On Jan. 1 I wrote a column with my predictions-guesses for what the year 2014 would hold for our local sports community.
I’ll admit I was right in some of my predictions and missed on some others.
About two-thirds or three-quarters of the way through the column was a simple paragraph that caused me grief at the time and has since come back to haunt me.
My prediction was, “The Baker volleyball team's string of 11 consecutive district championships will come to an end. The Gators, the past few years, have lost too many irreplaceable players to graduation.”
I based my prediction on a couple of things. The Gators had lost several players to graduation in recent years, and would only return one senior. I simply felt this would be the year the law of averages caught up with Baker.
In many ways I was picking the rest of the district as much as I was picking against the Gators.
Thursday night Baker beat Chipley in straight sets in the District 3-1A volleyball finals to make it 12 district championships in a row.
There are times I hate to admit I made a mistake. But unlike the Fonz on the old TV classic Happy Days, I don’t find it hard to say I was wrong.
And that’s just what the Baker volleyball team proved me to be. Yes, my prediction of Baker’s demise was a bit premature. And I’m happy for the young ladies that represent the school and community so well.
The Gators and their coaches knew they had talented players, even when I doubted their youth. A team with just one senior, Hartley Moate, did what every other team since 2003 had done – they won.
To win back-to-back championships in any sport, at any level, is difficult. Winning three or four straight championships is a daunting task. But to win a dozen straight titles is something special.
Baker’s current championship run is amazing when you think that the last nine senior classes have never known what it is not to be district champions.
The championship run was accomplished by countless players and three head coaches: Kathy Combest, Lisa Roy and current coach Tommiko Parks.
As I’ve talked to the Baker volleyball players in recent years, the recurring theme is no team wants to be the one that ends the streak. I’m convinced the pride in that streak and the Gator tradition for excellence has, in some years, propelled Baker teams to the top.
I don’t know how far the Gators will go in this year’s state tournament. I’d like to see them win that elusive state championship, but that’s another column for another day.
Eventually the championship streak will end, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. The Gators have a roster full of talented juniors and sophomores that should continue the success for the next two years. And given Baker’s past, the Gators won’t look to rebuild — they will simply reload.
My prediction is the streak is in good hands for years to come.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Gators prove me wrong