January 23, 2008 03:31 pm
—
By Rick Burnham
In the years immediately preceeding 1978, the Hamilton County High School baseball team managed precious few wins. And in the years immediately after, they managed even less.
But 1978 would prove to be different, a year when experience and youth and a veteran coaching staff came together to form a special bond, and make for a special season.
Thirty years ago, there was magic in the air at Hamilton County High.
Head coach John Westmoreland, along with assistant Jim Hogan, built their team around 14 above average players, but no superstars. Seven of those were seniors, and would form the nucleus of a formidable lineup, both in the field and at the plate.
Wayne Sullivan and Maceo Collier combined for a 1-2 pitching combination as good as any in the state. Sullivan, a right-hander with a lethal weapon for a right arm, could very nearly throw a baseball through a brick wall. Collier, a lefthander, countered with a variety of off-speed pitches that kept opposing batters guessing. His curveball was so good, it was said at the time, that he could throw a baseball around the corner of a building.
Catcher Darrell Biggs was flawless on both offense and defense, gunning down opposing base stealers and providing a thunderous bat. Biggs led the ‘78 team with half a dozen home runs.
Second baseman Warren Adams contributed a steady glove in the field, and deceptive speed on the base paths. Adams led the team with 26 stolen bases.
Cat-like reflexes and an accurate throwing arm made Ricky Bennett an ideal third baseman. Bennett’s uncanny consistency at the hot corner would prove to be an important factor in the team’s success.
Rounding out the six seniors in the starting lineup was pint-sized right fielder Alan Young, a player whose small stature was misleading. Late in the season, Young would play a major role as big as any on the team.
A trio of underclassmen rounded out the starting lineup. Junior Greg Clyde Leutner, a graceful shortstop with coke-bottle glasses and a strong right arm, was flawless in the field. Fleet-footed sophomore David Altman provided similar defensive prowess in centerfield, and batted leadoff much of the year. Bright-eyed sophomore Ricky Burnham played left, and bore a striking resemblance to cartoon character Elmer Fudd (and heard about it every day).
Five solid reserves added important bench strength for the Trojans in 1978. Senior Sonny Russelburg, along with junior Randy McCoy, sophomore Kevin Murphy, and freshman Tommy Cook and Jon Mickler rounded out the team.
Hamilton stumbled out of the gate, losing its home opener to North Florida Christian. After that, however, the team would win six of its next seven, including stunning victories over Tallahassee, Leon and Suwannee County. Those wins - defensive battles that came down to the last pitch - gave Hamilton the coveted Suwannee Classic Title.
Westmoreland sensed that overconfidence might haunt the team down the stretch, and his instincts were right on the mark. Only days after drubbing Mayo 22-0, the team struggled to beat an inferior Cross City team. Westmoreland proceeded to deliver a motivational speech that would carry the team through the rest of the season.
The Trojans beat PK Younge in both games of a doubleheader, and traveled to Madison, where they knocked off the Cowboys, who were then called the Cougars, in convincing fashion. Victories followed against Chiefland, Interlachen and Keystone Heights.
The Trojans would face Keystone again to open the district playoffs, and the resulting extra-inning contest was as good as any game ever played in Jasper. The Trojans jumped to an early advantage, but the visitors roared back with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game. After Keystone took a one-run lead in the 12th inning, Hamilton was down to its final out, and an apparent end to a dream season. But Young delivered a clutch hit to right field to tie the game and keep the Trojans’ hopes alive. He would later tell teammates that he closed his eyes and swung. Hamilton added another run in the 13th on a bases-loaded walk by McCoy to win the game 7-6. The next day, they dismantled an overmatched Interlachen squad to win the district title.
The Trojans then knocked off West Nassau to win the state regional title, and breezed past Newberry for the sectional championship.
It was off to the state championship for the 17-5 Trojans, and they left town for Sumter County on a bus piloted by legendary head football coach Coy Whitener.
But a different sort of team awaited the Trojans in the state tournament, played that year in Sumter County. Fort Pierce John Carroll, a Catholic school just outside of Titusville, featured a number of college-bound players, including a tall, left-handed pitcher with a blazing fastball. The Trojans had no answer for the team from the south, falling 13-1. Stunned and silent, the team gathered outside their dugout for a final speech from Westmoreland.
In retrospect, the ‘78 Trojans were the pure epitome of a team: no superstars, but 14 young men playing together as one. They began their season with a narrow loss to NFC, and ended it with a humbling defeat at the hands of a superior Fort Pierce squad. But in between - during a two-month period 30 years ago - there was magic in the air in Hamilton County.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.