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Well, we have reached the softball and baseball playoffs among high school teams throughout the state. Rutherford County will have an impact as all eight schools made the postseason. Historically, that’s a county first since Thomas Jefferson came on the scene as an NCHSAA member.
Let’s start off with the 2A softball playoffs as East Rutherford (SMAC No.1 seed) could have home field advantage throughout this postseason. However, a loss at this point would end the season. The Lady Cavs are a gritty and athletic club with good pitching and most are expecting them to do well this postseason.
East Rutherford (20-2, 15-1)softball hosted Bunker Hill Wednesday and if they won, would host again on Saturday, (5/17).
Chase softball (SMAC No.3 seed) traveled to Bandys and if they could pull of the upset, they would likely visit Brevard Friday. I don’t expect Chase (10-7, 9-7) to be an easy out after and up and down season.
R-S Central softball (SMAC No.4 seed) visited West Lincoln and if they could upset the No.1 seed, they would likely get a great second round match against Franklin or Mountain Heritage. The Lady Hilltoppers (10-11, 8-8) have improved from a season ago and have beaten the likes of Kings Mountain, East Burke and Draughn.
Thomas Jefferson (7-12, 3-9) softball nabbed a wildcard bid. They actually got a better draw then anybody else in the 1A Southern Piedmont as they faced Mitchell (5-13). They would go to Murphy if they could advance. The Lady Gryphons softball program has seen some tough seasons, despite a short roster, this is the best team they have assembled in their short NCHSAA tenure.
On the baseball field, East Rutherford (13-10, 10-6) hosted West Caldwell on Wednesday and if they advanced, will likely see Maiden in round two on Saturday.
Chase baseball (8-13, 7-9) visited Bunker Hill and if they could upset the No.1 seed on Wednesday, they would get a good chance of making the third round. In round two, they would play Brevard or Owen with below average records on the road.
R-S Central baseball (10-13, 5-11) gets a wildcard bid, but faced 20-0 Hendersonville. If they can upset, Central will likely play Draughn in round two.
In the 1A, Thomas Jefferson baseball (5-17, 2-10) gets a wildcard bid and a gift of sorts as they visited Mitchell (5-16) Wednesday. They would get Murphy or Highland Tech on Saturday if they won.
As for the 2014 NFL Draft, their were definitely some winners and losers, but let’s talk about the Carolina Panthers first.
Florida State wide out Kelvin Benjamin was a big first round pickup for the Panthers. He isn’t Steve Smith, but he is more of a Calvin Johnson type player. Im not saying he will even be as good as Megatron, Im just saying he has that sort of potential. Kony Ealy was just as good of a pick in round two at defensive end. Although, Carolina has two outstanding defensive ends starting with two solid backups. Ealy could be the future of the franchise at that position with Frank Alexander on the other end. I also like the picks of Trai Turner (offensive guard) and Bene Benwikere (cornerback). Benwikere is the better pick though since that fills a need Carolina’s priority list. Turner could start this season, but we will see what mini camp brings.
While Carolina could use a safety, Im not sure that Tre Boston was the best selection. Finally, I really like Stanford’s Tyler Gaffney as a player, but Im not sure where he will even fit into the scheme of things. So those two picks I believe could have been used a little more wisely since offensive tackle is a main priority right now. Maybe a “C+” at best this draft for Carolina.
Overall, I think San Francisco and Houston did especially well in the draft. San Francisco picked up 12 talented football players in the draft with Jimmie Ward and Bruce Ellington likely to make immediate impacts. Houston may have outdone themselves by nabbing Clowney No.1 overall and then were consistent in taking what was needed as the draft went along.
