The story that I find unique in all these years here is one that took place on a Friday night, March 2, 2018. Like all those other stories above, this, too, happened on the road. When you leave your home area, you really aren't in control of what happens to you or your story.
This night, though, was different. Palatka High School's boys basketball team, coached by Bryant Oxendine and winners of the Region 2-6A championship the year before and running through an amazing 27-2 season, was looking to repeat that regional title on the road against 27-3 New Port Richey Ridgewood.
On the outside, you might think it's a terrific matchup between two great opponents.
But there was more to this night. In November 2017, the Pasco County school board had voted to end Ridtgewood High and turn it into a technical school and the students there would go to either Gulf High or Fivay High the following year.
It was no secret that night to Oxendine or his players who the villain was in what would be the last high school basketball game hosted in that Ridgewood gym.
"I had read about it before we went down there," Oxendine said recently. "It did overwhelm me a l ittle bit, thinking in my mind this would be that team's last game on that court. I know I didn't want my kids to focus on that."
The problem was it was a 2-hour, 45-minute trip to Ridgewood for Oxendine and his team. And he made it clear on the trip: No basketball talk. He even said he made up something he was mad about so his players wouldn't be thinking about the sentimental part of this very different game.
"We get there and already, it's getting full," Oxendine said of the crowd. "I think they had the students wearing white shirts to have a white-out night. We go into our locker room and I'm thinking, 'Let's see how they respond to this.'"
When I walked into the gym for my one and only time in my career that night, it was a growing madhouse. Ridgewood was trying to make it to Lakeland for the 6A Final Four and many, many students were filling into this nice-sized gymnasium. By estimate, there was easily over 1,000 fans at this game.
You would think the Panthers players -- even with that 27-2 record -- would be a little intimidated by it.
You would be right. Palatka was dominated in rebounds, 11-2, and was fortunate to be down 15-10 at the end of the first quarter because the Panthers forced the Rams into eight turnovers.
Center Mitchell McKinnon's three-point play capped a 6-0 run and gave the Panthers a 16-15 lead. The lead would change hands five times in the quarter before the Rams went in with a 25-24 lead.
"I knew we had not played our best half of basketball," Oxendine said. "But I knew we were defending well. We were in this game."
Oxendine also reminded his players of something that rang true the entire season: They were a third-quarter team. And with that shot of enthusiasm -- and a Ridgewood-dominated fan base continuing to yell everytime the Panthers had the ball -- Palatka went on a 9-3 run to start the quarter, taking a 33-28 lead.
Ridgewood did not back down and went on a 5-0 run to tie it at 33-all. The Panthers answered back with another strong run of 8-4 and held a 41-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Two things started to tell the tale down the stretch: A technical foul against Ridgewood's Will Dawson was called.
"Wesley Roberts was asking me who was going to take the techncal foul free throws and my coaches were asking if Chamar (point guard Dumas) or Malik (forward Beauford) would take the free throws and I said to them at that point, 'Let Wesley take them.' And he hit both free throws as part of a 13-point night."
The other thing was how ragged Ridgewood players looked after chasing around the Panthers all evening.
"I saw (Ridgewood) fade and get tired and our guys were not tired," Oxendine said. "By the fourth quarter, we were running them out of their shoes and there were two or three guys on their team that had their heads looking down and someone in the crowd said, 'They're tired.' I could see that and it's something I'll always remember."
But the Panthers player who had the biggest impact on this night was Dumas, the four-year varsity senior who Oxendine said played the best game of his career, scoring a team-high 16 points with seven assists, six rebounds and a steal. Throughout the game, Dumas put his team on his back and eventually guided it to the 64-51 triumph that led to a second straight Final Four appearance, the first time a county boys basketball team had done that in 54 years.
"It was the best game he ever had," Oxendine said of Dumas. "He didn't score a lot of points, but he defended well, he got to the (basket) and he set the tone for us in what was a college basketball atmosphere. He took charge of our team."
At the final buzzer, those who made the long trek from Palatka to Ridgewood were dancing and celebrating the triumph. And those who came to cheer the home team on in what was the last game in that gymnasium left broken-hearted, some even teary-eyed. After 40 years as a program, it was over.
Even Ridgewood head coach Derek Delgado had to hold back tears talking to media members after the game.
"This program had never been to a Final Four before and we really wanted it," Delgado said after the game. "We were so close."
They were until Palatka tired the Rams out down the stretch. And after Oxendine celebrated this title with his team in the opposing locker room afterward, telling them to enjoy this win until midnight, he had to leave the gym that just hosted its last basketball game ever.
"You see all these people coming up to you and congratulating you as you are walking toward the bus and then you get on and you sit and you realize those guys are never going to see their team play again," said Oxendine, who begins a new coaching venture with Interlachen Junior-Senior High this winter. "That's where it hit me. We were a footnote in history as the last team to play (Ridgewood). That's a huge thing to me."
Palatka's bus was heading home, and my car was desperately searching for a fast-food restaurant opened after 11 p.m. to write the story and send to Andy. Thankfully, US-19 was not far from the high school. But it became increasingly difficult to find a restaurant that was open that late, and also had a plug outlet. More and more fast-food places don't provide plug outlets anymore.
Three restraurants had Wi-fi, but not the outlet. If desperate, there was always a hotel to find, but it didn't have food like I was needing at this time.
Finally, I found a McDonald's somewhere between New Port Richey and Holiday. It had an outlet. No one was occupying the seat. So I brought my laptop and paperwork from the game in to type. It's 11:20 p.m. and my deadline is just before 1 a.m.
I order something to eat. Then I get going on the story after reviewing the notes from the game. I get the story written and sent to Andy by 12:20 a.m.
But I had more to do. Interlachen's track and field team was at a meet at Jacksonville Wolfson that night and coach Gerald Swayze was nice enough to get me the information I needed to write a story. So after toggling between the email he sent and the story I was writing through email, it took another 20 minutes to get that done.
By 12:45 a.m., I was done. I had my last bites of food and was reminded that the restaurant was closing at 1 a.m.
"Thank you so very much for helping me out," I told the manager. By 12:55 a.m., I was on my way back home taking the long route: US-19 to SR-44 in Crystal River, then up CR-491 into Marion County and onto SR-200, which got me to I-75, then US-301 and eventually SR-20 for the final 26 miles home.
By the time I reached my front door, it was just about 4:15 in the morning.
It was a long night, but a very enjoyable night.
I saw the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.
And the end of a high school program.
