Sports

Senioritis? Not at Westwood

• The amazing group of athletic seniors at Westwood — a group that has helped lead the football, basketball, track & field teams to either the state playoffs or a state title this year — has one more chance at glory today as the Wildcats’ baseball team sits one win from the state title game.

Derek Barichello

CAMILLA — On Friday night, six seniors from Westwood’s baseball team will graduate.

In their five-year varsity careers, the group will be remembered for playoff runs in football and basketball, along with winning back-to-back state titles in track & field.

Now, after becoming the first group of Wildcats seniors to win a baseball playoff series in 20 years after sweeping Heirway Christian and Nathanael Greene in the opening rounds, they are in the midst of their final run.

And while school may come to its official end Friday, the Wildcats (12-8) will try to settle their unfinished business today as they travel to David Emanuel (13-4) for a doubleheader in GISA A Final Four action before the gowns come on and the caps get thrown into the air.

“It’s been crazy,” said Wildcats senior ace Clark Phelps, who is slated to throw Game 1, which begins at 1 p.m. “There have been so many ups and downs. We’re just having fun and we’re doing something that hasn’t been done in 20 years at Westwood.”

Before the playoffs started, the Wildcats were a talented group, unaware of their potential. Still, they finished the season at 8-8, never having won or lost more than two games in a row.

And when the season ended, Westwood coach Al Timmerman decided to make a speech to his seniors.

“I told them, ‘It's your team,’ “ Timmerman said. “I wanted to remind them of that. We're going to go wherever they want to take us. And we don't have to stop.”

That speech still rings in the ears of the seniors whenever they take the field.

“This is our last chance to win a state championship,” Phelps said. “The truth is. we can go as far as we want to go. We know it.”

Wanting to keep the dream — and their season — alive has been the biggest factor towards the Wildcats’ success in the playoffs.

Those six seniors, who include Phelps, Brett Shiver, Ty Blackburn, Tyler Thompson, Brandon Johnson and Michael Sullivan, have been there to make seemingly every big play, every big hit and every big pitch.

“We've had solid contributions from our younger guys too,” Timmerman said. “It's just in the game, whenever a big play is made, you look to see who did it and it's one of our seniors.”

Nothing exemplifies Timmerman's point more than the seventh inning of Game 1 against Nathanael Greene. Holding onto a 3-1 lead, Shiver hit a lead-off home run, then Phelps followed two batters later with a three-run blast. Overall in the playoffs, Phelps and Shiver also have two wins apiece on the mound.

“We already knew it,” Shiver said. “We've always been leading from the beginning. It's just in the playoffs we've been able to take care of business.”

And in order to take care of business and potentially meet their fellow Region 1 rivals Terrell Academy in the state title game — the Eagles play at home against Flint River Academy on Friday on the other side of the Final Four bracket — the Wildcats will need to continue to get that senior leadership and pitching as they face one of the most formidable opponents of the season.

“We just have to keep it up,” Timmerman said. “We have to avoid the mistakes and we'll be fine.”

Timmerman said win or lose, it has already been a memorable season and he will not forget the senior class.

“I'll remember their leadership,” Timmerman said. “They keep us in each and every game. They are a talented group. You can tell people around the school really look up to them.”

And if the Wildcats are able to win a state championship, just how will it rate with all the other playoff runs?

“I don't know, there have been a lot,” Shiver said. “It'll be up there.

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