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Kevin Carver
East Rutherford, who won the 2A state title a year ago behind Devince Boykins (current Marshall player) and Zach Price have now graduated. Trying to top a 27-1 record will be even tougher this coming season.
However, Devonte Boykins and T.J. Watkins, key parts to last season’s incredible run are back as guards.
East Rutherford started this past Tuesday on the road. They don’t play their first home game until December the 1st against Highland Tech.
East Rutherford coach Brad Levine knows that teams will be gunning for the Cavaliers, but he also commented that they will be young in spots this year.
Up at “The Palace,” last year’s team leading scorer, Sharod Hines returns with second leading scorer, Devon Lynch joining forces again. Losing Jacob Kinlaw to graduation is the downside for R-S Central (11-12 last year), but most of last year’s team is back. R-S Central starts this weekend on the road in the Mitchell Holiday Classic and they don’t have a home game until hosting Mitchell on December 2nd.
R-S Central basketball coach Greg Wright said three simple things will make them successful. The Hilltoppers will have to play better defense, overall rebound the ball more effectively and lastly, be smart.
Chase (8-15 a year ago) has center, Carlos Watkins (22 points and 11 rebounds per game last season) and some very athletic kids as well to try and get back to postseason play. The Trojans seemed to be well on their way to the postseason last year when they beat Shelby during the first half of the conference season. Instead, Shelby made a final push to grab the second 2A playoff seed from the SMAC a year ago.
Chase begins the season this weekend at East Henderson and will play its first home game against Polk County on November 30th.
Thomas Jefferson (7-16 last year) is looking to make a postseason bid for the first time in school history. This season, they may just do so. Talented sophomore, Travis Waldroup-Rodriguez (31.4 points and eight rebounds per game last year) returns this season with Efrrim Borders as well. Add in two kids originally from Kansas by the name of Truth and Justus Freeland and the Gryphons have a decent chance to make things happen with mainly underclassmen. Just one senior is on the Thomas Jefferson roster.
That’s a small run down of the high school boys hoops team, Next week, we will take a look at the ladies side of things.
On the NASCAR scene, I am still beside myself in how the 2011 season ended. It ended in a tie for the points championship and that has never happened before!
You would think averaging a 4.9 per race finish over the last 10 events would be enough to win the championship. However, Carl Edwards forgot about one thing, he needed to win! Tony Stewart did so a whopping five times in the 10-race postseason. Nobody, not even Jimmie Johnson has accomplished that in “The Chase.” Stewart picked a fine time to win races, never doing so in the first 26 events on the schedule.
Carl Edwards, who won just once lost the tiebreaker, because of NASCAR rules, a tie broken by the number of wins. Edwards led the points for most of the season and for most of the playoffs. It’s going to be along harsh winter for Edwards to think about and somewhat a shame. Edwards can’t blame himself though, Stewart just beat him fair and square.
