By DAN BISER
State championships in baseball at Waccamaw Academy have become an established part of the school’s late spring agenda.
In May, Coach Robbie Allen Warriors won their third straight North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association state 1A title, defeating Lawrence Academy 14-0 in the championship game at Legion Stadium. It also marked the Warriors’ ninth state championship since Allen became head coach in 1989.
The Warriors closed the season with a 20-9 record, including victories in their final 11 games.
Warrior senior players Carlton Floyd, Pete McDuffie and Josh Carroll along with junior Dustin Williamson were selected to the All-State team.
The Warrior baseball ‘three-peat” was one of the big highlights of 2005 Columbus County sports happenings and once again baseball provided several other of the year’s highlights.
The West Columbus Vikings claimed their school’s first conference baseball championship in 20 years and their first 20-win season in 25 years.
Coach Ricky Young’s Vikings held off strong bids from longtime rival Whiteville to claim both the regular-season and tournament championships of the Waccamaw 2A Conference. The Vikings, paced by senior Chris Russell and a strong group of junior players, finished with a 21-6 record, falling to eventual state champion North Lenoir in the second round. Russell, who had an outstanding season on the pitcher’s mound and shortstop and was also one of the Vikings’ top hitters, was named the 2005 Columbus County Player of the Year and signed with Pfeiffer University.
The Whiteville High baseball team bounced back from a 10-13 record in 2004 to improve to 20-6 record and its runnerup finish in conference play under new head coach Brett Harwood. The Wolfpack advanced to the third round of the state 2A playoffs where it fell to North Lenoir.
It was another big year for Dixie Boys (ages 13-14) Baseball in Columbus County as both the DB All-Stars and Junior DB All-Stars once against won their respective state championships at Shallotte and traveled to 2005 Dixie Boys World Series play at Muscle Shoals, Ala. The Columbus DB Junior All-Stars garnered a third-place finish in the World Series.
In girls fast-pitch softball, the Columbus County Dixie Deb (ages 16-18) All-Stars captured the state championship and played in Dixie Deb World Series action at Dothan, Ala., winning two of four games.
The Whiteville Optimist Dixie Youth (ages 11-12) made it to the finals of the 16-team North Carolina DY Tournament at Leland where it bowed to a talented Louisburg team in the deciding game. Both the Columbus County and Whiteville Dixie Youth AAA (ages 10-under) All-Stars advanced to state tournament play at Hope Mills and the Nakina DY All-Stars (ages 8-under) advanced to state tournament action at Southport.
In high-school basketball, the Whiteville High School boys and girls teams claimed Waccamaw Conference regular-season and tournament championships. Coach Keith Jordan’s girls team, behind the play of junior Shannon McCallum, posted a 23-2 record and advanced to the sectional finals. Coach Glenn McKoy’s boys team finished with a 22-3 record. Shannon McCallum was named Columbus County Girls Player of the Year for the second straight year, and the Wolfpack’s Debais Gore was named Boys Player of the Year.
The West Columbus boys team, and East Columbus’ boys and girls team also qualified for the state 2A playoffs.
In girls softball, East Columbus tied Pender for a third consecutive Waccamaw 2A Conference regular-season championship. The Lady Gators advanced to the second round of the state playoffs and finished with an 18-3 season record. Senior Leighann Wayland, a four-year starter, was selected 2005 Columbus County Softball Player of the Year an signed to play for Lees-McRae College.
South Columbus High boys tennis player Jordan Ford had another big season last spring as he paced the Stallions to a runnerup finish in the Waccamaw Conference while capturing his second straight conference singles title and gaining a berth in the state 2A tournament.
Columbus County turned into a hotbed for early commitments to Division I college football programs as South Columbus defensive lineman Greg “Beast” Elleby verbally committed to UNC-Chapel Hill in May, and West Columbus defensive lineman Ricardo Crawford committed to Georgia in July.
The summer also included the Chris Wilcox Basketball Camp and Celebrity Golf Tournament. Wilcox was an All-State basketball player at Whiteville High, leading the Wolfpack to the 1999 state 2A championship. The 6-foot-10 Wilcox went on to play for the University of Maryland, where he played a vital role in the Terrapins’s 2002 national championship season.
He was the first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball League in 2002 and he is now in his fourth season with the Clippers.
The Wilcox Basketball camp, held at the WHS gym, Central Middle School gym, and Whiteville Recreation Center gym, once again attracted more than 200 youngsters.
The golf tournament at Land-O-Lakes once again raised funds for Wilcox’s battle against lupus, a disease which has affected his mother and several other family members.
The 2005-06 school year brought conference realignments to North Carolina High School Athletic Association, and this included both East Columbus and West Columbus dropping from the 2A classification to 1A.
East Columbus joined Pender and Trask as 1A members of the newly aligned Waccamaw 1A-2A conference with 2A members Whiteville, South Columbus, North Brunswick and South Columbus.
West Columbus joined East Bladen and South Robeson as 1A members of the newly formed Southeastern 1A-2A Conference with 2A members Fairmont, Red Springs, St. Pauls and West Bladen.
South Columbus High won its seventh Waccamaw Conference football championship in eight years as Coach Joey Price’s Stallions advanced to the third round of the state 2A playoffs and closed with a 12-2 record. Stallion lineman Greg Elleby was named the Columbus County Player of the Year.
Whiteville High claimed a 9-3 season record after finishing third in the Waccamaw Conference and advancing to the second round of the 2A playoffs. Coach Mark Little’s Wolfpack won its first eight games.
Coach Vernon Brigman’s West Columbus team turned in one of its best football showings in school history, finishing runnerup in the Southeastern Conference, advancing to the second round of the state 1AA playoffs and finishing with an 8-5 record. Defensive linemen Ricardo Crawford goes on to compete in the N.C.-S.C. Shrine Bowl and is joined on the Associated Press All-State team by Viking teammate and punter Ryan McCleney.
The fall sports also saw West Columbus High tennis players Amy Hardin and Jami Britt battle their way to a berth in the state 1A tennis tournament. It marked the first time that WCHS had placed an entry in state girls tennis tournament play.
In mid-October Waccamaw Academy standout all-around athlete Dustin Williamson became the first high-school soccer player in Columbus County history to score 100 career goals.
Veteran Whiteville High School boys basketball coach Glenn McKoy announced in early December that the 2005-06 season will be his last. McKoy is now in his 27th season as Wolfpack head coach. His record currently stands at 527 wins, 152 losses, two state championships and 15 conference championships.
Whiteville native George “Buck” Hardee succumbs to cancer at the age of 78 during 2005, leaving one of the most recognized baseball coaching legacies in Southeastern North Carolina. Hardee coached Wilmington’s New Hanover High team and the Wilmington American Legion Post 10 team to more than three decades of excellence that included regular recognition on state and national levels.
The year closed with the Whiteville girls team winning its second straight Robeson County Shootout basketball tournament championship and the East Columbus boys and girls teams winning their respective championships of the ECHS Holiday Basketball Tournament.
Former Waccamaw Academy athlete Carlton Floyd, now a freshman baseball player at Campbell University, was named the 2005 winner of the annual Jiggs Powers Award as Columbus County’s Most Outstanding Athlete.
Columbus County athletes who competed in college sports during 2005 follow:
FOOTBALL
Wendell Singletary (West Columbus), Western Carolina.
Brian Williamson (Whiteville). William & Mary
Britt Leggett (West Columbus), Coastal Carolina.
Jess Powell (Whiteville), Wake Forest.
Bryan Dixon (South Columbus (UNC-Chapel Hill).
Dee Brown (Whiteville), Garden City (Kans.) Community College.
Rick Antone (East Columbus), Elizabeth City State.
Colby Pridgen (West Columbus), Methodist College.
Adam Williamson (East Columbus), N.C. State (manager).
BASEBALL
Chris Baker (East Columbus), Appalachian State.
T.J. Spivey (South Columbus), Appalachian State.
Jacob Wright (South Columbus), Campbell University.
Brad Smith (Waccamaw Academy), St. Andrews
Jonathan Spivey (South Columbus), Methodist College.
Fielding Hammond (West Columbus), Methodist College.
Bradley Strickland (South Columbus (UNC-Pembroke).
Marcus Blackwell (Whiteville), Southeastern Community College.
Jason Worley (South Columbus), Southeastern Community College.
Chris Blackmon (Whiteville), N.C. State club team.
BASKETBALL
Joseph Thompson (Whiteville), Citadel
Michael Pierce (Whiteville). Coker College.
SOFTBALL
Anna Williamson (East Columbus), UNC-Wilmington.
