Rocky Mount High School | Archive | May, 2017

Jacksonville Jenna Franklin, right, leaps in the air as Rocky Mount High’s Tatum Janke, left, runs toward the ball on Wednesday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Jacksonville’s Madison Hoopes, right, watches Rocky Mount High’s Erin Cooke, left, flench as the ball hits her chest Wednesday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Rocky Mount High’s Barkley Browder, left, and Jacksonville Maddie Burke battle over the ball on Wednesday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / SARAH LOUYA

Rocky Mount High’s speed powered its offense all season.

The Gryphons girls’ soccer team blazed to regular-season and postseason Big East conference titles, and they barreled into the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. But in their third-round NCHSAA 3-A playoff matchup against Jacksonville on Wednesday, an attack that averaged more than five goals a game only showed flashes of its potency.

Jacksonville (16-5-3) notched two second-half goals for a 2-0 victory to advance to the fourth round, where it will travel to Fayetteville Terry Sanford.

Rocky Mount (16-5-1) tugged with the Cardinals in the first half, which featured both teams making deep runs into the attacking third. Jacksonville produced a late surge of energy that Rocky Mount coach Richard Oxendine said his team couldn’t find.

“I don’t know if it was the combination of them playing on Saturday and us having to play on Monday, then with the heat as well, but we just didn’t seem to have the gas today,” Oxendine said. “We were getting some good runs early, but I think some fatigue and the heat caught up with us.”

Locked into a scoreless halftime tie, Jacksonville coach David Miller felt the Cardinals pressured early but eased too much. He liked the volume of shots in the first half, just not the inaccuracy. That developed his halftime message.

“I told the girls that we just needed to settle down and relax,” Miller said. “I told them to possess the ball a little bit more, get wide and play balls across.”

That’s exactly what happened in the first minute of the second half. The Cardinals drove left toward the corner flag and sent it in the penalty box. Jacksonville took a shot that was blocked by Gryphons goalie Tyasha Arrington, but it deflected to Lauren Covert on the right with an open net in front of her.

Jacksonville struck again after drawing a foul near the front of the penalty box, and senior forward Madison Hoopes drilled in the second score from the set piece. Hoopes, the Cardinals’ leading scorer, was someone Rocky Mount tried to hold down.

“We expected them to be physical, and we tried to take No. 9 (Hoopes) away from them,” Oxendine said. “But they are not a one-dimensional team, and even though we were able to take her out to some degree, they still had things to hurt us.”

Jacksonville settled for long shots in the first half, ranging from 20- to 30-yards out. The high-rising balls challenged Arrington, who stands around 5-foot-6. She wrangled many rockets in the first half, including a grab of a shot on goal from Jacksonville’s Maya Burford. The sophomore was havoc out wide, but Rocky Mount fought off her early attacks.

Oxendine said the far-out attempts signaled the Rocky Mount defense was playing well.

“That told me that my midfield was doing their job and denying letting the ball go through,” Oxendine said. “That is what we want because it gives Ty some time to see the ball.”

Jacksonville beat Chapel Hill, 5-0, on Friday, with some goals coming from long strikes, according to Miller. He expected equal firepower from Rocky Mount. Miller said limiting through balls to Rocky Mount forward Sarah Bland won the game.

“The biggest thing tonight was keeping (Rocky Mount players) in front of you,” Miller said. “We couldn’t let the midfielders to play those big balls through to Sarah Bland.

“And I thought we did a pretty good job of that. There wasn’t too many great looks to her getting by the defense and running off.”

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

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Rocky Mount High assistant soccer coach Zacharai Shaikh instructs the players Thursday during the Big East Conference Tournament championship game against Wilson Hunt at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High head soccer coach Richard Oxendine watches play during the first half of the Big East Conference Tournament semifinal game Tuesday, April 2, 2017 against Nash Central at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High assistant soccer coach Zacharai Shaikh yells instructions and encouragement to the players Thursday during the Big East Conference Tournament championship game against Wilson Hunt at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High assistant soccer coach Zacharai Shaikh laughs with the team Tuesday, April 2, 2017 during halftime of the Big East Conference Tournament semifinal game against Nash Central at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

At any Rocky Mount High girls’ soccer game, there is as much of a display on the sideline as there is on the field. Richard Oxendine and Zach Shaikh demonstrate opposite sides of the human emotion spectrum.

Oxendine, the Gryphons head coach, casts a steely gaze across the field with a stoic and drawn-back demeanor. Shaikh, Oxendine’s assistant, paces beside the bench and reacts to both good and bad plays with a booming voice.

Their different approaches and personalities paired together to deliver something to their players they’ve needed in years past: Belief in their ability on the pitch.

Rocky Mount High grabbed an elusive Big East regular season and conference tournament titles that had passed its seniors their entire careers. The Gryphons currently ride a 10-game win streak after a 4-1 opening round win against Eastern Alamance on Tuesday in the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs.

“We are just confident,” senior midfielder Barkley Browder said. “We needed that confidence to be able to pull forward and keep going.

“. . . I think they are the perfect balance, in a way. Zach is not hard on us, but he is critical, and he knows what he is talking about. Richard knows how to train us, but he is always smiling and cheering us up and laughing.”

That faith translated into impeccable production from the Gryphons. Rocky Mount scored 105 goals in the regular season and Big East conference tournament combined. They’ve allowed 31 goals overall — only 14 in their 10 conference games — from their front-heavy attack that suffocates defenses with scoring chances and fights to gain control of possession before opponents’ can dribble the ball over the midline.

The success is a benefit of a calling to teach the game by Oxendine and Shaikh, who took dissimilar paths to coaching that contain foreign flavoring.

Shaikh was more deliberate about his future. He grew up in Cheshire, England playing soccer, and knew from an early age he wanted to coach. He found N.C. Wesleyan in 2012, playing defender for four years and serving as a volunteer assistant a year after.

He looked around for a coaching opportunity near the start of the high school academic year, and he found a spot to help at Rocky Mount High. He’s helped Oxendine with both the boys and girls this season, and it’s been the start he needed.

“It is something I always wanted to do,” Shaikh said. “I have been the captain of almost every team I played for. . . “As I grew up, I just felt like I understood the game more than anybody else. I wasn’t the most athletic, and I wasn’t the best with my feet.

“. . . The girls have been willing to learn every single time they come out here, even if they have other stuff going on, they are always ready to learn.”

Oxendine, a Rocky Mount native and Gryphons graduate, had a long tenure in the Navy, where he spent time in many Spanish speaking countries. He noticed that no matter which base he was on, a soccer ball seemed to always appear. He started playing then, and he grew to enjoy the sport.

When he decided to make a career change and work in education, he began teaching at Parker Middle School. He taught physical education and health for 11 years, while also leading its soccer program. He came to Rocky Mount High at the start of this school year.

“It seemed like in every phase of my life, (soccer) just kept popping up,” Oxendine said. “And I love the game.”

After working together during the boys soccer season, Shaikh said Oxendine gave him more free reign to coach the girls. The head coach would let his assistant form practice drills, and Oxendine focused on more of the structural aspects of the job, like paperwork and field maintenance.

“I have a lot of respect and time for him because he gave me the opportunity and license to work on this soccer field,” Shaikh said. “He does everything else that is more important. I just have fun, really.

“I’ve got to thank him a lot of basically letting me have my own team.”

Both coaches point out quickly that this year’s triumphs belong exclusively to the girls. When the team lost to Greenville Conley and Wilson Fike during the season, the Gryphons later avenged both. Oxendine said that is when the players realized how good they could be. The team has steamrolled opponents since.

Oxendine feels that soccer is a reflection of life moreso than any other sport because there is nothing the coaches can do once the whistle blows. The girls are responsible for the decisions and the victories. And now that they have the confidence, both Oxendine and Shaikh think this team can do anything now.

“You could probably look at us more as teachers and mentors more than coaches, because we are trying to help them understand the decisions they have to make,” Oxendine said. “They have had the talent for years. Yeah, the talent may have developed more and the system we play may have put them to better use, but they believe now.”

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

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Rocky Mount High’s Ben Sieracki pitches to Southern Nash on Thursday at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

WILSON — Ben Sieracki turned a conference championship game into an infield workout session.

The Rocky Mount High freshman pitcher locked onto command of the mound from the first pitch on the Big East title game. Sieracki threw a four-hitter in the Gryphons’ 2-1 win on Thursday at Wilson Hunt, notching a complete game in less than 70 pitches.

Of the 21 outs he registered, 13 of them were ground balls. Gryphons’ third basemen Spencer Ramsey, shortstop Logan Pearce and second basemen Lane Butler got plenty of reps each thanks to their pitcher.

“I have the best defense in the league, obviously,” Sieracki said. “The ground ball was working today.

“. . . (I always want) to keep everything at the hitters’ knees so they can hit ground balls. All the base hits are hit up in the zone, so if I keep it at their knees, it can be a ground ball every time.”

Rocky Mount fell behind one run after the second inning. The Gryphons looked at that margin until the fourth, where Pearce hit an RBI double to score David Harrison.

The Gryphons’ offense struck again in the fifth for the winning blow.

After Victor Ward hit into a fielder’s choice, Josh Pittman faded a single into left field to make Wilson Hunt pull its starter. The Warriors reliever immediately walked Spencer Ramsey to load the bases. Jamar Ellis hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Ward in what turned out to be the game-winning score.

Ellis said the Gryphons felt comfortable at the plate because they were able to settle in against similar pitchers.

“The whole team felt more confident (when the reliever came in) because it seemed like the same arm and same velo,” Ellis said. “It was at least consistent.

“And I just wanted to hit it somewhere deep into the outfield and try to get at least one run.”

Sieracki made the mid-game call to throw his curveball less and shift more to his slider. He thought he’d cause more trouble because his slider and fastball look so similar at their release points.

He was right. Sieracki gave up only one hit in the final four frames.

“Ben did pretty good,” Ellis said of the pitcher’s approach. “That basically helped him out a little bit.”

Against Southern Nash in the conference season finale, Sieracki lost his command in the fifth inning and was pulled from the game. He earned the win thanks to a big lead, but it wasn’t the way he wanted to end that appearance.

Fast forward to Thursday, and Sieracki again started the first batter he saw in the fifth with a couple of balls. This time, he recovered for a strikeout and continued to mow through the Hunt lineup.

It was the freshman’s sixth win of the season. He was slated as the No. 2 starter from the start of the season even though he didn’t expect to be in the role. He said he’s approached each start simply, and that’s been the key to his early career success.

“I thought I was going to be the three or four guy,” Sieracki said. “But I came in and ended up No. 2.

“It has been awesome. I didn’t really feel pressure. I’ve just been coming in and throwing it, and it has been working really good.”

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Friday, May 5, 2017

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Rocky Mount High’s Carson Browder, left, celebrates with Erin Cooke after scoring a goal Thursday during the Big East Conference Tournament championship game against Wilson Hunt at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s Carson Browder, center, is struck by two Wilson Hunt defenders while moving the ball upfield Thursday during the Big East Conference Tournament championship game at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Rocky Mount High’s Barkley Browder, left, celebrates with Sarah Bland, right, and Carson Browder after scoring Thursday during the Big East Conference Tournament championship game against Wilson Hunt at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

If Rocky Mount High’s girls’ soccer team was looking for a rousing pre-game speech from its coaching staff Thursday, they would have been disappointed.

Gryphons coach Richard Oxendine spent no more than a minute telling his players to be themselves, and even the more vocal assistant coach, Zacharai Shaikh, didn’t say much along any cliche’ lines of digging deep or leaving it all out there.

There’s no need to overwork the vocal chords with this senior-led Gryphons squad that, after Thursday’s 5-0 victory over Wilson Hunt, claimed the school’s first Big East Conference tournament championship since 2012.

“We just knew we had to play our game and stick to the simple task,” said senior Erin Cooke, who scored a goal in the victory. “We’ve never beat Hunt or (Wilson) Fike like this before. We’re in a good position going forward.”

Other than an uneventful first 20 minutes of action, the Gryphons put into action everything that brought them through the season with a 14-4-1 record and its third victory against rival Wilson Hunt, which along with Wilson Fike, has dominated the league for most of the past decade.

Rocky Mount lost only once to Wilson Fike during the regular season.

The trio of Cooke, Barkley Browder and Sarah Bland each scored goals, and goalkeeper Tyasha Arrington finished with a clean sheet as the Gryphons set up themselves for a few home playoffs matches in the coming weeks.

“We played them twice before, and we knew what to look for,” Arrington said.

A 2-0 halftime lead stretched into more as the Gryphons scored in a variety of ways, either settling the ball in space for a goal (Carson Browder), finishing with a header off a throw-in (Cooke) or utilizing the speed of its fastest player (Bland).

There was little doubt who the best side was, as Rocky Mount claimed its third title under the current format of the Big East.

All they had to do was claim the trophy handed out afterward and gather for a team picture.

This part of the journey is done, and Oxendine probably won’t be changing his approach any time soon for a team that was poised enough to win by a margin greater than it expected.

“They understand that when we play our game, we’re hard to deal with,” Oxendine said. “That’s why we got the result we got. When we get in our attack rhythm, other teams start to panic. It’s almost like once my girls hit their rhythm, they get comfortable and start having fun. It’s obvious they’ve had the talent. Now this year, we’ll see how far they can go.”

By JESSIE H. NUNERY
Sports Edi­tor for Rocky Mount Telegram

Friday, May 5, 2017

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Rocky Mount High’s Detrell Revis, right, passes the baton to Tyrese Gilliam during the 4×200 meter relay Wednesday during the Big East Conference Track & Field Championships at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Nash Central’s Byron Hawkins, right, and Rocky Mount High’s McKenzy Wright compete in the 110-meter hurdles Wednesday during the Big East Conference Track & Field Championships at Rocky Mount High School.
©TELEGRAM PHOTO / ALAN CAMPBELL

Brandon Richardson had a hamstring injury almost knock him out of running in the Big East track meet on Wednesday.

But another hamstring injury required him to run anyway, and he was fine with it by the end of the day.

The Northern Nash junior claimed the long jump title, finished second in the triple jump and helped his 4×200 team relay squeak by for a victory as the Knights claimed second place at Rocky Mount High.

The Gryphons won the event for the fourth consecutive season. Nash Central and Wilson Hunt tied for third place, followed by Southern Nash and Wilson Fike, respectively.

Richardson and the 4×200 unit had already qualified for the 3-A regionals, which will be held in Swansboro on May 12. The Knights ran down the Gryphons in the final stretch of that race, and Richardson was happy to be part of it.

“I wasn’t even supposed to run today,” Richardson said. “My friend was actually supposed to run the second leg (of the 4×200), but he hurt his hamstring today, so I had to fill in for him.

“I just did the best I could.”

Richardson qualified already in the long jump as well. He notched a 42-foot, 10-inch triple jump, which was actually a personal best. But it was two inches short of the NCHSAA’s qualifying requirement.

The junior pulled his right hamstring on Monday. He said he wasn’t nervous running on the tender leg, but he tried to work on it all day to be ready to perform.

“I just keep stretching,” Richardson said. “I just stretched all class period, even while I was doing my work I just stretched my leg.”

Richardson wasn’t the only runner nursing a hamstring. Southern Nash’s Nadir Thompson, the defending 3-A state title winner in the 200-meter dash, hasn’t run in the last few weeks after tweaking one of his.

Southern Nash boys coach Brian Batchelor said the coaches targeted the Big East meet for Thompson’s possible return, but they opted to rest him. The plan is for him to come back for regionals, which he had already qualified in the 100, 200, 400 as well as the 4×100 and 4×200.

Batchelor stressed to Thompson that he didn’t need to rush back. The hamstring wasn’t too serious, but there was no need to risk making it worse. The coach said his runner is ready to be back in his running uniform.

“He wasn’t very frustrated that first week because that thing was hurting,” Batchelor said. “He has responded to his therapy and rehab really quick.

“He is chomping at the bit now though.”

Rocky Mount High earned another stellar showing from Sherrod Greene. The South Carolina football signee and defending state champion in the shot put earned the conference title, as well as finished second in the 200 and the discus. He was two points short of winning the boys conference runner of the year, which went to Northern Nash’s Malcolm Wade.

Gryphons boys coach Sonya Pickett said the senior is a lock to contend for any event he is in.

“He ran a 22.68 today, which was a PR,” Pickett said. “You don’t generally get runners that run that fast.

“It is rare that you find that combination between the two.”

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

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