The Habersham School has been stocking the trophy case this school year as the volleyball team and boys tennis team have won Georgia Association of Private and Parochial School state titles, while UGA-bound swimmer Sam Parker swept three events at the GAPPS state swim meet.
On Friday, a Patriots baseball team that is determined to bring more hardware home will travel to take on Vidalia Heritage Academy in a best-of-three series for the GAPPS state crown.
More:Habersham volleyball wins third straight state crown
Habersham is coached by Tim Rowland, a former Windsor Forest star who went on to play at the University of Kentucky. He started with the team when its group of five seniors were in the seventh grade.
“From the start I knew this was a great group of boys,” said Rowland, whose son, Luke, is a standout freshman on the squad. “It’s been great for me to be out here with kids who care about the game and are respectful — it’s refreshing.”
The team is defined by its bond, led by five seniors who have been playing together for the last six years. The Patriots (20-6) had a tough non-region schedule where they met up with teams like Savannah Country Day, Calvary Day and Islands — losing those matchups but gaining respect for keeping things close.
Habersham has 80 students enrolled in the school’s high school, with 20 in the senior class.
“That was all part of the plan to help us improve and play the best we possibly could when we got to the playoffs,” Rowland said of the non-region slate.
Habersham has been doing just that, with contributions from throughout the lineup. Senior Thomas Tift has been a leader at shortstop and on the mound — leading the team with a .487 average and a 1.07 ERA.
“We’ve been really lucky to have such an athletic group in our senior class — guys like Henderson Hughes have been leaders for our younger guys who have been playing so well,” Tift said. “We’ve been playing together so long and have great chemistry. We know when to be loose and when to work hard.”
Swimming champ:Georgia-bound Sam Parker swims to 3 state titles for Habersham
Hughes transferred from Benedictine and has been a key offensively and behind the plate at catcher.
Senior Jack Hogan, who finished second in the state cross country meet, said that sport translates well with baseball.
“In cross country, you gain an advantage when you push yourself and someone else doesn’t — and that’s what we try to do in practice every day,” said Hogan, the school’s valedictorian, who is headed to Georgia Tech.
Reeder Chambers is a left-hander who plays center field and sees time behind the plate.
“We had a rough patch early in the season, and then we sat down and set some goals,” Chambers said. “We’ve got a gritty squad. We’re not physically intimidating, but we play good defense and know how to play small ball and make everything count.”
Senior Ed Beck Yannett also played basketball for the Patriots, as did many on the baseball squad. He said that bond has been a key to the team’s success, along with its hustle.
Luke Rowland had a grand slam — his third home run of the year — to break open a deciding Game 3 with Harvester Christian of Douglasville last week, and he hopes that the team’s hot run carries over for the state championship series.
“We’re ready to do the best we can do,” Rowland said. “We’re really playing in synch right now.”
More baseball:Holton, Chandler in spotlight as Benedictine and North Oconee meet in state semis
Haberham tennis wins state title
The Patriot boys tennis team rolled through the state tournament, losing just one set in three matches.
Habersham took down Sherwood Christian Academy of Albany 3-0 in the finals.
Henry Brooks played at No. 1 singles for Habersham, with Adam Barcello and Sam Peterson playing at No. 2 and No. 3.
Hamilton Colley and Grant Colley were the No. 1 doubles team, with Wils Childress and Ike Barry playing at No. 2 doubles.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
