The ride from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia was indeed a very disappointing one for all true Wildcat fans, including myself. Our dream to be a part of history and watch our boys do something that has never been done in South Carolina high school football was shattered. Regrettably, many other loyal Wildcat fans and I made the mistake of counting our eggs before they hatched. I so much wanted to see our Wildcats win so that we could have the boasting rights and distinction of being the only high school football team in the state to win five consecutive state championships. However, it was just not meant to be. Like me, many who were in attendance at the game and who were really bent on seeing history made, were in the fray with words and wishes that if certain mistakes had not been made, certain plays had not been ran, and that certain bad calls had not been made by the referees, the outcome of the game would not have been slanted to the favor of the opposing team. Now that all the excitement, anticipation, and even the let down is over, it is time to put all of the what-ifs and finger pointing behind us. We must be truly grateful to head coach Jackie Hayes, his coaching staff, and players for not only giving us an exciting and victorious winning season of high school football, but also for putting Dillon on the athletic map and making others throughout the state and beyond regard and recognize the Wildcats’ team and program as a powerhouse and dynasty. Perhaps we have become so accustomed to winning state championships, we find it difficult to accept the reality of losing one. We must not allow a tough lost, even when we think that we could or should have won, make us to forget the joy and thrill of being winners and champions for six of the last nine years. Most schools and communities would gladly switch places with us to have our storied success and cherished championships. There are no other high school football teams in the Pee Dee and only a handful in the entire state that is worthy to fill the shoes of the Wildcats. We have much for which to be thankful. However, I want to stress that we must not allow one loss, which could have gone either way, to make us ungrateful, forgetful, and critical of the Wildcats’ coaching staff and players who have given us many state championships and honor throughout the years.
I can remember many years ago, when we were so desperate to win the big one with outstanding players like Earl Goings, Marion Thompson, John Henry Alford, Stevie Lee, Moses Ford, Ricky Miller, Theo Baker, and unquestionably our greatest running back of all time, Stan Manning, just to name a few. Despite having the legendary head coach Paul Chapman at the helm for all those years, we still seemed to always come up just a little short with hopes of next year. Even head coach Jackie Hayes, who played for Coach Chapman and was a staunch disciple of his style of play on both offense and defense, had good teams with winning records, but still seemed to always come up short concerning the big one. Winning the coveted state championship title seemed to elude us. We remember our once nemesis, Fairfield Central, who spoiled our chances of advancing during the reign of Stan Manning. Then, how could we forget the heartbreaking losses to Pageland Central, Berkley, and Union in three state championships? Not long after these devastating losses, Coach Jackie Hayes came up with not just a winning strategy, but also a championship strategy that landed us six championships out of the last nine years. Now what fair-minded person with good common sense can challenge or criticize a record like that!
During the game, I was sitting next to a Hartsville fan (due to the fact that I came early to see the game between Hartsville and South Pointe out of Rock Hill). The subject of the Wildcats’ dynasty came up in our conversation. He made some remarks that Dillon had to drop down to Division 2-A to win that many championships. I challenged and silenced him by asserting that the Wildcats had played one of the top Division 5-A schools in the nation, Mallard Creek from Charlotte, North Carolina, in a battle royal that they barely won by the skin of their chinny-chin-chin. Word got around Charlotte from some of the Mallard Creek players, after their near defeat in Dillon, that those hard-hitting country boys were brutal and savage; and they had no great desire to play them again.
So in my conclusion, I want to congratulate Coach Hayes, his coaching staff, and the Wildcat players for giving us a great run and record of winning six state championships in nine years. Like the legendary Phoenix of Greek mythology, I am certain that you will rise again and win another state championship very soon.
The ride from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia was indeed a very disappointing one for all true Wildcat fans, including myself. Our dream to be a part of history and watch our boys do something that has never been done in South Carolina high school football was shattered. Regrettably, many other loyal Wildcat fans and I made the mistake of counting our eggs before they hatched. I so much wanted to see our Wildcats win so that we could have the boasting rights and distinction of being the only high school football team in the state to win five consecutive state championships. However, it was just not meant to be. Like me, many who were in attendance at the game and who were really bent on seeing history made, were in the fray with words and wishes that if certain mistakes had not been made, certain plays had not been ran, and that certain bad calls had not been made by the referees, the outcome of the game would not have been slanted to the favor of the opposing team. Now that all the excitement, anticipation, and even the let down is over, it is time to put all of the what-ifs and finger pointing behind us. We must be truly grateful to head coach Jackie Hayes, his coaching staff, and players for not only giving us an exciting and victorious winning season of high school football, but also for putting Dillon on the athletic map and making others throughout the state and beyond regard and recognize the Wildcats’ team and program as a powerhouse and dynasty. Perhaps we have become so accustomed to winning state championships, we find it difficult to accept the reality of losing one. We must not allow a tough lost, even when we think that we could or should have won, make us to forget the joy and thrill of being winners and champions for six of the last nine years. Most schools and communities would gladly switch places with us to have our storied success and cherished championships. There are no other high school football teams in the Pee Dee and only a handful in the entire state that is worthy to fill the shoes of the Wildcats. We have much for which to be thankful. However, I want to stress that we must not allow one loss, which could have gone either way, to make us ungrateful, forgetful, and critical of the Wildcats’ coaching staff and players who have given us many state championships and honor throughout the years.
I can remember many years ago, when we were so desperate to win the big one with outstanding players like Earl Goings, Marion Thompson, John Henry Alford, Stevie Lee, Moses Ford, Ricky Miller, Theo Baker, and unquestionably our greatest running back of all time, Stan Manning, just to name a few. Despite having the legendary head coach Paul Chapman at the helm for all those years, we still seemed to always come up just a little short with hopes of next year. Even head coach Jackie Hayes, who played for Coach Chapman and was a staunch disciple of his style of play on both offense and defense, had good teams with winning records, but still seemed to always come up short concerning the big one. Winning the coveted state championship title seemed to elude us. We remember our once nemesis, Fairfield Central, who spoiled our chances of advancing during the reign of Stan Manning. Then, how could we forget the heartbreaking losses to Pageland Central, Berkley, and Union in three state championships? Not long after these devastating losses, Coach Jackie Hayes came up with not just a winning strategy, but also a championship strategy that landed us six championships out of the last nine years. Now what fair-minded person with good common sense can challenge or criticize a record like that!
During the game, I was sitting next to a Hartsville fan (due to the fact that I came early to see the game between Hartsville and South Pointe out of Rock Hill). The subject of the Wildcats’ dynasty came up in our conversation. He made some remarks that Dillon had to drop down to Division 2-A to win that many championships. I challenged and silenced him by asserting that the Wildcats had played one of the top Division 5-A schools in the nation, Mallard Creek from Charlotte, North Carolina, in a battle royal that they barely won by the skin of their chinny-chin-chin. Word got around Charlotte from some of the Mallard Creek players, after their near defeat in Dillon, that those hard-hitting country boys were brutal and savage; and they had no great desire to play them again.
So in my conclusion, I want to congratulate Coach Hayes, his coaching staff, and the Wildcat players for giving us a great run and record of winning six state championships in nine years. Like the legendary Phoenix of Greek mythology, I am certain that you will rise again and win another state championship very soon.
