Sunday, I was once again inside Five County Stadium, this time watching the Mudcats play as they hosted Rocky Mount Day. I am not sure if this was planned by the Mudcats to have the local celebration on the one-year anniversary or not. Last year’s Rocky Mount Day with the Mudcats came on a Monday night when the Gryphons team was being honored by the Rocky Mount City Council at City Hall.
Kicked back watching the Mudcats pitch, hit, and run, I found myself looking back between innings to the events of State Championship Saturday a year ago.
An early start to the Saturday ended in a long, happy evening.
I still remember rolling out of bed early, having to be at Gryphon Stadium around 7 or 7:30 to pull out towards Zebulon. We took BP beside the Mudcats clubhouse at 8:30, with Game 2 starting around 10. Despite playing in the early game, the stands were filled with Gryphon supporters, and there was a buzz in the stadium.
After the Game 2 loss, I remember Coach Smith telling us not to hang our heads; nothing was over or decided yet.
We headed up highway 64 towards Raleigh, spent the next few hours inside a Golden Corral, where everything that came back on our plates was subject to strict scrutiny from our coaches. The air conditioning was great, but we knew we had something left to go get at Five County in the heat of the afternoon.
Sitting there this afternoon, it was another hot day, but probably a good five to ten degrees cooler, with a breeze, then what we took the field in last year.
But last year, the heat was the farthest thing from our minds.
We arrived back in time to see Greenville Rose’s walk-off hit to win the 4-A Championship as we sat in the right field picnic area. At that moment, we were determined that if Rose, a team we had beaten twice during the season, could win, then we were going to leave with the same feeling.
I believe that seeing Rose win was the defining shock that we needed to go do the job. We all knew what was at stake, but seeing another team win and celebrate and get their trophy brought everything full circle.
The next hour and some change went by as mostly a blur. I remember warm-ups and Grant Johnson calling us together and saying that us five seniors were going to walk out of there with a championship.
I remember then-freshman Benton Moss taking the hill in the most important game of the season. I remember meeting him in front of the dugout after his shaky first inning and telling him that he didn’t have to be perfect, we would help him defensively.
I, strangely, remember Nick Hahula warming up in the bullpen and us sitting on the bullpen bench down the right field line as Hula rested momentarily as we hit. The umpire turned and told us if we weren’t warming up we had to go to the dugout, but for a few pitches, we felt like the big guys did.
Like I said, most things were blurry, especially those first few innings and our runs.
I won’t soon forget Hahula coming on and catcher Ben fish blocking a pitch in the dirt that skidded towards third base, and the East Rowan runner’s attempt to score. He eluded Ben’s tag, but went well inside the baseline and was called out to end the inning. I remember the East Rowan’s coach’s rant, to no avail, as their last scoring chance was snuffed out.
When Chris Berry came on in to close out the game in the seventh, nobody in the dugout was sitting. Even good old Mr. Capps was on the dugout steps. Berry, who started game two earlier that morning, was our regular closer throughout the year, and was determined to be the one to close out the game.
As Brian Goodwin raced back to the centerfield warning track to catch the final out, I remember us in the dugout jumping to the top step. As Brian caught it, I remember spitting out my gum and knocking my hat backwards as we took off in a mad dash towards Berry and the mound.
The next minutes and feelings and emotions are all things I cant pull back to memory. Fortunately, I have everything on DVD to bring everything back to life.
The presentations, Brian’s MVP trophy, and the pictures in centerfield all seemed to be in fast-forward.
Not until I was able to get my hands on the trophy did things finally seem to slow down. Wrapping my arms around that baby felt like all the hard work over the last four years was successful.
The ride home on the bus back to Rocky Mount seemed like the quickest bus ride to anywhere, ever. All the parents and supporters passing us honking horns going down the highway, and yelling at random cars “WE’RE THE STATE CHAMPIONS!”
Rocky Mount. Oh, Rocky Mount. Rolling down Sunset Avenue hanging out the windows, all the cars going both directions honking horns and waving and giving thumbs up to us. Following Tom Jones, complete with the Woodshed in the back of his truck, we cut back down the streets so we came down Nash Street past the school and the parking lot, and took the second right and crossed Hammond Street like we had done everyday, so many times.
As we came up the slight hill to cross the railroad tracks, I noticed that it seemed a little brighter on the other side of the tracks than it looked to be where we were.
And then we saw it.
All the supporters and the banners in the parking lot. Family, friends, and classmates were all there. Those that were at Five County Stadium and those that weren’t for whatever reason. And so we had another celebration. Coach Smith’s little speech, and us unwillingly finally heading into the locker room for the last time, for some that season, for us five seniors for the last time.
Coach Smith, never one for the spotlight, had had enough, but he allowed us five seniors to stay out on the field and recollect and remember. Just as long as we locked up, or he was going to come looking for us.
The team finally left and headed towards Hardees on Sunset like we had been after many of the regular season NEW 6 games, and after all of the playoff wins.
We all got in there, and the same guy in the kitchen stuck his head out towards us one last time.
“Did we win?” he asked.
“We don’t come eat when we lose. What do you think?” said about nine of us.
“We the champs? WE THE CHAMPS! I’m cooking for the State Champions!”
The next day, Hardees was one of the first businesses to have changed their outside sign to congratulate us on winning. In the coming days many more signs sprung up, including the electronic sign outside Hardees and Pridgen Tire. Being honored at City Hall came, and everything was capped off this past fall at the football game when we received the rings we had been waiting all summer for, against Northern Nash of all teams.
When I finally laid my head down after everything that night, the last thing I remember thinking was “We won the State Championship.”
A year later, the feeling is just as sweet.
(photo - Rocky Mount Telegram)
Members of the 3-A State Champion Gryphons begin the dogpile after last years final out.
