The last time Ringgold and Columbus met in the GHSA baseball playoffs, the current crop of athletes at both schools would have been breaking in their first gloves.
There's little doubt, though, that by the time the first pitch is thrown in Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader start to a Class AAA best-of-three quarterfinal series on Ringgold's Bill Womack Field, they will have been given a history lesson.
Make that a painful history lesson, at least for the Tigers.
"Well, it was some good baseball, and for Ringgold folks, it's good and bad memories," said David Crownover, a longtime assistant coach and the father of Matthew Crownover, a star pitcher for the Tigers back then.
"The first thing I think about is missed opportunities. They probably had the best run of kids they've ever had, and we probably did, too. If they hadn't been around, we might have won three championships, but ifs and buts, right?"
Three consecutive times the Tigers and Blue Devils met, beginning in 2010. Three times Ringgold left with series losses — twice in the championship round. For a program that has come close several times to winning a state title, those three series were pure heartbreak.
And to make matters worse, teams that were fundamentally sound during the rest of the season suddenly self-destructed in each of the critical games. As former Ringgold coach Brent Tucker said after being swept at home in the 2012 title series, "I believe we wanted it too much."
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Ringgold baseball coach Drew Walker congratulates Cade Tankersley after he hit a home run during the first inning of a game against visiting Adairsville on April 4. Top-ranked Ringgold is set to host old nemesis Columbus in the GHSA Class AAA semifinals, with the best-of-three series beginning with a doubleheader Saturday.When the teams first met in 2010, they were full of young stars who would become quite familiar with each other.
Columbus featured sophomores Kyle Carter and J.T. Phillips, who were members of the city's Little League World Series championship team in 2006. Carter gained nationwide fame as the only pitcher to win four LLWS games. The two would go on to play at the University of Georgia, but not before gaining major villain status in Ringgold.
The Tigers countered with Crownover, a sophomore who was already ranked among the nation's top left-handed pitching prospects, and flame-throwing junior right-hander Colton Cross.
The first matchup, set for Columbus, was delayed by rain and eventually moved to Columbus State University. Crownover and Carter hooked up in a memorable game one, with Carter winning a 2-1 duel. In what would become a theme, Ringgold led 5-3 in game two when Cross began cramping due to dehydration in the sweltering 95-degree heat and had to be replaced. The Tigers, who were charged with six errors, were sent home after losing 13-6.
The two met in the second round the following year, though both were ranked in the top five in the classification. Crownover this time outpitched Carter with a three-hit, 12-strikeout gem in which he also hit a two-run homer off his nemesis in an 8-3 Ringgold win.
The Tigers were set for a sweep, leading 8-3 in game two when the wheels came off. Three errors and numerous walks sparked a Blue Devils rally in a 9-8 win for Columbus. In game three the next day, Carter nearly beat the Tigers himself with three home runs in a 7-3 victory for the Blue Devils.
Many, including David Crownover, believe that was Ringgold's best team.
"We've had some great teams here, but that team had 11 players go on to play college ball, nine of them big-time college ball," he said. "Columbus was great, though. You may not like Columbus and you may not like Kyle Carter, but you had to respect the way they played."
In 2012, Ringgold finally got the chance to host the Blue Devils, and it came just days after the Tigers had eliminated another state power, nationally ranked Gainesville, which entered the semifinals undefeated.
The title series showed off Ringgold's rebuilt stadium, which had been ripped apart during the previous year's April tornado outbreak. Fans were squeezed into every inch of viewing space, and emotions were high.
After Carter was hit on the game's first pitch, a fight broke out in the stands. The visitors used that emotion to win 6-3 despite Ringgold ace Corey Kafka (Crownover was recovering after Tommy John surgery) allowing only five singles.
The Tigers made three errors that day, then committed four more in an 11-1 defeat in game two as the Blue Devils played errorless ball.
Can the current group of Tigers, now ranked No. 1 in the state, do as David Crownover suggests and "exorcise the ghosts?"
"This is a different Columbus team and a different Ringgold team," said current Ringgold coach Drew Walker, who was a star for the Tigers up until 2008. "They are different teams, but the guys know about the history. Our last two finals were against that program, and now we have to beat them to keep our dream alive this year.
"Both programs have great tradition, and we're both very talented again this year. What more could you ask for?"
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.