WHAT WOULD ELKMONT DO WITHOUT THE CREW?

A line of teenagers in blue body paint block the entrance onto the court inside Wallace State’s gym. Just down the hall, another group of red-clad fans celebrate outside their team’s locker room.

This same scenario happened over and over again every day last week at the Northwest Regional Tournament. As one group of fans pours into the coliseum to watch their respective team play, another group is shuffled out the other side.

To a sports writer sitting courtside, it is quite the spectacle. Whether they are decked out in black, blue, green or red, each group of fans bring something unique and is equally fun to watch.

With each new group that enters the gym, a new wave of excitement can be seen on their faces and heard in their voices. Some bring clever signs that float around the student section while others hold oversized cutout faces of their favorite players.

Some of the larger schools bring crowds that stretch to the roof of the gym, but it’s the smaller schools that interest me. Schools like Elkmont, where fans made the trip to regionals for only the third time in school history.

These are the fans that truly savor the experience. Unlike the Lee’s and Butler’s of the world that consistently make the trip to Hanceville every year, schools like Elkmont bring their whole community.

Trailing by as many as 16 points during Thursday’s 
semifinal game against Holly Pond, Elkmont’s student section never lost faith in their team. With every point that brought Elkmont back into the game, the Red Devil’s fans grew louder.

When Elkmont finally took a commanding lead in overtime, senior forward Dan Logan walked toward the Elkmont student sections to fire up an already ecstatic crowd. Logan said it best after the game when asked when he knew the team had won.

“When we got up five and our crowd went crazy, the doubt was gone,” Logan said. “I knew we would win.”

Like so many other teams at the tournament, Elkmont experienced both ends of the spectrum in an emotional roller coaster ride. As euphoric as students were in Thursday’s win, they were despondent after Saturday’s loss to Carbon Hill.

Elkmont is just one of many communities across Alabama that experience the highs and lows at the regional tournaments every year. Just like fans from Athens, Tanner and West Limestone, Elkmont’s journey was bittersweet.

Whether they were clad in all white in support of Golden Eagles or painted blue to cheer for West, Limestone County was well represented last week. And even though Limestone teams were shut out of state, the Elkmont community will always remember when their team won its first game at Wallace State.


Nice article in New Courier by Jonathan Deal


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