There we were in the pressbox, behind a plexiglass window watching Drew Hayes take his warm-up tosses. Larry Joe Smith and I were doing the pre-game show, sizing up the game, going over the matchups, talking about how both teams got to this point.
Truth be told, I had no idea how this game was going to turn out. We heard story after story about Forrest. They'd hit nine home runs in the state tournament, a record, had beaten Huntingdon with relative ease and boasted the laser arm of Mikie Minor, a tall lefty who could throw it 90 m.p.h. McKenzie had Drew Hayes on the hill. He could bring it 90-plus. There was a lot of hype about this game and this matchup. And the game drew a record crowd for a state playoff game. A announced crowd of 1,642 filled the stands at MTSU's stadium.
It was a bright sunny morning. McKenzie was about to play for a state title. I remember thinking how surreal it was that the Rebels were battling for the crown. But as game time drew closer, I remember being too jittery to give the surrealism much thought. But I do remember focusing on doing a good broadcast for the state network, which was being picked up back in McKenzie by a couple of regional radio stations, most notably 96.5, the ESPN affiliate out of Lexington. Knowing we had a lot of people listening would have added to the consternation, but Larry Joe and I had been around the block a time or two. I knew that if it got bad, I could jump on his back and he could carry the broadcast.
But we were there, headsets on, going out live over the air. The Rockets were there, the Rebels were there and Hayes was ready to go. He looked pretty good warming up and if I recall, that was a topic of discussion. His velocity looked good and he didn't look the least bit tight. But Hayes never let nerves get to him. He dreamed about being in this situation, he dreamed about playing on this big stage.
Just the night before, a cocky bunch of Forrest players were belittling the Rebels at the Outback Steakhouse. They were mocking Hayes and laughing at this bunch of upstarts from West Tennessee. Hayes was ready to go. It was time to play. Forrest's Jeremy Lamb stepped to the plate to face this would-be contender in Hayes. What did the Rebel fireballer do? Rifled a pitch into the mitt of Drew Brown at about 95 m.p.h. I remember Lamb stepping out of the batters box, looking over in his dugout and giving a disbelieving gesture as if to say, "oh crap!" It was rather apparent they hadn't seen anything like Hayes anywhere, even in their own practices.
Hayes had gotten Lamb's attention and made quick work of the leadoff hitter, who had crunched three blasts this year. Hayes retired the Rockets in order and we were under way. When Forrest took the field, I watched Minor warm up. He looked so smooth and balanced. His delivery was steady and there is something about lefties that just looks more appealing when they throw. Minor had good velocity and I remember remarking to Larry Joe how good he looked. Larry Joe, the coach, who led McKenzie to at third-place finish at the state tournament just 19 years earlier was impressed but didn't appear to be worried.
But the Rebels were introduced to the crafty southpaw rather quickly. Drew Brown struck out, Beau Brown grounded out, Drew Hayes was hit by a pitch, but was later picked off first. Hayes was a smart baserunner and never got picked off. Coach Maddox thought there was a bit of a quirk in Minor's throw to first that may have teetered on balking. Maddox had a chat with the first base umpire about Minor's motion, which would pay off later. In any case Hayes was retired at first and one frame was already in the book.
A heavyweight bout was under way and both pugilists were poking and prodding, measuring each other and trying to find weakness. The combatant to break through first would likely win the game.
Hayes mastery became evident in the second frame as he struck out the side. He had racked up four strikeouts to that point. The Rebels came to bat in the second and seemed to draw first blood. Jonathan Wheat got aboard on an error. Bugs Smith tried to bunt Wheat over, but Wheat was retired at second.
However he hurt his knee on the slide. Wheat, returning a kickoff against Martin-Westview during a football contest in 2003, suffered a knee injury that required surgery. That was on my mind. Maddox came out to check him out. He got up just fine and walked with a bit of a limp. Wheat was a senior, coming off perhaps the best day of his career and he helped bring his team to this point. There was no way he was coming out of this game. Wilson reached on a fielder's choice that sent down Smith at second. But Wilson took second on a balk. The Rebels were in business with two outs. The Rebs had been dangerous with two outs all year. Unfortunately he was stranded there. With two innings completed, there was no score, but McKenzie may have planted a seed of doubt.
Forrest put its first baserunner on in the top of the third. Josh Haman flied out to right, Brian Whitley grounded back to the box, then Chase Beaulieu was hit by a pitch and a Rocket was on the pad. However, his launch was scrubbed as Hayes punched out Lamb for the second time. The Rebels came to bat in the third. And once again, McKenzie dented Forrest's armor. With one out, Laughrey singled, but he was thrown out in a rundown between first and second to end the inning.
The Rockets went quietly in the fourth, setting the stage for McKenzie's exciting frame. I recall Larry Joe and I talking about who would draw first blood and would it be enough to stand up. With the power and hitting proficiency Forrest possessed and the fact they had an almost unhittable hurler in Minor on the mouind, breaking through would be a tall order, indeed. We sensed something was going to happen.
But the Rebels batted in the fourth and brought their ladders. With one out, Hayes reached on an error, then Wheat, shaking off the effects of his knee bump, singled to left field. After the throwing error by Forrest centerfielder Jeremy Lamb, Hayes wound up on third and Wheat on second. Bugs Smith fanned for the second out. Up next was Rebel senior Justin Wilson. Wilson had had a great tournament, having made play after play at second, then frustrating opposing hitters with his pitching. He stepped in the box with two out....and delivered.
Wilson ripped a single to left field. In came Hayes, then rounding the corner and heading toward the plate was Wheat. Both runners scored and an oblivious Wilson stood at first base. Brice Priestley struck out, but the Rebels had drawn first blood and Hayes was staked two a 2-0 lead. The sizeable crowd erupted and the Rebels exploded from the dugout. There were rather vehment high fives and swats on the tush. McKenzie as up 2-0 with Hayes on the hill. When he had a lead, his stuff was unhittable. And he was between 90 and 95 m.p.h. all morning long. Simply put, the boy was pumped up and Wilson just added more helium..
"Wilson has stepped up so much with great defense and great at-bats," Maddox said. "It was just a matter of time."
Hayes went back to work with his Howitzer fast ball and his knee-buckling breaking pitch and Forrest had no answers. Yeah, Hayes walked Minor to start the fifth and his courtesy runner took third when Josh Laman singled. But Hayes whiffed Beaulieu to end the inning. In the Rebel fifth and sixth, batters went in order.
In the sixth, the Rebels may have secured victory on one heads up play by senior left fielder Beau Brown. With one out, Clayton Joyce ripped a single to left field. Brown had to cut it off and when he did, he made a direct-line throw to second baseman Wilson. Joyce tried to stretch the single into a double and Brown's throw hit Wilson's webbing and cut down the runner. Two away. Forrest had empty bases for Peyton Pratt instead of one out and a runner in scoring position. That one play may have permanently grounded the Rockets.
"Our defense made play after play," Maddox said. "And Beau's big throw stopped a rally. That's tough to battle back from. That was a key play by Beau.
"I knew he was going," said Brown. "I wasn't throwing to the cutoff, I was going all the way to second."
He saw Wilson waiting for the peg.
"I just wanted to get it there in the air and Wilson put the tag on him," said Brown. "I didn't really throw it that hard, but I just wanted Wilson to get it on the fly."
"That killed a rally," said Maddox. "We made a ton of big plays up there this week."
Hayes struck Peyton Pratt looking and the Rebels had squelched the threat. On the between-inning break, Larry Joe mused that the Rebels might be satisfied that their 2-0 lead was going to stand up and that they'd be content to go back on to the field in the seventh and end this thing.
Honestly, I think the Rebels would have loved to had another run or two, but I also agreed with Larry Joe. The Rebel defense had been stellar and they had confidence. Plus, Hayes was on the mound slinging it 90-plus.
The Rebs did go quietly in the sixth, but Forrest rattled their bats in the seventh.
McKenzie went quietly in the sixth, but one got the sense that the Rebels were content to hang their spikes on that 2-0 advantage and just go out and end it on defense in the seventh. But there was still mist of angst hanging in the air.
As the Rockets came to the plate in the seventh, they challenged Hayes and the Rebs. Daniel Albarran singled. Minor fanned looking for the first out which almost set the table for a game-ending double play. Blake Arceneaux grounded to Bugs Smith at shortstop. Bugs didn't get the handle immediately but pitched to Wilson at second to take down Albarran. Wilson fired to first but couldn't peg Arceneaux.
Arceneaux stole second, but catcher Drew Brown's throw down almost got the runner. It was of little consequence; the game managed to end appropriately.
Josh Haman walked to put runners on first and second, which brought Whitley to the plate. And with surgical precision, Hayes carved him up for his 12th strikeout and McKenzie earned its first TSSAA baseball state championship.
When Whitley fanned, Drew Brown basically tackled Hayes and a mob of Rebels piled on the infield, much like teams do after winning the World Series. The players then joined McKenzie on the middle of the infield. Coach Maddox and assistant coach Mark Stenberg met in front of the pitcher's mound and embraced. The Rebels had finally broken through and captured a state championship.
"This game had a lot of hype around it and it lived up to that hype," said Maddox. "It wasn't hype, it was the truth. We battled a fantastic arm in Minor, but we believed in ourselves and got the job done." And once again, the Rebels got the job done with two outs.
"We have preached and preached all year about the two-out hits and two-out RBIs," said Maddox. "That has been our mainstay. The two-out hits will win you games and the two-out RBIs will separate you from the rest of the pack."
Amen. The Rebels scored 13 runs with two outs in this tournament.
"The kids started to buy into that theory," Maddox said with confidence. "Now it's starting to pay off."
Hayes struck out 12, scattered three hits, walked two, hit one batter and worked seven complete for his second win of the state tournament. Minor struck out eight, gave up three hits, walked none, hit one in six innings of work.
Wheat, Wilson and Laughrey got the base hits for the Rebels. Wilson had two RBI.
Forrest came into Friday morning's Class A state title game full of confidence, self-assured that it was going to win a baseball championship. And why not? It had been pounding the ball, homering right and left, scoring runs as if it was facing Kansas City pitching and had posted a 34-4 overall record. And all the hype regarding Mikie Minor, a flame-throwing lefty who recently committed to Vanderbilt, could have scared the life out of most teams. What the high-flying Rockets didn't expect to encounter was a focused, task-driven squad in the McKenzie Rebels.
They had that look in their eye that they were going to go after that state title and weren't coming back to McKenzie without it.
An hour and 32 minutes later, that's exactly what happened.
Hayes said the defensive effort really enabled him to pitch ahead and gain more confidence.
"I felt great this morning and I felt great today," he said. "Twelve strikeouts feels good, but even when I didn't pitch well, I knew the defense would make plays and that gave me confidence; I didn't have to be so careful and I could let them put the ball in play because I knew they'd make the play."
And as has been said, Hayes just needed an opening and a lead to work with. He became unhittable. Credit Wilson with the big two-out hit.
"I knew when I got out there that I was going to hit the ball," said Wilson. "He threw a fast ball and I knew he was going to throw another one."
"Wilson always told us he was getting better and he was," said Hayes. "I can't say enough about him. He was clutch, so cool in a tough situation, calm, easy going and he comes up with a big hit."
And when he did, Hayes and Wheat scored what proved to be the winning runs.
In the seventh, Hayes was working with one out and got a grounder to Bugs Smith, who didn't pick it cleanly, but stayed with it enough to get the force at second. Wilson was close to making a game-ending double play when he fired to John Kermit Laughrey at first.
"I thought we had it," said Wilson. "Give Bugs credit for staying with it. I thought we ended the game, but it was sweet that we ended it with a strikeout."
Hayes fanned Whitley for the final out and pandemonium reigned.
"This is the best feeling," Brown said. "We came up here, it was our last game and we left it all on the field."
How about Priestley, Laughrey, et. al. and their secret psychological weapon? Combined the senior duo was 11-21 at the state tournament. The Rebels scored 28 runs on 33 hits in the tournament.
At last, McKenzie's seniors had broken through and captured a state championship. It was a goal of theirs from the very beginning, since their days as t-ballers and moving through the ranks. When you consider that this senior group had many athletes who didn't play baseball, but were equally successful. Jake Brown, for example, ran with this crew and had a great season with the golf team and was part of the crew that won 40 matches and finished sixth in the state. Same for Hunter Downing, who helped lead the Rebel basketball team to a 24-7 record an a No. 7 ranking in the state.
Ever since these young men were in t-ball as toddlers, this crew has had a goal to win a state championship in something. Many of these guys have been close. Drew Hayes, Jonathan Wheat and John Kermit Laughrey were knocking on the door as football freshmen when the Rebels reached the Class 2A state semifinals. Craig Broadbent, Beau Brown, Justin Wilson and Marshall Smith were within a stone's throw of some big things in golf this year, finishing sixth in the Class A-AA state tournament. Brice Priestley took part in McKenzie's cross country adventure, one that took the Rebels to a regional runner-up spot and a coveted post at the starting line of the Class A-AA state cross country meet.
This amalgam finally teamed their diverse talents together and won a state baseball title. Many MHS fans sensed something like this had to be on the horizon.
Even teachers asked freshmen three years ago to predict in writing what their senior year will be like. It was spooky how accurate some of the accounts were. Many put down "win a state baseball championship." Those prescient papers were part of the seniors diploma package. But even this year, these seniors re-established that goal before the baseball season began.
"We have eight seniors and at the beginning of the year, we talked about goals," said McKenzie coach Jeremy Maddox. "And it was a team effort of course, but these seniors met every goal they wrote down." The Rebels won the regular-season district title, the post-season district title, won a game in the region to get to substate, won substate, earned a state tournament berth, then implemented a scorched-earth policy en route to the state tournament.
"All the way down the line, we accomplished every goal," Maddox said. "These kids just refuse to lose; they knew they could do it."
Broadbent said this is a culmination of lifelong goals.
"Little League, Babe Ruth, we've worked for this all our lives," he said. "We had my dad (Tim Broadbent), Coach Glenn (Hayes), Rick Schweitzer all helped prepare us for this and we did it for them. This is sweet."
Brown said this bunch has been close, but always fell short in the past.
"We got to state in Babe Ruth, but never made it past the second round," he said. "But we knew we could do it."
"Since we were in Little League, we've always talked about winning a state championship," said Hayes. "There is not a better group of guys and I love being on this team. I just can't believe this. It's unbelievable."
Laughrey said he hasn't come to terms yet with the fact that his name will be etched on a state title trophy.
"I'm overwhelmed with complete happiness," Laughrey said. "And there is relief that we finally got here and got it done. We didn't come up here to just make it to state; every one of us came here to win."
"I don't think this has hit me yet," said Priestley. "Maybe in a week, we'll reflect on it and realize that we are champions."
Priestley recalled the younger days.
"We've stayed close all throughout the years and have all played together pretty much since we were 6 years old," he said. "We've grown up together, played together and we've fed off each other and it all culminated at the right time."
"I'm looking forward to the day when the city puts up that road sign that says, 'state champions,'" said Smith. "It's kind of ironic that my dad was here (as the MHS coach of the final four Rebels) in 1987 and now we're here this year.
"We've played together for a while and we were together when we were at the Babe Ruth state tournament," said Smith. "At the first day of practice we set goals and Drew Brown said let's win a state championship. That's what we did."
Wheat is still searching for ways to describe this feeling. "This is undescribable," he said. "I never thought we'd make to the top, but we climbed the ladder and it's unbelieveable."
"I'm kind of in a daze right now," mused Wilson, with sort of a beatnick demeanor. "But it feels great." Priestley summed it up very well.
"It feels great and I love going out like this," said Priestley. "I hate leaving, but this is a great way to go out...and we did it as a team."
For Larry Joe, with me in the pressbox, it was an emotional time. As we watched the team celebrate from our perch, I was going over some highlights and I said something like, "Larry Joe, your thoughts?"
Coach Smith was tight-lipped and his eyes were welling up with tears. His oldest son was part of this team and these seniors were a big part of his life. He sort of looked at me out of the corner of his eye and shook his head. He wasn't equipped to put it into words yet. It was an emotional time to say the least.
"Well, we'll come back to Larry Joe," I said with a laugh. Working with him made the championship all that more special. Even more special was the fact that Kermit Holland watched the game at MTSU. He has the unique distinction of having seen both McKenzie championships. The 93-year-old Holland played for the McKenzie Yellow Jackets, as they were known then, on the 1932 championship team that beat Dover. And 74 years later, he watched the Rebels blank Forrest. His grandson is Laughrey.
The celebration was sheperded off the field and behind the home dugout so the 2A teams could prepare for their contest. Parents, fans, media joined the Rebels in the fervor. Larry Joe and I made our way down from the pressbox and offered our congratulations. Soon, the crowd made its way out to the parking lot and, still buzzing from the victory, packed up to leave the venue. But there were still a lot of hugs and high fives on the slab behind the stadium. There was discussion about where to eat for llunch. The choice was Chili's. Joyce Hayes climbed in McBride's car and we began to leave the parking lot. As we were slowly moving out, I nudged McBride.
"Boy, that person driving the car coming into the lot sure looks like my sister," I said. It wasn't my sister's car, but the driver was a dead ringer. There was good reason for this. As I looked down to the front license tag, I realized that it, indeed, WAS my sister, Susan Askew. She was on a business trip in Memphis and picked up the broadcast coming back home. She was almost as stunned to see us as we were to see her.
"I heard it coming out of Jackson on the radio," she said, heading east in I-40. Sewanee is about an hour and change from Murfreesboro on I-24 and was on the way. "I lost the broadcast after a while and didn't know who won, so I thought I'd come in and see if I could catch the last part of the game."
Sue is a McKenzie grad and wanted to be part of the festivities. She wasn't aware who won the game. But she did surprise me. She actually said that she was impressed by the quality of the brodacast Larry Joe and I did. Rare props!
It seemed McKenzie had taken over the Chili's restaurant. McBride, Joyce and I walked in and found Glenn Hayes. We all broke up and did our own socializing when I was invited to join the Priestley family. Brice and his sister Cara were seated near the end of the table and I just pulled up a chair. We had a great chat and great fun. The atmosphere was jubilant and it should have been.
Soon it was time to head west and show that gold trophy its new home. McBride and I spent a lot of time high-fiving each other on the way back, offering comments about McKenzie's athletic prowess as compared to other schools. People behind us asked, "what were you guys high fiving for?" McKenzie had won the state title and we both remarked how good it felt to come home a winner for a change.
The caravan started to approach Clarksburg and was met by a sheriff's deputy with flashing lights. He led us through Huntingdon and on to McKenzie. We wanted to suggest a victory lap around the courthouse, but decided we'd be better sports than that. We trekked up Highway 22 and were met by McKenzie Police. We had a first-class police escort. We went by the high school, down 22 and turned left on to College Drive. As we pulled closer to town, there were fans lined up on the side of the road clapping. Fans turned out in the city square and as the caravan turned left up Highand to head toward the school, fans honked horns and waved.
It didn't take long and soon the state championship trophy was at home, ending a great week of fun. The Rebels were 29-8 and Class A state baseball champions. Finally, the Rebels had a championship to call their own and you just knew at some point that this group would raise a trophy in the air. Now they were making space for it in the trophy case.
"We set goals at the beginning of the season and we made every one of them," said Maddox. "And we weren't satisfied with anything else except coming up here and winning a state championship." Mission accomplished.
Those five days in Murfreesboro will live on as one of the most fun, magical and amazing times in the memories of Rebel players and fans who took part.
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