Lanier High Baseball: Recaps: Head Coach, John White gets win 300th win
Bulldogs head coach, John White reached the 300th win mark on Tueday, April 5th, with a 6-5 win over Clinch County. It was a very good win coming against Clinch, as Coach White evened his coaching record against the Panthers. FORMER PANTHER HEAD COACH, CECIL BARBER AND I HAD SOME BATTLES. BACK IN 1986, COACH JOHN WHITE MADE HIS COACHING DEBUT AT HIS ALMA MATER OF LANIER COUNTY. WHITE LED THE BULLDOGS TO A 68-25 MARK IN HIS FIRST FOUR YEARS AS A HEAD COACH. IN 1990, HE WENT TO LEAD AAA APPLING COUNTY, WHERE HE LED THE PIRATES TO THEIR BEST FINISH EVER IN 1991. IN 1993, HE WENT TO ATKINSON COUNTY DUE TO COACH LLOYD MCCDONALD AND STARTED A BASEBALL POWERHOUSE THAT DOMINATED SOUTH GEORGIA FOR FIVE YEARS AS HE MOUNTED A 123-29 RECORD AND FIVE STRAIGHT PLAYOFF APPEARANCES WITH THE HIGHLIGHT BEING 1997 WHEN THE REBELS WON 26 GAMES IN A ROW BEFORE EVENTUALLY LOSING TO METTER IN THE QUARTER-FINALS. COACH LLOYD MCCDONALD BECAME MY CLOSEST FRIEND AND MENTOR DURING THAT TIME. HE INSPIRED ME BECAUSE HE ALWAYS PUT HIS PLAYERS AND COACHES IN FRONT OF HIS OWN NEEDS. HE TOOK MY FAMILY IN AS HIS OWN AND HE SHOWED ME WHAT COACHING IS REALLY ALL ABOUT....THE KIDS. IN 1998, COOK COUNTY ENTICED HIM TO MOVE TO ADEL WHERE THEY LOST IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TO GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL. HE RETURNED TO LANIER COUNTY IN 2001 TO LEAD THE BULLDOGS TO THE STATE PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HE LEFT IN 1990. FOR COACH WHITE, THE HIGHLIGHTS COACHING TROY FOSTER AND ALEX LEE AND THE BULLDOGS IN THE 80’S TO PLAYING PACE ACADEMY AND TOOMB COUNTY (94 & '97) WHO WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. PACE ACADEMY’S MICHEAL BARRET IS CURRENTLY A MEMBER OF THE CHICAGO CUBS. HE ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF COACHING JD DREW, AARON TAYLOR, AND TIM DREW IN SOUTH GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL ALL-STAR GAMES. ALL THREE ARE CURRENTLY STILL PLAYING IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES. HE LISTS HIS MOST EXCITING MOMENT AT IN HIS CAREER DEFEATING LOWNDES HIGH AND DELAND, FLORIDA BACK IN 1989 ON THE SAME DAY WITH JEROME WILLIAMS, AND ALEX LEE HITTING BACK TO BACK HOMERUNS. BACK IN THE 80'S & 90'S, WE GAVE VALDOSTA AND LOWNDES ALL THEY WANTED. MY HARDEST COACHING CHALLENGE HAS DEFINITELY BEEN THIS YEAR COACHING BOTH MY SONS ON THE SAME TEAM WITH TWO FELLOW COUSINS AS WELL. COACH WHITE IS QUICK TO CREDIT SUCH PLAYERS AS ALEX LEE, DWIGHT BOONE, PATCHES PHILLIPS, GRAFTON KENT, CHRIS STUDSTILL, EDDIE NOBLE, ASHLEY COOPER AND MANY OTHERS FOR MAKING HIS JOB SO EASY. IF IT WAS NOT FOR FORMER SUPERINTENDENT RAYMOND MOORE, FORMER COACHES RALPH BERRYHILL, QUINN MOORE AND JIMMY BENEFIELD, I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO REACH THIS PLATEAU. MY WIFE, TOMMIE RUTH HAS BEEN MY MOST FAITHFUL FAN THROUGH THICK AND THIN. I HAVE HAD SOME GREAT ASISTANT COACHES RICKY DAVIS AND TOMMY ADCOCK, WHO HAVE BOTH WON STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS AS HEAD COACHES AS WELL AS BEN ROBBINS WHO HAS BEEN MY MOST LOYAL AND HARD WORKING FRIEND DURING MY ENDEAVORS HERE AT LCHS. WAYNE SIRMANS WAS MY ASSISTANT AT LANIER AND ONE YEAR AT ATKINSON AS WELL EVERETT MEEKS. MY OTHER PRESENT ASSISTANT COACHES BEN ROBBINS,CHANDLER GRAY, AND WILL OLIVER CONTINUE DO AN EXCELLENT JOB THIS YEAR. THESE GUYS DESERVE AS MUCH CREDIT AS ANYONE FOR THIER HARD WORK. AS A COACH I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TWO GOALS: 1) TO REACH AND WIN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THAT MY TEAM LOST IN 1980 & 1981 AND 2) TO GIVE THE KIDS I COACH THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME SUCESSFUL ADULTS THROUGH THEIR LEARNING OF THE GAME OF BASEBALL. I THANK THE PRESENT ADMINSTRATION HERE AT LANIER COUNTY TO GIVE BACK TO MY OWN COMMUNITY THAT OTHERS GAVE ME YEARS AGO.
