Dallas County will honor champions during first home game

Published 10:45 pm Thursday, September 21, 2017

At halftime during the Dallas County vs. Sumter Central football game in Plantersville, Dallas County High School will honor four of its championship teams as they celebrate their “Night of Champions”.

The 1970 baseball, 1990 football, 2011 softball and 2014 basketball teams will be acknowledged for their state championship seasons, and they will have a section in the stands reserved for them during the football game.

According to cheerleading coach Brittany Easterling, Dallas County wanted to come up with a theme for each of the school’s football games this season.

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Athletic director Willie Moore came up with the “Night of Champions” idea for the first home game of the season.

“He wanted to really emphasize the championships that we had won,” Easterling said.

So far, more than 30 alumni champions have decided to join the festivities and Easterling is expecting more to show up the night of the game.

The 1970 Dallas County baseball team, coached by Earl Griffin, was the first team in school history to win a state title.

The 1990 football team defeated Plainview 40-7 in the championship game. In five playoff games, the 1990 Hornets only allowed 26 points to opposing teams.

Since their state championship, the Hornets have made it to the playoffs 13 times, but only advanced past the first round in 1991 and 2002. The team went 17-3 that season.

The 2011 softball team defeated Cherokee County 5-3 on a two-run home run by Kendall Veach in the top of the eighth.

The team had a 39-5 record, and Moore was the head coach of the championship team.

The 2014 basketball team, also coached by Moore, completed a dramatic comeback with a 51-48 win over J.O. Johnson.

The basketball program had been to the Final Four in 1968, 1971 and 1990, but finally got over the hump in ’14. The team finished the season 24-6.

The Dallas County Hornets (0-3) are looking to turn their season around with this home game.

“Everybody’s excited,” head coach Cliff Matthews said. “We’re just excited getting everybody to the house one good time.”

If a member of the championship team wants to attend the game, they need to RSVP by sending an e-mail  to Mrs. Fancher at fanchers@dallask12.org including their name, sport with year and home address.