COLUMBUS—Columbus South has produced some great basketball teams over the years.
From the '65 state champs, to the team in the 80's that came one win short.
And now a new incarnation of Dawgs ready to take center court.
- Columbus South High School will take on Sheridan tonight in the OHSAA state semifinals
- The Bulldogs last won a state title in 1965
- The players and coaches are bringing new and old life back into the community
"They just excited, like really excited. You get so much negative press about the south side and then when something positive happens like this, the community rallies behind it," said Ramon Spears, Columbus South head coach.
Coach Ramon Spears is also a South alum.
He says this team was special from the start, but had to learn how to put away their egos before they could reach their full potential.
"I knew we would have a good team coming in and I had a vision that we could play to this level, but it all depended on these guys, how they came together as one,” said Spears. “We have a lot of individual players that can score and the main thing was if they were gonna take backseats to each other when someone else is playing really good."
A motto they've bought into and has led them to the Final Four with only one loss to their name—not to mention a regional and city championship.
And now a shot at a state title.
Something that has been years in the making—9 years, in fact, for this group of coaches, all of who have coached together since Spears took over the program.
"Just the community coming out, the support that we've gotten, just to be at any school for 9 years, it's a testament to the great things that have been happening here. I mean I love it," said Demond Powell, Columbus South assistant coach.
Demond Powell is an assistant coach for the Dawgs by night and a school bus driver by day.
He says this team is the talk of the town.
"I hear from drivers to parents, you have people that I haven't heard from in years and they say good job man, I heard you guys are doing a great job...when is the next game, I wanna come out. Starting from having just a few people in the stands to having this whole community back you up," said Powell.
And the players are feeling the love too.
"I've been hearing like, we're really bringing families together, keep everything up, play hard, and just keep putting on for all those that look up to y’all," said Trevell Adams, Columbus South player.
"It's overwhelming because of all the alumni that come to this school," said Marcus Johnson, Columbus South player.
There's one alum in particular who has waited 54 years to see her alma mater win another basketball state title.
"Every game...every game...We made bags of confetti...we had a paper cutter," said Brenda Willhite, 1965 Columbus South student.
Willhite was in the 10th grade at South in 1965, when the Dawgs won their first state championship.
She remembers the excitement pouring through the halls after the win.
"It was huge for the school, huge for the school," said Willhite.
She just hopes this time the margin is a little wider.
"The South won by 1 point in 1965," said Willhite.
And while the Schott is sure to be packed with old and new South fans alike, Coach Spears believes this team’s reach goes beyond their stomping grounds.
"I think it's more than just the south side now,” said Spears. “I think it's Columbus Public Schools, because when you get to this and it's just one school left, and it's a city school, everyone rallies behind it."
Columbus South will play Sheridan tonight at 6 p.m. in the state semifinals at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
The winner will advance to the Division II championship game this Saturday.
Spectrum news 1 will present live coverage of all of Saturday's championship games starting at 10:30 a.m.