Gryphons Ice Oxford Webb

On a frigid night, where it was evident that it was playoff football time, 3-A East #1 seed Rocky Mount had no trouble handing an overmatched Oxford Webb team Friday night at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex in NCHSAA 2nd round action. The Gryphons were lead by running backs Marquavis Alston and Jordan Ford in the 48-14 victory.

Senior do-it-all Nick Hahula started the night’s scoring, pushing in from a yard out on the Gryphons opening possession to cap a sixty-four yard drive. Hahula then added the extra point before kicking off to Webb.

Plays into Webb’s ensuing drive, the Gryphons D-Block forced a fumble, recovered by senior Dedrick Silver. The recovery gave Rocky Mount the ball back with great position inside the Webb 20-yard line.

After a couple of handoffs, Gryphons quarterback Collins Cuthrell decided to finish the drive off himself, going over the pile for another Rocky Mount score from a yard out.

Midway through the second quarter, fullback La’Var Silver got into the endzone for Rocky Mount, again from a yard out. Silver’s plunge finished off a fifty-nine yard drive by the Gryphs.

The Rocky Mount defense had done a pretty good job keeping Webb’s speedy quarterback Antwan Thorpe under control and not allowing him to run all over the field. The D-Block pursuit to Thorpe cost them late in the first half, as they allowed Clay Brummitt to get behind the defensive backs, where he was on the receiving end of Thorpe’s pass for the touchdown.

The Gryphons offense responded, with Ford taking the first handoff and breaking it for a seventy-four yard touchdown run. Hahula’s PAT attempt was blocked, but the Gryphs had a comfortable 27-7 lead at the half.

In the second half, Ford decided he wasn’t finished, as he finished a 64-yard drive with another long touchdown, this one from thirty-five yards out.

Oxford Webb answered with what proved to be their final gasp, as Thorpe broke out for a seventy-eight yard touchdown run with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.
Again, the Gryphons responded with a quick, one-and-done score, this time by Alston. The junior rumbled seventy-one yards to smash any of Webb’s slim hopes of a comeback.

After a D-Block stop, Rocky Mount grabbed the ball back early in the fourth quarter, where they again handed off to Alston. The junior broke another big play, speeding into the endzone from forty-six yards out to end the night’s scoring.

Alston’s second and final touchdown gave him thirty-nine for his career. This breaks the Rocky Mount career touchdown record, which was held by former back Demetric Marshall. And remember this, Alston has done this in just three years.

“It means a lot to me. People are going to have a tough time trying to break my record, and I got another year to go,” said Alston on breaking Marshall’s touchdown record.

Wide receiver Keith Strickland also cemented his name in the Gryphon record book, by breaking Mike Mason’s single-season receiving yard total. Strickland passed Mason in style, with a catch as he fell out of bounds while keeping his feet in bounds long enough for the reception.

Strickland is also closing in on the Twin Counties single-season receiving record. He finished the night with three catches for thirty-six yards, and needs only twenty receiving yards for the record.

“I’m just playing,” said Strickland, “I’m not trying to break a record or anything, but if I do break it (Twin Counties record), I’ll be glad, if not…I’m just glad we’re winning.”

Gryphons head coach B.W. Holt said that he believes Strickland is an All-State performer.

“He’s done a great job. He blocks well. If you go back and look at Jordan’s run, Strickland was downfield and had a big block on it,” said Holt.

The win sets up another post-Thanksgiving game, again with a team from Alamance County, this time Eastern Alamance. Western Alamance has knocked the Gryphons out of the playoffs the last three seasons.

Both Alston and Strickland said there was some ‘bad blood’ between Rocky Mount and Alamance County.

“New team, new year,” said Alston.

Added Strickland: “I don’t think we’ll change anything, just come out here and do the same thing. It’s worked so far, right?”

“We just have to play,” said Holt on next week’s game. “They have to come here, we’ll see if we can beat ‘em.”

Finally, on a question it seems I ask Coach Holt every year, he responded that it feels “pretty good” to be playing on Thanksgiving again this season.

The Gryphons will host Eastern Alamance next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with a 7:30 kickoff at the RMAC. We’ll see you there.