lived season of Upward Bound basketball. Brenna fouled out often, Kelvin said, but an aggressive streak that had been hiding deep within her started to show.

It didn’t take long for Brenna to discover she loved tennis.

“I pretty much took to it right away and knew that it was something I enjoyed doing,” Brenna said. “I didn’t really start getting competitive with it until two years ago, but people would tell you I’ve been a fast learner.”

Teresa reached over and produced a picture on her cell phone, of a five-level shelf unit brimming with USTA trophies Brenna has won in a comparatively short tennis-playing life. Brenna’s mental toughness and ability to think ahead during points has caught up with players her age who have been playing twice as long.

Kelvin is a constant presence at his daughter’s matches and practices, sitting statue-like and watching intently for signs of mental letdowns and paying attention to coaching points so that he can reinforce them before the next time Brenna hits the court, which has only sped up her development.

Tennis, above all, has allowed Brenna to be herself.

Brenna, ever her mother’s child, can play in nice outfits – sometimes even with a bow on top.

But if Brenna’s progress in four short years of playing tennis is any indication, it would have been a shame to not take advantage of those Bryant genes.

By FOSTER LANDER

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

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Strong first half leads Gryphons to the title

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary
Rocky Mount Highs Keyanna Spivey, right, goes up for a basket as Nash Centrals Rebecca Speight attempts to block her Thursday during the Nash County Holiday Tournament at Southern Nash High School

BAILEY – The barrage started with a Michelle Gainey 3-pointer and it never relented Thursday night.

Rocky Mount High raced out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, and kept Nash Central from scoring a basket in open play until the second half in a dominant 53-31 victory over the Bulldogs in the final of the Nash County Holiday Tournament.

“It came together (Thursday),” Gryphons coach Pam Gainey said. “You just have to be focused on the task at hand. The crowd is big and it’s an emotional time when you’re playing people from across town, but you just need to maintain focus on what we do, making sure our structure is correct and doing the little things in between.”

The Gryphons (7-2) played some of their best defense of the season in the first half, neutralizing the Bulldogs’ potent shooters and suffocating any attack Nash Central tried to mount. A man-to-man defense that extended well-past the three-point line trapped the ball handler on several occasions and Rocky Mount High was able to shift to the ball before Nash Central knew where it wanted to pass.

“We were on task and we communicated pretty well to get to the places we needed to be,” Pam Gainey said.

The defensive pressure frustrated the Bulldogs to the point where Robbi Allen picked up a technical for throwing the ball away after a foul was called. It was the only visible sign of frustration from the Bulldogs on the court to the untrained eye, but the team that was playing loose and free for the first part of the season was clearly missing Thursday.

The Bulldogs (7-1) scored their first points of the night on a free throw with six minutes left in the second quarter, and didn’t score their first field goal until Myia Spivey made a layup about a minute into the third. By that point, the damage had been done.

“We didn’t even attempt to run our fastbreak, which is how we get most of our offense,” Nash Central coach Terri Cash said. “We went away from what we do. … I didn’t think we played bad defense, we just didn’t get into a flow offensively.”

The defensive pressure opened the floor for the Gryphons to break out into transition, and the left the Bulldogs’ defense chasing the ball for most of the first half. Mya Pittman knocked down three 3-pointers in the first half to complement the bruising post play of Keyanna Spivey, who scored 16 points for the second consecutive game to earn MVP honors.

That duo, aided by 15 points from Michelle Gainey, set the tone for the Gryphons all night.

Spivey’s performance was a maturation of the player who earned All-Area first team honors last season. Known primarily for her ability to dominate in the post, Spivey showcased some of her ballhandling skills Thursday to help start rushes up the floor. Pam Gainey said Spivey’s performance will be important for the Gryphons’ success moving forward.

“She’s really got some footwork down on the inside, which allows her to be successful despite being undersized,” Pam Gainey said. “She’s getting better and we’re able to play her not just under the basket.”

Pittman is merely a freshman, but she came through in the first three quarters for Rocky Mount High. She did most of her damage from the corner where the Bulldogs failed to rotate and guard her. The result was a season-best 15 points for Pittman in the championship game.

Her coach said the freshman has shown an eagerness to learn and it is starting to show in her play on the court particularly in the past three days.

“She pays attention really well and she listens,” Pam Gainey said. “When I talk to her about making an adjustments, she’s really listening and trying to get better.”

Allen scored 11 fourth-quarter points to lead the Bulldogs in scoring followed by 8 from Kathryn Wilkins and 6 from Myia Spivey.

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Thursday, December 17, 2015

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Spragley, Knights ease past Gryphons for title game chance

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Northern Nash guard Darius Spragley, right, drives to the basket as Rocky Mount High forward Artavious Richardson defends Wednesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament at Southern Nash High School

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Rocky Mount High center Derrick Kipp, left, drives to the basket as Northern Nash center Zachary Langley defends Wednesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

BAILEY – When Northern Nash entered the Nash County Christmas Tournament last season, it was in major need of some confidence.

The Knights were 1-6 and struggling to stay competitive with teams for all four quarters. That wasn’t an issue this season and the Knights kept the train rolling Wednesday night.

Northern Nash absorbed Rocky Mount High’s defensive pressure in the first half and pulled away in the second to cruise to a 76-58 victory.

“We had a good offseason workout,” coach Henry Drake said. “I had a lot of kids who came in and worked hard in the offseason … and that has made a big difference.”

The Knights’ success began on defense where the trapping 1-2-2 zone proved difficult for the Gryphons. A few easy steals at the top of the zone turned into transition baskets.

But it wasn’t until Northern Nash (9-2) played its full-court man-to-man defense that the pressure became too much for Rocky Mount High. The Gryphons (0-8) had trouble moving the ball past halfcourt, and when they did, the Knights did not give up easy looks at the rim.

Before long, an eight-point halftime advantage had grown to as many as 20 and the Gryphons failed to find any offensive solutions.

“We turned the defense up,” Drake said. “We got after them a little bit. We pushed the tempo up and got some easy baskets with fast breaks.”

The Knights had their most success when they were able to push the pace in transition and force the Gryphons into fouls while they attempted to hustle back.

Northern Nash converted on two three-point plays, and Darius Spragley had a four-point play in the third quarter, which helped jump-start the offense.

Spragley finished with 15 points, but it was his patience without the ball that impressed his coach.

“Darius is learning that he can be just as effective without putting the ball in the hoop,” Drake said. “(On Wednesday), he handled the second part of his job very well. He was more of a leader (Wednesday) than anything.”

Rocky Mount High coach Mike Gainey said his gameplan was designed to limit Spragley and force the other players on the floor to score.

It worked to some extent, but Spragley didn’t seem to mind being a distributor.

Undray Cherry became Spragley’s favorite target, and the sophomore hurt the Gryphons.

Cherry scored a game-high 19 points with strong cuts to the rim that Rocky Mount High struggled to contain.

“I just did my thing, kept on shooting the ball, and they fell,” Cherry said.

The Gryphons stayed competitive through the first half, but a string of missed layups and free throws prevented them from asserting control in the early going.

Rocky Mount High played intense defense and prevented Northern Nash from truly running its sets in the halfcourt, but the Gryphons did not capitalize on their chance.

“When you can’t make layups and you can’t make free throws, it’s kind of hard to win the ballgame,” Gainey said with a chuckle.

But Gainey was pleased with his team’s defense, praising them for sticking to the gameplan. However, the offense has not found its dominant scorer – although it looked as though the Gryphons’ strength is in the interior.

Forward Latrell Daniels led the charge for Rocky Mount High with 14 points, and the other two starting forwards – Kyle Barnhill and Spencer Ramsey – also finished in double figures.

Gainey said the offense still needs time to mature, but added it is important for him to keep finding positives to stress to his team instead of continuously harping on the negatives.

“Offensively we need to find someone who can score,” Gainey said. “We’re a young team, we’re rebuilding, and we just need to get all the right chemistry together.

“You got to find something positive that they’re doing well and build on that. It’s tough for them. They already know they’re having a tough time scoring … we just have to keep uplifting them someway, somehow to get them going.”

BOYS’ BASKETBALL Northern Nash 76 Rocky Mount High 58 NN 17 9 28 22 – 76 RMH 10 8 18 22 – 58 NN: Undray Cherry 19, Darius Spragley 15, Corey Foster 10, Raquan Harris 8, Damian Moore 8, Isaiah *** 4, Demonte Williams 4, Raymond Bullock 3, Zach Langley 3, Devonte Wiggins 2; RMH: Latrell Daniels 14, Spencer Ramsey 11, Kyle Barnhill 10, Artavious Richardson 5, Joshua Pittman 4, Kevon Whitehead 4, Isaiah Morris 2, Emmanuel Spruill 2, Derrick Kip 2, Jamar Ellis 2, McKenzie Wright 2;

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

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Gryphons beat Knights

Posted on 31 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Rocky Mount High guard Michelle Gainey, 11, and Northern Nash guard Amanda Richardson fight for a loose ball Tuesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Writer
Northern Nash center Ceyanna Harrison, right, reaches for a loose ball with Rocky Mount High forward Ashley Hatfield on Tuesday during the Nash County Christmas Tournament first round game at Southern Nash High School.

BAILEY – Pam Gainey exited the locker room after her postgame talk, shook her head twice and muttered, “that’s all I can say.”

It wasn’t the pretty basketball game she wished for, but she wasn’t going to complain about a victory over the defending Big East champions.

Rocky Mount High and Northern Nash played a physical basketball game from start to finish Tuesday, and it was the Gryphons who made the necessary plays to win. The 35-24 win might have left Gainey at a loss for words, but it propelled her team to Thursday’s final of the Nash County Christmas Tournament.

“I guess at this point, we’ll take it however we can get it,” Gainey said.

Rocky Mount High (6-2) did not shoot particularly well in the first half, but it was not afraid to attack the rim with forward Keyanna Spivey. The senior had 10 points in the first half, a layup toward the end of the half and eight free throws, a product of her going up strong near the basket.

Those fouls put the Knights’ forwards into foul trouble early and gave Rocky Mount High the ability to put a few points on the board without time ticking off the clock. The Gryphons made 11 of their 16 free throws in the first half compared to just two field goals – Spivey’s layup and a Michelle Gainey 3-pointer.

“The main emphasis right now is to be structurally correct offensively and defensively,” Gainey said, “and for the most part we were. Offensively, we have a lot of work to do.”

Things began to turn in the third quarter when Rocky Mount High’s shots began to fall. Shelby Meeks hit two 3-pointers from the right corner to push the Gryphons advantage to 10 after halftime. Mya Pittman connected on a third 3-pointer in the second half to stop a Northern Nash run and seal the deal for the Gryphons.

“We were getting looks that we wanted, but we were not knocking shots down,” Gainey said. “We were really desperate for those at that point.”

Northern Nash (9-2) did not fare much better on offense, struggling to convert some open layup opportunities. Those misses proved to be costly because the Gryphons swiped the rebounds and started to head the other way.

The Knights’ defense forced the Gryphons into several sticky situations, but it was unable to prevent Spivey from finding a way to receive the ball near the basket and force her way to the free throw line. Spivey finished with a game-high 16 points and made 14 of 20 foul shots.

GIRLS
Rocky Mount High 35
Northern Nash 24
RMH 8 8 9 10 – 35
NN 5 8 6 5 – 24
RMH: Keyanna Spivey 16, Shelby Meeks 8, Michelle Gainey 6, Mya Pittman 3, Natalya Cannie 2;
NN: Shamiya Mercer 8, Jahlia Williams 4, Ashlee Brackett 4, CeCe Harrison 4, Keyonte Cherry 2, Amanda Richardson 2;

By Josh walfish

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

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LANDER: Gryphons’ belief was all that mattered during state title run

Posted on 13 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mount High players surround kicker Chase Miller after he kicked a winning field goal in overtime against South Point High School Friday at the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Rocky Mount High won their first state championship title in 52 years 24-21.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mount High School kicker Chase Miller kicks the winning field goal in overtime bringing the final score to 24-21 against South Point High School at the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mount High School kicker Chase Miller gets picked up by Rocky Mountвs Donte Whitaker Friday after Miller kicks the winning field goal in overtime against South Point High School at the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Rocky Mount High won 24-21 in overtime.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mountвs Rasam Najemeddin, left, and Donte Wilkins celebrate with their victory with their fans Friday at the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Rocky Mount High won 24-21 in overtime.

A Rocky Mount High trainer stood, arms crossed and glassy-eyed, near the 40-yard-line on the East side of Kenan Stadium on Friday night, attempting to talk himself into believing what he had just witnessed.

“Did you ever think,” he wondered aloud, to nobody in particular, “that we would be standing here, watching these boys lift this trophy?”

And therein lay the beauty of Rocky Mount High’s first football state title in 52 years, a 24-21 triumph over Belmont South Point on Chase Miller’s 20-yard chip shot field goal in overtime: not once did the Gryphons pay heed to what others thought all year long.

They believed in one another, even after a gut-wrenching early-season loss at 4-AA Eastern finalist Apex Middle Creek and after a 40-point blowout loss at home to Greenville Rose, which played for the 4-A state title on Saturday.

They believed – even when it appeared as though the last will and testament to the Gryphons’ season had been signed and the envelope sealed in the third round against No. 10 seed Eden Morehead – when Rocky Mount High trailed by nine in the fourth quarter before Nick Bynum’s game-winning touchdown run with four seconds remaining on 4th-and-goal.

They believed in fourth-year head coach Jason Battle, a former Gryphons quarterback, who stayed the course at his alma mater, who never got too high or too low and allowed his team to be themselves. Battle’s players lifted him onto their shoulders at midfield after the trophy presentation, and he proceeded to deflect all credit away from himself in his press conference afterward.

Battle reminded his players after practice Tuesday of what the Gryphons’ reputation around the state is: that they’re athletic at every position. They never say, Battle continued, that Rocky Mount High is well-coached.

Let’s get this settled: Battle and his staff – Jermaine Jones, Jason Bracey, Brandon Arrington, Harry Harris, Fonte’ Lyles, Koron Nickelson, Carter Varnell, Michael Peebles and William Cherry – coached 47 teenagers like family, and that matters more than any win or loss ever will.

The coaching staff guided Rocky Mount High to a 5-0 run through Big East conference play, and through the death of Gryphons junior varsity running back Lavontae Brown, who was gunned down in broad daylight on Nov. 6, hours before the regular-season finale at Northern Nash.

One of the indelible images of Rocky Mount High’s season was of the Gryphons, clad in the same yellow helmets, white jerseys and navy blue pants they wore Friday, marching silently and arm-in-arm off their buses and down the hill to the field at Death Valley just 15 minutes before kickoff against Northern Nash.

Most of Rocky Mount High’s current varsity players didn’t know Brown well, but freshman linebacker Nyshir Hargrove lifted Brown’s gold No. 9 jersey above his head Friday as the Gryphons lifted their state championship trophy.

Rocky Mount High won that game, but Battle said in the postgame huddle that his players would be turning in their jerseys early if they played that poorly in the playoffs.

Never in doubt, right?

The Gryphons took care of business against Burlington Williams in the first round, and put away South Johnston one week later.

As the final minutes of that second-round game ticked away, and word trickled in of Morehead’s huge upset at No. 2 seed Havelock, meaning Rocky Mount High would host its third round game, far-off thoughts of a state championship run became concrete.

But this team?

The one that ended the regular season unranked in 3-A in the Associated Press poll?

With players who had seen so much go against them – fathers shot dead, single mothers doing their best to hold families together – and still came back for more, through the drudgery of summer workouts to the biting cold last Friday in Mebane?

Maybe, just maybe, it was all of us who were missing what Rocky Mount High was building all along. The Gryphons looked around at each other after the loss at Middle Creek and knew they had something special.

All they needed was a chance, as has been the rallying cry for the last five weeks, and they got exactly that.

So few in the Rocky Mount High contingent Friday night wanted to take credit, and yet there were so many deserving of it.

But the Gryphons didn’t reach Kenan Stadium by searching out individual recognition this year, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

By Foster Lander

Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Sunday, December 13, 2015

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Fans celebrate Gryphons’ win

Posted on 13 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings
Rocky Mount High cornerback Jac’quel Walker, held up by teammates, raises the NCHSAA 3-A football state championship trophy early Saturday morning during a pep rally for the Gryphons at Rocky Mount High School. The team earned the trophy by defeating Belmont South Point 24-21 in overtime Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings / Sports Editor
Rocky Mount High football players cheer during a pep rally early Saturday morning at Rocky Mount High School, following their NCHSAA 3-A state championship victory over Belmont South Point. The Gryphons defeated the Red Raiders 24-21 in overtime Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill.

Friday night’s celebration turned into Saturday morning appreciation for Rocky Mount High’s football team.

Just a few hours after winning the NCHSAA 3-A state championship with a 24-21 overtime victory Friday night against Belmont South Point in Chapel Hill, the Gryphons’ team bus exited off Highway 64 and received a police escort back to campus shortly before 1 a.m Saturday.

There – despite what had been a long day and night for many – the Gryphons were greeted by approximately 650 fans who filled an entire side of bleachers in the gymnasium to give the state champions a welcome home rally.

“Seeing the kids, the way they reacted, and the coaches having a good time and clowning around – it was good to see that camaraderie,” Rocky Mount High athletics director Mike Gainey said. “I knew the fans would come. It worked out really well. They didn’t want to go home.”

Gainey introduced the team, who made a grand entrance with their 3-A state title banner and trophy, then Gryphons coach Jason Battle took the microphone and introduced his players. Each received a medal for participating in the game.

It was in those moments, where the Gryphons, who played well under pressure in the title game, were able to let their guard down.

Some players strutted down the line of assistants to get their medal.

A few offensive and defensive linemen limped toward their medals, still feeling the physical affects of a game played just a few hours earlier.

Everyone high-fived, hugged one another and smiled after playing a role in bringing home the school’s first state title since 1963.

“This year, we have been a family and a brotherhood that no one can take apart,” said junior running back BJ Sanders, who opened the game with a memorable 81-yard kick return for a touchdown.

After every player received their medals, Battle thanked the fans, especially the team’s student section that has been constant at each of the team’s games.

The night ended with one final team huddle and a ‘G-R-Y-P-H-O-N-S’ chant.

Before filing out of the gym, players and coaches greeted fans.

“You’re so famous,” one young lady mentioned to a player who kept getting stopped by well-wishers.

“I feel famous,” he said with a large smile on his face.

Gainey said the athletics department wanted the athletes to remember they are part of a long tradition of “Gryphon Pride.”

If the players did not quite understand it through a video they were shown prior to the state championship or while they fought for 48-plus minutes on the Kenan Stadium turf, the message sunk in by 2 a.m. as they left the school.

“I feel like we put a name out there for Rocky Mount,” Sanders said. “It might not change the city, but people will talk about it.”

“I feel like we put a name out there for Rocky Mount.” 

BJ Sanders

Gryphons junior running back

By Jessie H. Nunery

Sports Editor for Rocky Mount Telegram

Saturday, December 12, 2015

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Rocky Mount High wins first football state championship since 1963

Posted on 12 December 2015 by Student Assistant.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary
Rocky Mount High School celebrates their victory against South Point High School at the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. Rocky Mount High won 24-21 in over time.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings /
Rocky Mount High running back Nick Bynum runs the ball during the Gryphons NCHSAA 3-A state championship win over South Point on Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mount running back BJ Sanders runs the ball around the South Point defense during the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Rocky Mount Gryphons won 24-21 in overtime.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings /
Rocky Mount High linebacker Sherrod Greene, right, reacts with teammate KK Edwards following the Gryphons NCHSAA 3-A state championship win over South Point on Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

Telegram photo / Adam Jennings /
Rocky Mount High running back BJ Sanders reacts following the Gryphons NCHSAA 3-A state championship win over South Point on Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

Telegram photo / Abbi O’Leary /
Rocky Mountвs Deangelo Collins, right, catches a pass as South Pointвs Mario Brandon tries to defend him during the NCHSAA 3-A State Championship Friday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Rocky Mount Gryphons won 24-21 in overtime.

CHAPEL HILL – Rocky Mount High came to Kenan Stadium on Friday with the weight of 52 years of close calls and of good-but-not-quite-good-enough football seasons on its shoulders.

They came from a town of nearly 57,000 and a 252 area code that too often chews up and spits out its young people before they can even dream of playing for, let alone winning, a state championship.

None of that matters now – at least not until the elation wears off.

Gryphons place-kicker Chase Miller drilled a 20-yard field goal in the first overtime period to give Rocky Mount High its first football state championship since 1963 with a 24-21 win over 3-A West champion Belmont South Point.

“This is something people in our community, our town, can be proud of,” Miller said. “I’m lost for words right now. Little kids can look to us and say, ‘I want to be where they are, to do what they’ve done.”

Rocky Mount High coach Jason Battle said the Gryphons (14-2) had been in the same position they were in late in Friday’s game: trailing by seven in the fourth quarter and needing a clutch drive on offense.

It showed.

“Never did I look at (my players) and see eyes that looked like 50-cent pieces,” Battle said. “They were keyed in.”

The Gryphons began at their own 11-yard line with 10:29 remaining and behind South Point, 21-14.

Quarterback Forrest Bell (15-for-21, 210 yards), the game MVP, hit Jaclayton Freeman for a 9-yard gain on a 3rd-and-8, then made his most important – and perhaps most unlikely – decision of his senior season on 3rd-and-17 from the Gryphons’ 29.

Bell looked to throw deep, but the Red Raiders’ secondary had every receiver bottled up. So Bell, not the fleetest of foot by his own admission, took off to his right, pump-faked a South Point defender in the air several yards past the line of scrimmage, and fought for a 19-yard gain to preserve the drive.

“I didn’t see anything (downfield), so I didn’t really have a choice,” Bell said.

Freeman then picked up 26 on a catch-and-run on 3rd-and-6, and Chris Richardson caught an 11-yard pass from Bell on 3rd-and-14 to set up a 4th-and-3 from the South Point 15 with 4:39 remaining.

South Point sacked Bell deep behind the line of scrimmage, but a facemask penalty on the Red Raiders gave Rocky Mount High life and a 4th-and-1 try. Nick Bynum (21 carries, 83 yards, two touchdowns), the Gryphons’ offensive MVP, converted with a 2-yard gain.

On 3rd down from the South Point 4-yard line, Bynum scampered in for the game-tying score with 3:06 remaining. Miller connected on the 35-yard extra point try after a Gryphons unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to tie the game at 21.

“We just continued to make plays,” Battle said. “It felt like the Eden Morehead game (in the third round), where you just had to have it.”

South Point got in position to try a 44-yard field goal for the win with four seconds left, but junior place-kicker Thomas Lempereur hooked his kick – which had plenty of distance – wide left.

Rocky Mount High held the Red Raiders to six yards on three plays from the Gryphons’ 10 in overtime, forcing Lempereur to come on for a 21-yard field goal try for the lead.

He missed.

Bynum picked up five yards on the first play of Rocky Mount High’s overtime possession, and Tyrell Forbes got two more.

Battle sent Miller on for a glorified extra point to win Rocky Mount High the 3-A state championship, and his kick was true.

“Chase Miller deserved that opportunity to kick the game-winner,” Battle said.

South Point outrushed Rocky Mount High, 279-135, but it completed only one pass all night.

BJ Sanders, who saw few chances to return kickoffs all season for Rocky Mount High because opponents simply would not (or could not) kick the ball deep to him, got a rare chance on the game’s opening kick.

Sanders grabbed the ball at his own 19, sprinted left as part of a misdirection return, kept the ball and raced down the left sideline, cutting inside at the South Point 30 en route to an 81-yard touchdown return and a 7-0 lead for Rocky Mount High just 10 seconds into Friday’s game.

South Point’s vaunted triple-option, which had racked up 4,414 rushing yards on the season entering Friday, went to work right away on a Gryphons defense that did not see many opposing offenses like it all year.

Quarterback Diontre King ran three separate times for 18, 12, and 11 yards, and Ryland Etherington capped off an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 7 just 3:09 later.

A high school football state championship game wouldn’t be complete without a little – or a lot – of wackiness. It began on Rocky Mount High’s next possession.

The Gryphons started from their own 11, but Bynum wriggled out of three tackles in the backfield and bulled his way to a 20-yard gain. Bell hit Freeman for 12 yards on a 3rd-and-7 and again for 14 yards on a 3rd-and-10 screen pass from the South Point 32.

But facing 4th-and-2 from the Red Raiders’ 10, Bell handed to Forbes on a sweep, and a gaggle of South Point defenders was on hand to snuff out the perimeter run for a 5-yard loss and a turnover on downs.

After the first quarter ended, South Point marched toward Kenan Stadium’s East end zone with ease, but Etherington was held to one yard on 3rd-and-6 before Gryphons linebacker Rod White stuffed King for a 3-yard loss on 4th-and-5.

Not to be outdone, Rocky Mount High went for a conversion on 4th-and-4 from the South Point 39, but Bell’s throw had too much zip and bounced off the hands of KK Edwards for another turnover on downs.

The Gryphons had a chance to take the lead with the final play of the first half on an untimed down. Bell completed a tipped, hail mary pass to Deangelo Collins for a 39-yard gain to the South Point 3 with 3 seconds left, and a pass interference call on the Red Raiders gave the Gryphons a free play from the 1. Bynum came up short, and the score was tied at 7 at the break.

Battle wasn’t concerned.

“We didn’t execute, and maybe got a little greedy,” he said. “But we came here to play for keeps.”

Rocky Mount High 24 Belmont South Point 21 (OT)

RMH 7 0 7 7 3 – 24

BSP 7 0 7 7 0 – 21

First Quarter

RMH – BJ Sanders 81 kickoff return (Chase Miller kick), 11:50

BSP – Ryland Etherton 2 run (Thomas Lampereur kick), 8:32

Third Quarter

RMH – Nick Bynum 15 run (Miller kick), 8:12

BSP – Etherton 5 run (Lampereur kick), 4:45

Fourth Quarter

BSP – Diontre King 27 run (Lampereur kick), 10:35

RMH – Bynum 4 run (Miller kick), 3:06

Overtime

RMH – Miller 20 FG

RMH BSP

20 First downs……………18

42–135 Rushes-yards…..54–279

210 Passing yards…………..12

15–21–0 Passes……………..1–2–0

345 Total offense………..291

0–0 Fumbles-Lost……….2–0

5–50 Penalties-Yards…….3–13

Individual Statistics

Rushing – RMH: Nick Bynum 21-83; Forrest Bell 7-33; Deangelo Collins 3-11; BJ Sanders 6-6; Tyrell Forbes 5-6

Passing – RMH: Forrest Bell 15-21, 210

Receiving – RMH: Jaclayton Freeman 7-68; Deangelo Collins 3-90; KK Edwards 3-29; Nick Bynum 1-12; Chris Richardson 1-11.

By FOSTER LANDER

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Rocky Mount Telegram

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Rocky Mount High School | Archive | December, 2015