The 1989 Lady Red Devils Journey To A Championship

Last In A Series - Andy Hill

The Lady Red Devils' Championship was the first basketball state crown in the history of the school.  After the wild celebration following the game at the Macon Coliseum the Devils were also honored with a rally in the parking lot of Farmer's Furniture approximately a week later.  The school system dismissed the students early so they could attend the celebration.  Local dignitaries were on hand to read words of celebration.  School Superintendent Bobby Gentry, the late Mr. John Dawson, and student body representative Jason Lowery were among those expressing their gratitude.  Coach Gentry remarked that the Lady Devils were the only unranked team to win a crown!

On a personal note, I was working out of town at that time and only saw the semifinal and final games.  I can remember the anxious moments very vividly in both contests.  I can remember the unlikely comebacks that were pulled off with sheer determination in both games.  They had achieved a goal cherished by many.  The Devils had won the first team championship since the golf team won a crown in 1967.  They had won the first championship since 1959 in what are commonly referred to as the spectator sports.  They had won the first team championship in Hawkinsville coached by someone with a name other than Gentry. They had done it all with no player over 5'8" tall.  I can remember hugging my wife and fellow Devil fans as the final horn sounded in the championship game.  I can remember the enormous sense of pride I felt in those eleven girls as well as the entire school.  As a championship starved Red Devil I can remember thinking, "finally, we have done it".  What had started with a region win over D.F. Douglas on a cold January night had ended in celebration on the floor of the Macon Coliseum.  Most of all I just remember and I will never forget it. The team affectionately known as the "Wild Thangs" had climbed to the summit of girls basketball.  You go down as one of the greatest teams to ever wear the Red, White, and Blue.  Thanks for the memories.

The 1989 Lady Red Devils By the Numbers:

• Final record -- 23-7

• Most consecutive wins -- 7

• Most consecutive losses -- 1

• Most points in a game -- 79

• Fewest points in a victory -- 35

• Biggest victory margin -- 25 vs. Bleckley Co.

• Leading Scorers -- Shelva Ross 19.93 pts/game (568 points) & Heather Maldonado 10.87 pts/game (326 pts)

• Most points in a game individual -- Shelva Ross 30 points vs. Wilcox County

• Post Season Honors -- Shelva Ross named Atlanta Journal/Constitution Class A Player of the Year

• Post Season Honors -- Shelva Ross named to North vs. South All Star Team

Once again thanks to William Stone for all the photos for this series.

The 1989 Lady Red Devils Journey To A Championship

Second In A Series - Andy Hill

Near the end of the 1989 season Coach Danny Coffey was quoted in the Hawkinsville Dispatch & News saying, "All of the things we are going to do for tournament play are in place.  What we are working on now is simply to get sharper with what we are preparing".  Sharper they would be.  The Lady Red Devils were headed to the Region Tournament to take on Calhoun County.  The Lady Cougars had upset #1 regular season seed Pelham in the South Sub Region Tournament and presented a formidable challenge for the Devils.  Would the Devils continue to play at a high level as they had done late in the regular season?  Or would they experience inconsistency that had just reared its head in the Sub Region Final loss to Dooly County?  In perhaps an indication of things to come, the Devils dominated the Lady Cougars on the way to a 61-41 win.  Shelva Ross led the Devils with 28 points and was followed by Michelle Wright with 13 points and Heather Maldonado with 12 points.

Pelham's Lady Hornets knocked off Dooly County and entered the Region Final against the Devils.  The Lady Hornets were a tough and physical team with great size.  The Devils were without the big size in the middle but rather relied on quickness and a relentless man-to-man pressure defense.  In a low scoring game the Devils defeated Pelham 39-36 for the Region 1A Championship.  Once again the leading scorers were Ross with 16 points, Maldonado with 11 points, and Wright with 10 points.  The Devils were headed to the state tournament with a 19-7 record and more importantly with a sense of urgency and determination.  The loyal Devil fans were growing quickly in number as more and more were taking note of the winning ways of those eleven girls.  In a footnote, the Pelham Hornets had played the Region Final without their star player Wilene Fencher.  More about that later.

The opening two rounds of the 1989 state tournament were held on the campus of South Georgia College in Douglas, Georgia.  The opening round would pit the Lady Devils against the Wrens Colts.  In another methodical tempo game, the Devils dominated play on the way to a 39-32 win.  Heather Maldonado was a force in the middle and ended the game as the Devils leading scorer with 20 points.  The Devils would now take on nearby Broxton in what would essentially be a home game for the Lady Buccaneers.  The 24-1 Lady Bucs would have a majority of fans but the Devils fans who attended would be loud and proud for sure.  Just how the still unranked and underdog Lady Devils would respond to a largely hostile crowd was a concern to many.  However, these Lady Devils had developed a good game and a tough skin and were determined not to be intimidated by anyone.  There was no tomorrow -- a Final Four appearance hung in the balance for the winner.

Early on the Lady Bucs had the upper hand.  To compound matters for the Devils, Shelva Ross picked up two early fouls and had to come out of the game.  The Lady Bucs led 15-7 at this point.  It was then that the fierce determination of those eleven girls kicked into high gear.  A rally was mounted and the Devils actually took the lead and stayed ahead until late in the game.  With approximately one minute remaining the Lady Devils held onto a razor thin 61-60 lead.  It was at this point that outstanding Broxton coach Bill Whiddon decided to put the Devils at the free throw line and challenge them to make the shots.  First they fouled Maldonado.  Showing nerves of steel Heather calmly drained two free throws.  After a missed shot by Broxton they once again fouled Maldonado with 28 seconds left.  Once again she drained both free throws and the Devils were beginning to smell victory.  Another missed Broxton shot and subsequent rebound put Pam Peavy at the free throw line with 18 seconds left.  The Devil side of the gym was almost delirious with joy and she hit one of two free throws.  Just four seconds later Shelva Ross was sent to the line where she promptly swished two additional free throws to give the Devils an 8 point lead.  Finally with 8 seconds left Heather Maldonado stepped to the line for the third time in less than a minute.  With the Devil fans cheering her on, she was successful in both attempts and sealed the game as the Devils won 70-60.    With ice water in their veins, the Lady Devils had made 9 free throws with the game on the line.  The approximately 400 Devil fans who made the trip honored their Final Four bound Devils with cheering and a thunderous ovation.  Final statistics showed Ross the leading scorer with 27 points followed by Maldonado's 18 points and Wright's 14 points.

The still unranked Devils had accomplished the unthinkable.  They had raced through the Region tournament and then defeated a highly touted Broxton team before a hostile crowd.  What is perhaps more important was that Broxton had challenged the Devils by putting them on the free throw line late and the Devils won the stare down.  In two state tournament games the Devils had been forced to play both a deliberate game and a more up tempo game -- and had been successful in both.  Now standing at 21-7 on the season the Devils were headed to the Macon Coliseum to take on the Fairmount Bulldogs from Gordon County in north Georgia.

The Lady Red Devils now had everyone's attention in Hawkinsville.  They were the talk of the town as Final Four week started.  The question was whether they could continue the recent string of outstanding performances.  Apparently no sports writer in the state thought so as once again the Lady Devils were unranked.  They would just have to show them with their performance on the hardwood.  Stay tuned.........Destiny's Devils were on a mission!

Next: The Lady Devils date with destiny continues as they rock the Macon Coliseum in the state tournament.

All photos for this series of articles have been supplied by William Stone.

Red Devil Rewind The 1989 Lady Red Devils Journey To A Championship First In A Series - Andy Hill - 11/27/05

The year 1989 was like nearly any year in modern history.  Major national and international events captured the world's attention with headline after headline.  Early in January, the U.S. military shot down two Libyan fighter jets over the warm waters of the Mediterranean.  George Herbert Walker Bush was sworn in as the nation's 41st president.  In March, the Exxon Valdez ruptured and spilled nearly 11 millions gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound.  In April, tens of thousands of Chinese students occupied Tiananmen Square to rally for democracy.  The Chinese government later cracked down and thousands were killed as the military took a hard line and crushed the revolt.  Mikhail Gorbachev was named President of the Soviet Union in May.  During the World Series in October a major earthquake shook San Francisco.  In early November the most famous symbol of oppression in history disappeared as the Berlin Wall was opened and later torn down.  We can reflect back to those headlines and remember some of the happenings surrounding those events.    While those events most likely affected some Pulaski County citizens, it was the performance of eleven girls and two coaches who would grab our attention during those cold winter months.  It was eleven girls who came together in a unity of purpose.  It was those eleven girls who would learn to believe in each other and believe in what they could do together.  It was those eleven girls who would win over our hearts and touch the very soul of Devil fans everywhere.  It was those eleven girls who would rise from near oblivion and dance alone as a champion.  Join us now as we have a look back on that electrifying race for the Class A Girl's Basketball Championship.   Coach Danny Coffey's Lady Red Devils were coming off a very fine season in 1988 and had several players returning.  Early in the season the Devils were sharp as they registered impressive victories.  However, as teams often do, they hit a lull.  The Lady Devils would lose to D.F. Douglass by double digits and then lose again in the Lee County Christmas Tournament Final by twenty points.  Were these Lady Devils destined to be bridesmaids once again as in 1984 when they finished runner-up to Seminole County in Class AA?  After the short lull, the Devils started to come together in early January.  A win over arch rival Bleckley County left the Devils with a 9-4 mark on the season.  A loss to highly touted Sumter County was followed by a 62-43 win over region rival Wilcox County. This left the Devils at 10-5 and with a 3-2 Region 1A record.  Another win over Wilcox County was followed by a loss to Fitzgerald and another win over Bleckley County.    The stage was set for the D.F. Douglass Lady Hornets to pay a house call to the Lady Devils on January 31, 1989.  It was seemingly just another night for high school basketball on this cold January evening.  Or was it?  The Lady Hornets had twice defeated the Devils, both times by double digits. There was nothing to indicate the Devils could defeat the very quick and physical Hornets.  The Devils had been playing better -- but were they ready for a tough, physical encounter with the Hornets?  To those in attendance, it was apparent very early that the Lady Red Devils had turned a corner.  Racing to a 13-0 lead in the opening minutes of play, the Devils were playing at a level previously unseen.  The Devils took a 30-20 halftime lead and then stretched it to a 61-45 victory at the final horn.  Shelva Ross poured in 22 points to pace the Devils offensive attack.  The win solidified the Devils second place regular season finish in Region 1A North.  The Devils followed that win a 65-55 win over region foe Dooly County on February 3rd.  The sub region tournament was on the horizon and the Devils would enter as the #2 seed behind Sumter County.  The first round foe was none other that regular season nemesis D.F. Douglass.   In a classic showdown, the Devils were forced into overtime to defeat the Lady Hornets by a 79-76 margin.  Perhaps suffering a mental letdown, the Devils lost the next night to Dooly County 50-45 in the Sub Region Finals.  It would be the  last time the Lady Red Devils would taste defeat in 1989.  The Devils now entered the Region Tournament as the North's #2 seed and would face Calhoun County, the #1 seed from the south.  Calhoun had finished the regular season in second place but knocked off #1 Pelham in the sub region tournament.  Despite the loss in the Sub Region Final, Devil fans were quietly sensing that these girls were pretty darn good.  Little did they know..................   Coming Next: The Region Tournament and early rounds of the state tournament state tournament.   All pictures for this series were graciously provided by William Stone.  (L-R: Heather Maldonado & Shelva Ross                     Dana Holder                                          Denean Coley)

Click on any picture to enlarge it!

 

 

The Hawkinsville Red Devils defeated the Randolph-Clay Red Devils by a score of 21-6 in Cuthbert, Georgia tonight to advance to the Class A quarterfinals.  The radio connection went out for a good portion of the 1st quarter so I don't have a lot of details of the early action.  The Devils kicked off and held the R/Clay Devils and forced a punt.  Our Red Devils were unable to move and at that point the radio fell silent.  During the interim we scored on a short run by Jeremy Marshall to take a 7-0 lead.  Before coming back onto the air we apparently intercepted a Randolph Clay pass and set up in good field position.   A few plays later Jim Henry tossed a short touchdown pass to Victory Bray and the Devils led 14-0.  Shortly before half disaster struck as the Devils fumbled and R/Clay recovered near our 30 yard line.  One the first play Dexter Ellington found an open receiver for a touchdown.  A subsequent two point conversion attempt failed and the half ended with Hawkinsville leading 14-6.  Hawkinsville's David "Amazin" Grace took the 2nd half kickoff on his own ten yard line and when he stopped running he had scored a 90 yard kickoff return for a TD!!  Without any doubt that was the play of the game.  Randolph-Clay drove down deep into HHS territory on their next possession only to see Dequan Bembry intercept a Dexter Ellington pass on 4th and 14 from the 14 yard line.  The Hawkinsville Red Devils had a couple of chances to put the game on ice late but an untimely offensive pass interference call and a couple of fumbles left the Randolph-Clay Red Devils in the game until the final whistle.

This the the 4th consecutive year the Hawkinsville Red Devils have advanced to the Elite 8 !!!!!!!!!!!!  Also, by my account David Grace's 90 yard kickoff return is the longest in recorded history for Hawkinsville!  Great job Red Devils and let's go get'em next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Big Red !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hawkinsville will become "road Devils" once again this coming Friday night as they travel to Bowdon to take on the "northwest Georgia version of the Red Devils" at Warren P. Sewell Field.  It is the second week in a row that our Red Devils have played other Red Devils.  Couple that with the fact that Lincoln County is still alive and you could say that Red Devils are making a name for themselves in the Class A playoffs.

Bowdon is under the expert coaching of Dwight Hochstetler who has 275+ career wins and three state championships to his credit, including one at Bowdon in 1992. Bowdon also won the state Class B crown in 1971.  Hawkinsville and Bowdon have met one time previously and that was in the Class A semifinals in 2004 in which Hawkinsville prevailed.  Bowdon was the preseason #1 pick by the Associated Press.  After slipping in the polls in September, Bowdon became consensus #1 in late October when both the AP and the Atlanta Constitution polls voted them to the #1 slot.  Bowdon comes into this quarterfinal game with an 11-1 record--the only blemish coming to AAA Carrollton in September.  Carrollton finished the season 10-0 before being upset in round one of the playoffs by M.L. King High School.  Bowdon enters the contest averaging 31.5 points per game while giving up only 15.3 points per game. 

Traditionally, Bowdon has run from the wing-t offensive set.  Many teams currently use this offense but all have their own "stamp" on it by changing a few things and Bowdon is no exception.  They are led by quarterback Jake Rollins who has completed 50+% of his passes for nearly 1000 yards and with a very good touchdown pass/interception ratio.  The lanky signal caller has given them a new weapon this year with his accurate passing.  He will throw to many targets, including the running backs out of the backfield.  However, his favorite target appears to be Josh Grooms who has in excess of 20 receptions and 3 touchdowns.  The rushing attack is led by speedy A.J. Cooley who has rushed for over 1400 yards and 15TDs.  He also has a punt return TD.  Cooley is also being heavily recruited by D-1 schools in the south.  Rounding out the backfield are Travis Nunn with over 700 yards and Raphael Mitchell.  Nunn and Mitchell both average over 7 yards/carry. 

According to reports perhaps the biggest improvement has been on the defensive side of the ball.  The Devils use excellent team speed to swarm around the ball and are much more sound defensively in 2005.  The Devils typically have excellent special teams play and this year is no exception.  Bowdon defeated Whitefield Academy 45-14 in round one and Warren County 37-21 in round two of the playoffs.

Our Red Devils will have to play a clean, errorless game to prevail over the state's #1 ranked team.  You can see from the pictures on this web site that Warren Sewell Field is an excellent venue with more than adequate seating for visiting fans.  The 12th man is needed to head up I-75 early Friday and pack the stadium and be loud and proud for our Devils!   If this game lives up to its prior billing it could be quite an entertaining and exciting night of football. 

You Gotta Believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Big Red!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Region 4A faired well again last night as Dexter Copeland's Twiggs County Cobras made a trip to Homerville to take on the co-defending state champion Clinch County Panthers and came away with a nail biting 12-10 come from behind win.  Johnson County showed why it was the region champion with a high scoring 39-20 triumph over Seminole County from Region 1A. In action from other Class A teams, legendary Larry Campbell's Lincoln County Red Devils smashed the visiting Gordon Lee Trojans 35-14 to move to their 4th straight quarterfinal round.  Savannah Country Day surprised Region 1A champion Turner County Rebels 17-6 to move to the quarterfinals for the 2nd consecutive year.  Bremen, which narrowly lost to Bowdon during the regular season, rolled over Social Circle 26-0 and Washington-Wilkes rounds out the Elite 8 as they moved on by virtue of a 26-0 whitewash of Temple.

Hawkinsville's next opponent, the Bowdon Red Devils, will undoubtedly stay #1 in the polls as they moved on by defeating the Warren County Screaming Devils 37-21.  The Devils built a 31-7 lead before reserves gave up two quick scores.  The Devils reinserted their starters and order was quickly restored and the game ended after Bowdon score another TD.  Below are photos provided courtesy of the Bowdon Red Devil team chaplain, Mr. Dennis Rollins.  One photo is of the home stands and one of the visitors stands.  A preview of the Bowdon Red Devils will be posted by Monday

10/13/2005 Andy Hill

Jeremy Marshall defeated Pulaski County Schools all-time career rushing record this past Friday night against Telfair County.  Jeremy now has 4,591 career yards with more being added every game.  The record was previously held by Elijah Clark with 4,454 career yards.   

Click here to see other current record holders