One Last Penny

Indulge me for a moment while I tell you a story. 

A story that I am sure many versions of the same wish and hope exist across my small-town community. Mine began in 1995 and with what I can only explain as indoctrination. Indoctrination can be a bad word nowadays, but it was good as it developed pride, community, and a drive. I began school at Good Hope Elementary in 1995, where my two older brothers attended as a fifth-grader and junior. (It was a mercy of God to space out the Junkin children so teachers could have a significant break between us.) I fell in love with Good Hope and the Raider pride promoted throughout the school. I loved going to my brothers' games and cheering for them. I remember my brother Scott playing basketball at Wallace (well, at least warming up before the game 😉). It was the first time I had stepped into Wallace's basketball colosseum and saw the sea of multi-colored stadium seats. Pride always welled up in me when cheering for the Raiders, especially if one of my big brothers was a part of that endeavor. Fast-forward with me to my second-grade year. My oldest brother was then at Mississippi State, and my other was a middle schooler. I was on my own in elementary and making my Raider pride my own. This was the 1997 Good Hope Football Season. To refresh the collective memory, I found the statistics online to support my memories. The Good Hope football team finished the season 13-1 in the state semi-final game against Colbert County. This season stands out in my memory as the moment that created a deep and profound desire in me. As a seven-year-old, I was in awe of the transformation my school made to support the Raiders. Much like we have seen recently, the lunchroom ladies went all out. I can still see the many red streamers and banners that covered the lunchroom, encouraging the football team to win a state championship. State Championship... this was a new idea to me. (Although it should not have been, as my brother, Scott, had won a state championship for the Math Team the year prior. But sorry, Scott, Math cyphering does not illicit the same form of school spirit) This idea grew in me as the school collectively cheered for the Raider football team driving towards a state title. In the late '90s, any good shopping trip consisted of a visit to The Decatur Mall, Century Plaza Mall, or, if you were really lucky, The Galleria. These pinnacles of shopping had one thing in common for me, a water fountain feature. I looked forward to visiting the water fountain upon any trip, throwing in the penny my dad would give me, and making a wish. I can specifically remember throwing a penny into a fountain in 1997 and wishing that the Good Hope Raiders would win a state championship. The state semi-final game was played on December 5, 1997 (according to my research), and we could not attend, but I vividly remember listening to the game on the radio. I remember us falling to Colbert County (research indicated the score was 25-27) and immediately thinking I should have thrown something more than a penny; I should have wished harder on that penny. There was heartbreak for this little second-grader with zero skin in the game. My only knowledge of the players then was that the quarterback was my brother Scott's best friend's  (Alan Scott) younger cousin, Josh Bates. And so developed a wish for a little girl on a football team that seemingly had nothing to do with her other than representing her future high school. From that moment in 1997 forward, every coin I have thrown into a fountain in every place I have been was thrown in with the wish of Good Hope winning a state championship. The fire grew over the years for me. I recall the record of the 1997 team being painted onto the side of the field house with the words, they drew the line, we crossed it. I was inspired; I was driven. 

I remember several attempts by Good Hope to reach that all-important goal of a state championship in several sports. I remember the years of hearing about Nic Gragg and his incredible basketball skills. I remember the seasons my brother Colby played Varsity football, always making it to the state playoffs. I always went to these games with my dad, even when it was sub-zero temperatures and we stood in the stands in sleeping bags to stay warm (a Marlboro sleeping bag my parents got a yard sale that I worked hard to scrape the Marlboro logos off of). I remember the three years in a row falling to Plainview in the playoffs. I remember Rocky Montgomery's, practically a brother now, last game and watching my tearful brother hug him in the parking lot while my dad and Waymon chatted about the calls during the game. I remember my brother Colby's last game, tearful and upset to not get to play for the Raiders ever again. I remember wanting to hug him, but he did not hug me up at the field house where everyone was coming out to greet their waiting families. But later, he came to our vehicle to get something from our parents; I was sobbing in heartbreak for my brother and another state championship dream unrealized. My mother must have prompted my brother to hug me in the parking lot because I remember that smelly, sweaty hug from my brother in 2002 after his last game; he may not realize it, but that hug meant a lot to his twelve-year-old sister. My heart was always on the field when my brothers were playing, and I always wanted the best for them, even if we all argued like cats and dogs. I was their overly emotional sister who cried way too much. I wanted everything for my brothers, and I wanted everything for my school because, as a kid, I could see how amazing my brothers and my school were, even if no one else could see it. Colby graduated in 2003 and left me the oldest Junkin remaining at Good Hope, with my little brother John three grades behind me. 

Finally, it was my turn, and my drive and desire to get Good Hope that all-important state championship grew every year. I played a little softball and volleyball, but my true love always was basketball. From fourth grade on, basketball was it for me. My youth coaches, Terry Speegle and Jeff Yarbrough, instilled a love for the game deep in my conscience. I was not good, especially as a youth player. This was long before the days of travel basketball as the norm, so you got your November-February season and then had to wait until the next year. It did not stop me from being in the yard with my little brother John, practicing for hours. We would lower the goal and fight over who got to pretend they were Michael Jordan. I remember John and I counting down the final seconds of the imaginary state championship game to see if we could make the game-winning shot. I learned the basics in youth ball; I recall the first time I learned what it meant to stall. I remember becoming infuriated at the famous Cullman County referee Ron Hayes when he taught the tactic to Fairview during a game, and they beat us. This was my first introduction to rivalries. Rivalries are essential to a good athlete; it's not hatred. It's respect for each other's skills. If I knew you by name, you were good and someone to be dealt with. I remember vividly my first-ever County Championship game in sixth grade. I remember moving into middle school ball, where Coach Amanda Swann pushed me like I had never been pushed before. Coach Swann did a lot for me in developing drive, even if she lovingly referred to me as 'Butterfingers' due to my lack of holding on to the ball well. But Coach Swann was a former Lady Raider, someone with the same drive to win that was deep like mine, and I hung on to every word she said as she coached me from seventh through ninth grade. Basketball was not natural to me, anything athletic was not natural to me, and my coordination skills left something to be desired. But I made up for what I did not have in natural ability in heart and drive. I assure you that no one wanted to win more than I did. 

Good Hope is a community you return to when you finish your run and work to bring the ones still fighting for the goal up to a higher level. Savanah Calvert was one of these former Lady Raiders who impacted me greatly. Once I moved into junior varsity and varsity basketball, Coach Oldacre would wisely bring former Lady Raiders back to train and push us to the next level. Savanah became my mentor, both in basketball and life. I could tell her anything, and she would listen and encourage me. I know she knew I was not anywhere on her level; she played at Wallace State after graduation, but she took me under her wing and taught me skills as a post player, developing me into a halfway decent player. She taught me a power-dribble and pump fake that afforded me success under the basket I had rarely seen before. To this day, I get excited when I see Savanah, and she says what's going on Junk? Another Lady Raiders great Coach Oldacre brought back to whip us into shape was Mary Lauren Mills, who had played basketball at UNA. Mary Lauren was like a drill sergeant between my sophomore and junior years as we prepared for the upcoming season through summer playdates. I did not know what it truly meant to be in shape until I met Mary Lauren; she ran us further and harder than I had ever run. She had us jumping higher than we had ever jumped before. She is an incredible coach, as evidenced by her success as the head basketball coach for the Holly Pond Broncos. My junior year was the first time I ever got to put that wish of a state championship into reality for myself. We had a small team with eight players that year. But the amount of drive that was in us was hard to match. We beat our long-time rivals and Cullman County greats, Cold Springs, 69-67 in double overtime at home. That game taught me the power of the stands. I recall the entire gymnasium on their feet and the drive to beat Coach Tammy West (a Good Hope great with her own dynasty at Cold Springs), Paige Parker, and Georgia Myrex. For my personal basketball career, that game was my state championship; beating Cold Springs at the peak of Cold Springs's glory days was an amazing feeling.  I won't mention how much they beat us by shortly after for the county championship. That team set the school record for most wins in a season and made a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Our record did not stand long because better players followed not long after, but we were proud of that 23-9 record for a team of eight dedicated players. I remember going to bed at night dreaming of what it would be like to win the state championship, but Lauderdale County ended our drive at Wallace with a 44-69 defeat. I will look back on my junior year of basketball fondly forever.

My senior year was not as polished of a team. But that team knew how to win when it mattered. Nina Mills, aka Coach Moss, was an eighth grader who could play and start with our varsity team that year. Some girls might not want a wormy little eighth grader tagging along with them for their senior year, but I loved Nina. She made my senior year memorable and deepened my love and respect for the game. I had watched her play since she was a little bitty kid, always in her knee pads, handling the ball like a boss. She shared my passion and drive to win; she just had far more talent to accompany her drive. I will always remember riding around in my '96 Camry with her before practices and games, jamming out to Queen (I am a nerd but stand by my pump-up music), and dreaming about winning it all. We finished the season 16-14, but we returned to the sweet sixteen to fall short of Lauderdale County again. Walking into that locker room knowing I would never again play a game of basketball for Good Hope was heartbreaking to know, despite all of my hopes and wishes, I would not be a part of bringing that goal home. I hugged my friends and lifelong teammates, Breana Posey, Samantha Duke, Jessica Raper, and Erica Speegle. We had grown up together, and I will never forget all the memories we made on and off the court playing the game we loved. I remember Nina thanking me for the year, but really, it was her that I should have been thanking; she made my final year of basketball fun. Sheena Nation, a Hanceville girls' basketball great and rival, came into the locker room and gave me some love. That is the beauty of basketball, the mutual love and respect for rivals; she may never know how much that meant to me. That ended my experience at Good Hope (or so I thought) as I graduated in 2008. 

I kept up with Nina and Kayla Elrod's basketball career and occasionally went to a game, but I was wrapped up in myself and wish I could go back and witness more of their amazing seasons at Good Hope. They quickly shattered our 2006-2007 most-wins record, which I was extremely proud to have broken so quickly. In 2012, Nina, Kayla, and the rest of the Lady Raiders traveled to Birmingham to the Final Four. I was twenty-two at the time and working in Birmingham. I argued with my boss all day about leaving early to go to their game and put my job on the line to leave and go watch the Lady Raiders. I arrived at the BJCC and cheered on what I thought was the best team to ever play at Good Hope for the Final Four, and I was heartbroken to see them fall to Andalusia. With that, I started to think maybe all of my pennies tossed with wishes were jinxed, and it was never in the stars for Good Hope to win the coveted state championship. I wanted everyone to see how wonderful my school was; I wanted our community to receive the same respect and adoration as other schools in our county that had achieved the ultimate goal. But I settled back into tossing pennies and hoping for the day my kids went to Good Hope. Some may read this and think, what a has-been? Why do you care so much about a high school? Move on. I did; I love every new opportunity and experience and give it all the drive I can. But you don't turn your back on your home, the place that raised and molded you into who you are. You build on what was before you, appreciate the past, and look to the future. These are characteristics of the people of my hometown, the community of Good Hope. Former Raiders return year after year to support and grow the community and school we all love, whether their kids are there or not. I think of Angela Dooley, always a staple at Raider basketball games when I was in school; I loved to run to her and chat about how it was for her. I picture Denise Schuman at the scorer's table during a basketball game. I hear Mr. Shaddix announcing the Good Hope football games. I think of Coach Rosemary Brown and her volleyball dynasty at Good Hope and see her lending support at every sporting event. These are simply my memories, but I know there are so many that are a constant staple and fixture of our community. 

I missed quite a few years of Good Hope athletics. At the same time, I was busy having babies and dealing with life, all the while tossing pennies and making wishes for my Alma Mater. But in 2019, my son began Good Hope Primary, and so began the first-second generation Junkin (kind of Davis) at Good Hope. I thought I loved Good Hope as a student, but as a parent, the indoctrination deepened. The quality of teachers and administration deepened my love for my home, seeing the incredible education my son and his classmates received. Then I heard about the Lady Raiders, a group of girls not even born or toddlers when I graduated. Everyone was talking about these girls, and a lot of chatter about Jody Maddox's daughter. I did not know Jody Maddox, but I knew who he was because his picture had been immortalized in the Good Hope Gymnasium my entire life as a Good Hope basketball great. Those pictures do not hang anymore, but I can still picture Jody Maddox, Nic Gragg, and Deanna House. The first time I watched these girls play, it was like nothing I had ever seen in girls' basketball. Lights out shooting, incredible teamwork, and an unmatched drive to win. I have been a fan of these girls, rooting for them and tossing pennies for them to be the ones to make the hopes and dreams of our collective community come true. They have faced adversity; they have faced rivals, unlike anything I have ever seen in the Deshler Tigers. Year after year, they come back stronger and more driven to be the best in the state. I have zero skin in the game, but I am on board 110% for this group of Lady Raiders! I am in awe of the level of skill, determination, and teamwork. Teamwork. That is such a simple concept, but too often in sports, it becomes a focus on who can be the hot shot and show out. These girls definitely show out, but it's in the most selfless, awe-inspiring way I have ever witnessed. They support one another; any spectator can see that. They are invested in every team member's success and share the ball and glory in a way few teams ever do. They are scrappy on another level. They want the ball, and if their opponents give them the slightest opportunity, they will steal it and finish it spectacularly. They are also very aware of their community and cognizant of their ability to be role models. I have seen them cheering on the younger Raiders at multiple youth basketball games. Girl moms have told me how they come to practices with the youth-age basketball players. The girls all humored my ten-year-old son during the area tournament by signing the bill of his Milwaukee Bucks hat, now his prized possession. I know they do so much more; these are simply my experiences. My soon to be four-year-old daughter is in awe of Ivey Maddox, their sharing the name Ivey is a huge motivator for my Ivey, but she has taken to playing basketball at home and pretending to be Big Ivey. Ivey Maddox was kind enough to take pictures with my Ivey, and I hope she knows the impact this simple action has had on my Ivey and me as her mama. I will miss seeing Ivey Maddox on the court for Good Hope, watching her drop threes in people's faces regardless of how far out she is. Her rebounding efforts and ability to block shots and passes are incredible. Maybe Coach Scott should have recruited her for blocking field goals. The Tetro Twins are a force to be reckoned with; I have never witnessed two girls more in tune with each other and their teammates. They take the word scrappy to another level and are flat-out thieves when stealing the basketball. Charly is probably my favorite to watch because she is my spirit animal defensively. I pride myself in that defense was the best part of my game, but Charly takes a charge like no other. She is a defensive machine, but give her an inch, and she will drain a shot right in your face. Ava is an incredible athlete; I cannot comprehend how she drives the ball and takes it to the goal. Her skill set was not something I was aware girls were capable of, let alone a Lady Raider. I have to mention my pride in two invaluable members of the team. Lillie McCluskey always comes in and matches the level of the game. She rebounds like a machine, plays defense with intensity, and drains a three like the rest of the team. She also supports and shows up, and I am so grateful for her support of my son Wyatt during his county tournament. Reese Fox is the manager and hype-woman of the Lady Raiders. I have watched her play basketball since she wore the wrong school colors 😉. I am proud of your love for the game and your unwavering support of your team and friends. Lillie and Reese will be missed Lady Raiders as they graduate and move on to new endeavors next year. I have to shout out the amazing coaching job by Coach Aby and Coach Moss that is evident on and off the court. Thank you for the excellent job you are doing. Nina, I grin every time I see you sitting there on that bench coaching our beloved Lady Raiders. There are so many more incredible Lady Raiders on this year's team, and it has been an absolute joy watching them all play over the last few years, especially on this final push and drive towards the State Title tomorrow. The Raider Revenge Tour 2024 has been an experience for not only the Lady Raiders but also for the entire community. I know for myself, and I believe many others, that we are watching this incredibly deserving group of girls live out a lifelong dream. I have zero doubt that tomorrow, the 2023-2024 Good Hope Lady Raiders will walk into Legacy Arena and win the Alabama State Championship for Good Hope, but just in case, I will be sure to toss one last penny into the fountain at the BJCC. Good luck tomorrow, ladies; you have lifted our entire community in the way you play, not just your skill but the integrity with which you play. Let's go, Raiders!