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The Harris County softball team had reached the state semifinals in each of the past two seasons, but the Tigers lost both times to the Northside Patriots, their Columbus-area rival, who went on to win those two straight championships.

Saturday, with former Northside head coach Brandon Jenkins now guiding Harris County, the Tigers completed their climb to the top. They beat Eastside-Covington 8-0 in the final round of the Georgia High School Association Class AAAA state tournament at South Commons in Columbus.

It is the HCHS softball program’s second state title. The Tigers won the Class AAA championship in 2000.

Harris County junior Riley Huckaby pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits and no walks with three strikeouts. The starting lineup’s only two seniors, shortstop Lani Dansby and third baseman Linsley Brown, sparked the offense.

Dansby, who will play in college for Georgia Southwestern, hit a lead-off home run and followed with another homer in the second inning. She finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Brown, who will play in college for North Georgia, went 3-for-3 with a double and RBI.

“It was just a really good day,” Huckaby told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s really exciting. I’m really glad that we finally won. I think everything clicked together, and we just all really played as a team.”

Huckaby noted the support she received from her teammates helped her relax and focus on her pitching.

“I just felt like, with the runs we were able to produce, we were in a good spot, as long as I did my job on the mound,” she said. “I’m really proud of our defense. I didn’t strike out too many batters, but every time the ball was in play, I just knew that I was going to get the help I needed.”

Reflecting on what enabled these Tigers to break through this year after getting so close to the title the previous two seasons, Huckaby said, “I think we all just kind of jelled together more as a team, honestly, and we just trusted the whole process, and we all bought into everything that we were taught.”

Jenkins taught the Tigers “a bunch of new drills” and “noticed who needed to be where,” Huckaby said. But the ability to finally prevail over Northside in the state tournament perhaps was boosted by losing to the Patriots in the regular season.

After edging the Patriots 7-6 at home Aug. 15, the Tigers lost 5-1 at Northside on Sept. 19.

However, instead of chewing out the players, Jenkins compassionately told them they didn’t play well but he still loves them and wouldn’t want to coach anybody else.

“It was a pretty big turning point,” Huckaby said. “We all kind of thought we were going to get yelled at. But when he said that, we were all like it’s just nice to know that he wasn’t mad at us and he didn’t regret his decision. … That kind of brought us closer together.”

The Tigers (34-3) went undefeated through this double-elimination tournament featuring eight Class AAAA teams. They beat Ola 3-2 Wednesday, Eastside 7-4 Thursday and Northside 9-0 Friday.

Jenkins told the Ledger-Enquirer he appreciates his assistant coaches, who also were new to the program, and the players for “buying into everything we were teaching them. For everything to come full circle, it’s pretty awesome.”

Before the tournament, Jenkins reminded the players they had put in the hard work, starting with offseason workouts in January, to prepare and deserve this chance for a state championship.

Then he told them, “Everybody at this level in the Elite Eight is talented and good enough to win. So it comes down to who wants it more.”

Jenkins acknowledged his sometimes-loud and aggressive coaching style would have been a “huge adjustment” for the players. That’s why he toned down his approach early in the season — especially after the loss to Northside.

“You have to earn their trust as a coach,” he said. “Once you get that trust, they’ll do anything for you. … These girls, they’ll run through a wall for you now.”

Harris County athletics director Mindy Johnson described the impact Jenkins has made on the HCHS softball program since he left Northside after three state titles in 11 seasons with the Patriots.

“His coaching experience is second to none,” Johnson told the Ledger-Enquirer in a text message. “He has the ability to be very strategic in all of his coaching decisions. He has assembled a top-notch coaching staff and has the ability to trust their coaching decisions and build them up.”

Johnson also is impressed with the player development under Jenkins’ tutelage.

“Not only does he develop the player but the individual student-athlete and teaches them through softball the game of life,” she said. “Coach Jenkins also faces issues head on. He has established a strong and steady atmosphere and has built the beginnings of a team culture that is sure to continue year to year. He has led us extremely well to a state championship, and I could not be more proud.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2024, 5:25 PM.

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Ledger-Enquirer staff writer Mark Rice covers education and other issues related to youth. He also writes feature stories about any compelling topic. He has been reporting in Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley for more than a quarter-century. He welcomes your local news tips and questions.

Former President Bill Clinton criticized conspiracy theories about Hurricane Helene and attacks against President Joe Biden’s immigration policy during a campaign event in Columbus Monday.

Clinton’s visit to campaign field office in Columbus was among a series of stops in Georgia he’s made over the last few days, including a trip to the state fair in Perry.

The former president’s visit shows how important Georgia is as a battleground state in this election, Jason Esteves, Georgia State senator and owner of the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Columbus, told the Ledger-Enquirer

“The ultimate goal is to send the message that this is all gas, no brakes,” Esteves told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Between now and Election Day, we have to do everything we can to turn out the vote.”

Angela Fontain, a 30-year resident of Columbus, is a volunteer who attended the event to encourage others to vote.

“We as parents, grandparents, aunties and relatives have to show our young people how important it is to vote,” Fontain said.

Clinton echoed how important winning Georgia would be for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as she seeks to beat former President Donald Trump. Clinton said there are seven states that are “too close to call” and urged voters to understand how important turnout is.

“You have to realize it is literally possible that the whole election could be decided here,” Clinton told the supporters.

Early voting starts Tuesday in Georgia, and the last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25.

Veronica Hall, a Columbus resident and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, attended the event with other UFCW members to see Clinton and to show support for turning out the vote.

“We need a pro-choice, woman candidate who’s going to support workers,” Hall told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Barrell Floyd, a 20-year Army veteran, attended the speech wearing a Bronze Star hat that caught the former president’s attention.Clinton pointed out the high number of military veterans in Columbus and criticized how some voting policies could have a disproportionate effect on minority communities, which in turn affects minority veterans.

“You’ve got too many military veterans who’ve paid too high a price and served this country to turn around and be discriminated against in access to the polls,” Clinton said.

Georgia’s election laws have faced scrutiny this year amid changes made by the state election board. Among those changes is a hand-counting ballot rule, which prompted a lawsuit by the Muscogee County elections board.

“Veterans are going to go out and vote,” Floyd told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Floyd’s biggest concern heading into the election is the state of the economy, he said.

The economy was also a concern for Columbus resident Brian Jenkins. But while conservative officials are talking often about the economy, they aren’t listening to their constituents on issues like immigration and abortion, Jenkins said, which is a bigger concern for him in this election.

Abortion has been a prominent topic in Georgia since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Georgia’s Supreme Court reinstated a six-week abortion ban last week while it reviews an appeal of a lower court ruling striking the law down.

Jenkins also said he’s alarmed by Project 2025, a set of policy initiatives laid out by people close to Trump’s administration which would significantly change how the executive branch operates.

“That is a dictatorship,” Jenkins said.

While Harris’ campaign has repeatedly criticized Trump over Project 2025, Trump has distanced himself from it. But Clinton attacked Trump in his speech because some of its writers were affiliated with Trump’s administration.

Along with encouraging voter turnout, Clinton addressed recent conspiracy theories and false claims about people modifying the weather which began spreading in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“I love being in politics,” Clinton said. “And I love public service. But if I had had the power to change the weather, I would have been in a different line of work.”

Clinton also attacked Trump over his party blocking an immigration bill earlier this year, accusing the other former president of wanting to use the issue for his campaign.

The compromise for immigration was to allow fewer migrants into the country, Clinton said, while providing more resources to ensure families can stay together. With the country having a lower birth rate, he said, more immigrants are needed to ensure the economy can keep growing, he said.

“I don’t think Americans are anti-immigration,” Clinton said. “I think they’re anti-chaos.”

Clinton hopes a Harris win would reduce division in the U.S.

“A new way forward is that we’re going to have more us and fewer them,” he said. “This ‘us and them’ thing is eating us alive.”

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October 11, 2024 11:58 AM

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A historic rivalry between two college football programs has returned to Columbus in time to celebrate its 85th anniversary.

The 85th Annual Tuskegee vs. Morehouse Football Classic is set to kickoff Saturday at 2 p.m. at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus. Other popular events associated with the game, including tailgating at South Commons next to the stadium and a parade before the game, have also returned.

“We’re back at home, we’re back at home,” said Tuskegee head football coach Aaron James, “So it’s been a long time, a long time coming.”

James was among several speakers at a luncheon Wednesday afternoon at the Columbus Civic Center hosted by the event’s organizing committee for the media, and area football coaches and players.

The game was a mainstay in the Chattahoochee Valley through the 2019 game, before moving to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2021-2023 games.

The main purpose of the Tuskegee-Morehouse Football Classic is to raise money for scholarships to help young men and women go to college, according to the event’s website.

Classic Chairperson Lisa Goodwin is asking the community to support the schools and help raise the game’s profile by purchasing a ticket, and attending the game in person.

“The one thing that we have got to do is fill the stands,” Goodwin said. “And that’s not just from our universities, but from the community, the surrounding community.”

Goodwin said there’s an important change for tailgating this year: there’s a $5 entry fee to access the tailgating area, unless you have a game ticket, a classic pass or paid parking. Youth K-12 receive free entry, according to a banner at the main entrance of the Columbus Civic Center.

“That’s going to help offset some of things we need to do in order to send scholarship money to these schools,” Goodwin said.

Also returning is the 85th Annual Classic Parade. The Parade will begin at 9 a.m. in Phenix City at the corner of Broad and Dillingham streets, go north on Broad to 13th Street, cross the 13th Street bridge into Columbus, and then proceed down Broadway where it will finish at 9th Street.

More information is available on tusgekeemorehouse.com.

This story was originally published October 3, 2024, 1:42 PM.