STATE FINALS: Bluff hoping experience can carry them to 3A title

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Unfortunately for KT Thompson, last year’s rough finish is a memory he has not been able to shake. 

“That was tough being swept out in the finals because we had a really good team,” the Cherokee Bluff senior outfielder and Georgia Southern signee recalled of their loss to Starr’s Mill in the Class 4A championship series in Rome. “I think it’s something all the seniors and the other guys that were on the team have not forgotten.”

You don’t often get a chance at redemption. But the Bears will get an opportunity to record over that memory on Tuesday when they return to the state finals in Rome, this time in Class 3A. 

Bluff will take on Troup in a best-of-three series at AdventHealth Stadium beginning with a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be at noon on Wednesday.

But Thompson also knows why he feels this second time around will be much different.

“Last year, I think we were excited just to be there. It was the first time for all of us and the program, so I’m not sure we completely understood everything about that,” Thompson said. “This year, we don't just want to be there. We want to win this thing.

“The guys that were on that team and in the dugout, we remember what it felt like after that game. We're going to go into it with a different perspective this year.”

Senior pitcher Tucker Holton, who started strong in that opening game last year only to end up on the losing end of an 11-1 loss, said he also has noticed a change.

“It feels different this time because we know what to expect. We’re pretty loose right now,” Holton said before practice on Friday. “Like KT said, I just think going into last year, we were just excited to be there. Now we have that experience of being there before.”

Junior third baseman Bubba Coleman, who is having a monster season, was asked if nerves on a young core of players were a factor in that 2024 finals series. He also expects a vastly different vibe this time around.

“I wouldn't say we were nervous last year, but we didn't really know what to expect,” Coleman said. “This year, with the seniors we have and a couple of others that played last year, we know what to expect and what it takes.”

Bluff coach Jeremy Kemp, who is leading his third team into a championship series, needed just one word to sum up why he also thinks 2025 could be different.

“Mature. We're a much more mature team this year,” Kemp said.

It’s an intangible that he says he has never had the luxury of with his first finals team at Gainesville (2015) and last season’s collection of Bears.

“This is the first time we've rolled (into the finals) with, you know, an older, mature team that's been there before,” he said. “Hopefully, having that experience will help us out.”

Both Bluff (27-12) and Troup (30-8) rolled through the first three rounds of the playoffs with dominating sweeps. But both were pushed to a third game in the semifinals before advancing.

Both teams also have more in common than just that. 

The Bears opened the season as the preseason No. 1 in the Coaches Box poll in Class 3A, but a 4-8 start while both Thompson and Holton were rehabbing injuries knocked them out of the top 10 and brought more questions than answers. The Tigers began the season 4-5 after back-to-back losses to Carrollton and Prince Avenue Christian in late February.

If you had made some early bets on either of them being the last two teams standing in Class 3A in late February, you probably had already torn up the ticket by March. Senior pitcher Gabe Gowder, looked at to be the No. 1 guy with Holton out, admitted there were a few doubts.

“At the beginning of the year, with the injuries and then the bad start, I mean, everybody had question marks,” Gowder said. “I didn't throw good at the beginning of the year. We weren’t real sure we’d be where we are right now.

“But we got KT back, and Tucker got in a few games, so we just kept battling. This team has put something really special together in the playoffs.”

When region play began, things turned around for both teams. Bluff has gone 23-8 since then while Troup went 26-3 the rest of the way. The Bears only lost back-to-back games one time over that span (to Oconee County) while the Tigers have not lost two in a row over their last 29 games.

Kemp has always stressed that pitching and defense are what win championships. Gowder, who set the program’s all-time wins record (26) this season, and Landon Kemp have been superb atop the playoff rotation. They didn’t need a Game 3 starter until the semifinals, when Horton was called upon for his first start since last year’s championship series.

“Gabe has been Mr. Consistent all year long,” Coach Kemp said. “No matter if he has his best stuff, he's going to go out there and battle and give you a quality start. Landon has been steady all season as well. 

“And Tucker threw great for how big a moment it was, and not having thrown that much in a game all year. But we all believed in Tucker, so I’m not that surprised.”

But it’s hard to overlook the Bears' offense as to what has driven the Bluff bus to Rome. Bluff has scored 322 runs (8.25 runs/game) while batting .326 as a team. They have pounded opposing pitching for 309 hits to go with 205 walks and another 51 hit batters for an eye-popping 14.48 baserunners a game, or over 2 baserunners PER INNING on the season.

And did we mention that the Bears have smacked 34 home runs, 6 triples, and 71 doubles on the season. And it’s not just the seniors doing damage.

Sophomore first baseman Bryce Fontenot is having a huge season (.371, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 21 of 36 hits for extra bases), as is Coleman (.425, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 14 2B, 23 of 48 hits for XB). Ethan England leads the team in RBI (47) and is hitting .402 on the season.

Gowder says his objective is to get off the mound as quickly as he can so he can watch the fireworks.

“It's so fun watching our offense work. I mean, the last couple of weeks, we've exploded. It’s been unreal,” said Gowder, who is 13-1 on the season, with a huge smile on his face. “I wouldn't have 13 wins without them, that's for sure. On Tuesday in Peach County, I was kind of down in the dugout in the fifth because some stuff didn't go my way.

“But there's the offense again, picking me right back up and saying, ‘I have your back.’ That's what they've been doing all year long.”

With AdventHealth Stadium being a much bigger, professional ballpark than they are used to, Kemp said they will have to entertain different strategies.

“It’s a completely different game when you're playing in a minor league ballpark. The home runs are kind of a non-factor,” he said. “You've got to kind of change your approach a little bit as a coach. We like to run too, and we're a really good bunting team too. We're going to do whatever we feel like we gotta do to win.”

Thompson said it’s time for the seniors to lead them home.

“We had to step up and take on another role this year, and we were ready for that. We just had to lead some of these younger guys in the right direction,” Thompson said. “We've been doing that all year. I feel we're in a really good spot right now.

“We’re ready to go make some history on Tuesday.”