Houston County walked off in payback series for postseason rival Pope

WARNER ROBINS — About this time a year ago Houston County went up to Marietta and snapped Pope’s nine-year semifinals streak.

It was significant for the Bears, who to that point begrudgingly made the trip what seemed like every postseason and lost, but the Greyhounds repaid the favor on Friday night in what’s become one of the biggest rivalries in Georgia regardless of sport.

The 8-5 and 3-2 losses were both decided in the seventh inning: Pope scored three in the top in Game 1 to put it away, and Game 2 was a dramatic, two-out walk off courtesy of junior Luke Winbush.

The ‘Hounds thoroughly celebrated their victory at different spots on the diamond in what became quite the introduction to the rivalry for HoCo’s freshmen.

“It’s big lights. You can tell them all you want to tell them. It’s hard to do it until you’ve done it,” Bears head coach Matt Hopkins said.

Isaiah Galason, Raymond Byrd, Noah Odom, Ethan Kenney and the other players who participated in last year’s series weathered the storm with a bit more grace than some of the newcomers. But these are the kind of experiences that make you better in the long run.

“It’s growth. In life you’ve got to grow and that’s where we are,” Hopkins said. “Those guys that come back they should be stronger from it. That’s been the hallmark of our program … Guys that played the years before use that to grow the next year and become a better version of themselves and continue to pass that along.”

The ‘Hounds offered by far the best defense HoCo had seen to this point.

Troy commit and shortstop Winbush made a couple of plays that can only be described as ridiculous.

A spinning throw to first base was perfectly on target for the final out of the fifth inning in Game 2. He made another perfect throw to first while fading towards third base to send the nightcap to the bottom of the seventh.

Crushing double plays and improbable infield snags made putting runs on the board an arduous task. HoCo scored all five of their Game 1 runs in one inning, and both of their Game 2 runs came in the first three innings.

But the Bears found an identity this postseason, and that was a fighting one.

Some of their best baseball came when they were down, and were it not for the sheer will to battle they would not have made it to the semifinals.

“It just felt like we continued to battle,” Hopkins said. “You better kill us, you better bury us, because if you give us anything we’re gonna make our way back. And these guys really bought into, ‘We’re never out of it.’ We’re gonna scratch and claw and it doesn’t matter how we get there, we’re gonna work our tail off and there’s no quitting.”

For a team that was incredibly hard to pin down, even halfway through the season, that personality seems a fitting one. Because even though it was not easy the Bears did nothing but smash expectations all season long.

“[We’re] just blessed to be in the opportunity. A lot of programs hope to get to this point in the season,” Hopkins said. “I don’t even have words to express how far we came [this season].”

“If you’d have told me we’d win region and be right at 30 wins and almost on the same pace we’ve been on for the last few years, I would have never believed it,” he continued. “These guys have far exceeded any expectations I ever had. That’s a testament not only to these kids I have but also just the program in general and the expectations that it sets for itself.”

A program that is due to take more steps forward in the coming years because of this year’s seniors bringing along a big crop of young players.

Kaiden Harvey, Jahkai Wilson, Jett Waller, George Bassett and the other underclassmen have yet to see their best days as Bears. The work of the Class of 2026 will not go unnoticed, especially not by Hopkins.

“They’re just quality humans,” Hopkins said. “They’re all great kids, they have great grades. They work hard on and off the field and they’ve invested a lot in these other kids around them. I just can’t say enough about the job they’ve done of growing the program.”

UP NEXT

Pope advances to the state championship to play Loganville on May 25.

HoCo finishes their season with a 28-10 overall record, a 12-3 Region 2-5A record and championship and a semifinals appearance.