Rocky Mount High School | Archive | April, 2017

Rocky Mount High’s David Harrison pitches to Northern Nash on Thursday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s Spencer Ramsey, left, reaches for third base as Northern Nash’s Andrew Meade attempts to tag him after he slid by the base Thursday at Rocky Mount High School. Ramsey safely advanced to third on a wild pitch.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s David Harrison, right, receives congratulations from coach Pat Smith after hitting a triple Thursday during the game against Northern Nash at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

David Harrison was back to a familiar routine. And pitching on full rest, the Rocky Mount High left-hander had no trouble working through the Northern Nash lineup on Thursday.

The Gryphons senior mowed down the Knights, allowing one hit and striking out 12 in a complete-game 7-0 win on Thursday.

“My location was on today,” said Harrison, who didn’t issue a walk. “I got it back. I felt I could control all of my pitches. I used my curveball the most, probably more than any of my other starts. It was just one of those days.”

Harrison set the knights down in order in every inning except the second. It was the Knights’ lone opportunity to score, as starting pitcher Josh Daniels led off the inning with a single. Aaron Gerlach reached on a fielder’s choice, and Northern Nash bunted the runners to second and third.

But that’s where they stayed as Harrison struck out the next two batters.

“I think he threw one ball in the dirt all game,” RMH catcher Zack Keeter said. “He’s a special pitcher who makes my life a lot easier behind the plate. He was outstanding tonight, hitting his spots, working the corners, elevating the ball. He was just lights out.”

The Gryphons offense did its part, too. RMH collected 11 hits, with Jamar Ellis leading the way with a 3-for-4 effort and a pair of RBIs. RMH scored a run in the first, before pushing four across in the third to push the score out of reach.

The win secured the Gryphons of the second seed in the Big East Conference tournament, which begins on Monday. Two weeks ago, however, they were in the race for first place, and made a run.

It started when Harrison had just finished an efficient outing in a win over Northern Nash on a Tuesday, throwing fewer than 50 pitches. That gave RMH coach Pat Smith all the ammunition he needed to move forward with his plan.

Smith decided to make a play for the Big East Conference title, and Harrison was the path to get there. The left-handed N.C. State recruit started two days later on Thursday in a win over Nash Central. That put him in line for third consecutive start against Wilson Hunt, the conference leaders.

Harrison wasn’t as sharp, having started three games in the span of a week, and the Gryphons lost by two runs. That win would have split the season series. Instead, the the Gryphons played for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

“He didn’t have a bullpen that whole week,” Smith said. “And he rested over the weekend before the Hunt game. But now, having David rested, with a regular bullpen, you saw how he looked. He pitched great tonight.”

Keyanna Spivey is the All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Keyanna Spivey is the All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Keyanna Spivey is the All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Pam Gainey noticed the emotion Keyanna Spivey was wearing.

Gainey’s power forward was disappointed.

The Rocky Mount High coach watched players wander into the gym for a Saturday morning practice during the 2015-16 season after a loss at Nash Central the night before.

Spivey, then a junior, had been shut down in the game. Double teams clogged the paint, which rattled the Gryphons’ offense. Spivey scored 10 points, the product of a poor-shooting night where only the free-throw line allowed her to consistently produce.

Before practice started, Gainey grabbed Spivey for a quick chat. It was time for Spivey to grow.

“For every athlete, there is a defining moment,” Gainey said. “I felt like that was it. I said, ‘Because you have shown what you are capable of, you can continue to expect this type of treatment. You’re going to have to make some decisions.’

“You can either say ‘OK, you got me,’ or you can expand your game.”

Spivey’s drop step off the block was her go-to move. It became easier to guard as teams saw it more. So Gainey and Spivey went to work. The expansion of her game led to a late-season explosion in the Big East conference tournament, where she averaged nearly a double-double. This year as a senior, she carried that dominance through the entire season. Spivey averaged 20.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.6 assists en route to becoming the All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season.

The Gryphons advanced to the fourth round of the 3-A state playoffs and went undefeated in the conference regular season with Spivey’s new set of moves and Pam Gainey’s daughter, Michelle, running the point of a speedy transition offense.

Spivey’s drop step became one of many weapons. She developed a reverse pivot to face up to the rim, getting her outside of the paint to punish defenders with a short jumper. Or she would make a step toward the basket, only to back out and pull her defender from the paint so she could bang around them or draw a foul. She shot 76 percent from the free-throw line, where she produced roughly one-third of her total points scored (538 points).

That practice moment came up on April 12, when Spivey signed her letter of intent to play at Belmont Abbey. That was the day she felt her focus change.

“All I can remember is that it wasn’t a good feeling,” Spivey said, shaking her head. “All I knew is I wasn’t going to feel that way again.”

While her technique could be tinkered with, Pam Gainey said the way Spivey sees the game can’t be taught. The coach said Spivey is so aware on every play, it makes her lowpost attack that much quicker. That ability to read defenses allowed Rocky Mount High to function better on offense as a whole. Gainey said she could have run the offense with Spivey shooting almost every time, but that wouldn’t have allowed Spivey to improve.

Instead, Gainey used Spivey as a facilitator from the inside to find open shooters. Focusing on the offense that way allowed Spivey to produce constantly.

“All I thought about is that I had to leave it out on the court,” Spivey said. “There is no reason to save (energy) because what are you saving it for?

“I gave it all that I could, all the time.”

Gainey also noticed Spivey developed into more of a leader. When this past basketball season started, Michelle Gainey was shifted from playing on the wing to running the offense. That came with growing pains. Pam Gainey thought Spivey kept Michelle Gainey positive during rough games or practices.

“She really was a huge cheerleader for Michelle because she knew she was changing positions,” Pam Gainey said. “That would make us go.

“I felt like Keyanna really encouraged Michelle daily, and I think that shows who she (Keyanna) is as a person.”

Spivey’s dedication burrowed a path to Belmont Abbey. At 5-foot-9, she realizes she is on the shorter side of playing inside a college paint. It will take more growth to flourish. And Pam Gainey expects to see Spivey conquer future difficult moments much like she did this one.

“To me, that was the turning point,” Pam Gainey said of that practice conversation in Spivey’s junior year. “The double teams and triple teams continued to come.

“She shed some tears that night (after playing Nash Central). But she had that realization that you can either dig in or you could bail out. And she decided to dig in. She has been on 100 ever since.”

All-Area Girls Basketball Team

Keyanna Spivey, Rocky Mount High

Micheala Nelms, Nash Central

Tia Farmer, SouthWest Edgecombe

Michelle Gainey, Rocky Mount High

Myia Spivey, Nash Central

Honorable Mention

Kayalin Mitchell (Nash Central), Shelby Meeks (Rocky Mount High), Teliyah Owens (SouthWest Edgecombe), Julia High (Rocky Mount Academy), Mya Pittman (Rocky Mount High), Markela Avent (Northern Nash), Jessy Lucas (Southern Nash).

Rocky Mount High’s David Harrison pitches against Nash Central on Thursday at Nash Central High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Nash Central’s Hunter Robinson, left, misses the ball while attempting to tag Rocky Mount High’s Jamar Ellis, right, out at second on Thursday at Nash Central High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Spencer Ramsey coming through at the right time for the Rocky Mount High baseball team is becoming a trend. The senior did it again on Thursday against Nash Central, propelling the Gryphons to a 4-3 win.

The victory put RMH (10-3, 5-1) one game behind undefeated Wilson Hunt in the 3-A Big East Conference race. Those teams meet on Tuesday.

It was Ramsey who made it happen. He had to remind himself to keep his weight back during a crucial at-bat in the fifth inning, the Gryphons trailing by two runs. Ramsey wanted to hit the ball to the right side of the infield with two runners in scoring position. And two outs, he got a curveball and hit a smash that glanced off a diving Hunter Robinson’s glove between second and first.

The ball caromed into right field, allowing both runs to score. Ramsey then stole second on the next pitch, and scored the go-ahead run on Jamar Ellis’ double to push the lead to 4-3.

“My first thought was that I hoped the runs would score,” Ramsey said. “Then, when I was on first, I looked over at (coach Pat) Smith, and he had me steal. So I was in scoring position, and when Jamar hit that ball, I knew I was coming around to score.”

The Bulldogs (8-7, 2-4) never recovered from that two-out rally, which was the lone blemish on a strong outing from starter Zach Patterson. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out eight and walked four in 6 ⅓ innings.

Patterson found a way to make pitches and get outs, despite falling behind in counts often. He was effectively wild, and threw 47 balls out of his 106 pitches.

“(Patterson) made it so you had to make sure you took advantage of when he threw you something you could hit,” Ramsey said.

Nash Central’s Colby Carter reached base in all four plate appearances, including drawing a walk and a single, and added an RBI in the second inning. Carter, a left-handed batter, said his approach against a tough left-hander like Gryphons’ starter David Harrison is to see as many pitches as he can.

During the Bulldogs’ 10-inning loss to RMH earlier in the season, Carter reached six times, including five walks. Harrison started for the Gryphons in that game as well.

“You want to be smart against a guy like that,” Carter said. “You have to be comfortable taking pitches, and be aggressive when you get your pitch. If I can make him throw a bunch of pitches, that’s a good thing, especially with the new pitch-count rules this year.”

Carter saw 14 pitches in his four plate appearances, raising Harrison’s pitch total. The Gryphons’ starter wasn’t as sharp as he was in Tuesday’s win over Northern Nash, a game where Harrison needed just 42 pitches to get through four innings.

Harrison walked six, struck out six, and allowed five hits over 5 ⅔ innings. Nash Central scored twice in the third, taking advantage of a pair of walks and an error in the outfield, then added one more in the fourth before Harrison got back on track.

RMH freshman pitcher Ben Sieracki was told to warm up in the sixth inning. He was on deck when the inning began, and grabbed his batting gloves and went behind the dugout to throw a few warmup tosses with a teammate.

“I tried to get loose pretty fast,” Sieracki said.

He was needed with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Harrison reached 104 pitches, one shy of the NCHSAA’s limit. Sieracki was tasked with closing down a four-out save against the heart of the Bulldogs’ lineup.

Carter singled on the third pitch he saw, before Sieracki got Tyler Sherrod to fly out to right. In the seventh, Nash Central had no chance against the right-hander. Sieracki had trouble locating his curveball during his warmups pitches, but made some adjustments and used it as an effective out pitch.

Sieracki struck out the side, including two looking, to seal the win.

“I knew I had to come in and throw strikes right away,” Sieracki said. “I couldn’t give up any runs, either. And when I gave up that first single, I attacked the zone and pitched to my defense.”

Northern Nash’s Kylar Wiggins attempts to score a goal past Rocky Mount’s Tyasha Arrington Tuesday at Rocky Mount High School.

Tyasha Arrington spent most of Tuesday afternoon standing by herself. Occasionally, she’d unleash a roar.

It wasn’t as bizarre as it sounds. Arrington is the goalie for the Rocky Mount High girls soccer team, and the Gryphons (7-4-1, 4-1 Big East) rattled out a massive victory against Northern Nash. Rocky Mount won, 9-0, in a game that was called in the 59th minute. Barkley Browder scored four, Sarah Bland notched two, and three others (Carson Browder, Erin Cooke and Katie Moss) each chipped in one.

Besides two shots on goal and two more that were wide of the posts, Arrington had an uneventful day. It left her hanging back and celebrating alone when her teammates found another score. She shouts so loudly because she wants the squad to know she’s proud.

“I am starting to communicate more with the team because last year I was really quiet,” Arrington said. “This year, I am so open. You can kind of hear my mouth wherever you are. . . I want them to hear my voice and me congratulating them because they are always congratulating me.

“Even though people don’t hear them, they always say, ‘Good save, Ty.’ I just return the favor.”

Arrington’s path to Rocky Mount High’s starting goalkeeper spot was accelerated. She didn’t start playing soccer until she was an eighth-grader. She realized she wanted to be more active and found an interest in soccer.

“I wanted to do something with my body,” Arrington said. “I didn’t want to just sit there and watching T.V. . . I just started with soccer in eighth grade, playing rec league, liked it, and I came out here in ninth grade and made the team.”

She sat the bench that freshman year. She earned the starting keeper spot last season, when Arrington found herself more comfortable in net.

“I was able to handle shots how I was supposed to,” Arrington said. “Because I ****** my freshman year.”

That improvement is an ever-growing process for Arrington. With her smaller frame — she stands about 5-foot-6 — she had to constantly work to compensate for it.

“My height. I am so short,” Arrington said, snickering. “And then speed too because I am not very fast. I would practice jumping, reaching, and doing exercises that would put me in the air.”

Once she developed that, Arrington could focus on smaller aspects, like footwork and punting. Rocky Mount High coach Richard Oxendine, who joined the program this year, also helped facilitate both Arrington and the team’s improved conditioning.

“We are getting her closer to where we want her to be,” Oxendine said. “We still have a ways to go, and I am hoping she will be even stronger for her senior year.”

Arrington utilizes some of the drills Oxendine puts her through during games. For example, during an injury timeout against Northern Nash, the teams trotted in for a water break. Arrington sprinted from the goal to the sideline, and she raced back when the referee told the teams to ready for play.

The first Knights shot Arrington saw Tuesday came on a push from her left side. Northern Nash’s attacker hit a low dribbler that looked like trouble. Arrington’s right foot slipped as she planted to move. She got over to the left side, dove, and stretched out her arms. The ball trickled past the post and out of bounds. Those situations, when she hasn’t seen much action, can become scary to a goalie.

“You get nervous,” Arrington said. “Sometimes it is kind of hard for you to not do stuff then react as fast.”

Arrington earned her fourth clean sheet of the season against Northern Nash. The Knights are currently tied for first place with Wilson Fike. She will continue to roar, sprint and play for her Rocky Mount High teammates. And she will probably need to make a few saves here and there. Arrington is not worried about being prepared.

“I don’t get bored,” Arrington said. “I just always have to stay ready.”