CENTRE – Caleb Hays remembers what when he was a student athlete at Cherokee County High School. Currently the Warrior boys basketball coach, Hays has seen a lot of changes at the high school in the years since he graduated in 2010.
This summer, Hays and the rest of the Warrior tribe are currently witnessing upgrades to the basketball court, the weight room, and the track around the football field. The basketball/volleyball court and track are getting new surfaces. The court is getting its finishing touches this week, creating excitement in the air for the basketball and volleyball players.
“Starting Monday, it will be the first day we actually get to get on it and really work on it,” Hays said. “They’re all champing at the bit to get to do that. Somebody wants to be the first person to make a shot on it.”
Hays and Lady Warrior volleyball coach Tiffany Rieger, herself a Cherokee County High graduate, said they’re both proud to see the Warrior Dome’s new court facelift become reality.
“It’s been a long time coming really,” Hays said. “(CCHS Principal) Mr. (Bobby) Tittle brought it up to me last year.
There were a couple of bad spots (on the court) I was talking about with him. He come by and was like ‘Hey, what do you think about getting a new court?’ I was like ‘Absolutely. Just tell me what we need to do and how we need to do it.’”
Rieger said her volleyball team helped raise funds for the court project, which also includes a new net system. Wise Flooring of Attalla resurfaced the court.
“This has all been accomplished due to the overwhelming support of our CCHS tribe,” Rieger said. “We would also like to extend our appreciation to Mr. Tittle, who has been a driving force behind all of the amazing upgrades we have seen around campus, both physically and academically. We are blessed to have a principal who is also one of our biggest fans and who truly wants the best for our athletes and students.”
Rieger invites all Warrior fans to come see the new court and its amenities, which includes sponsors on the court flooring itself, during their home opener Aug. 25 against Spring Garden and Gaston. The junior varsity match begins at 4 p.m., with the varsity matches at 5 and 7 p.m. respectively.
“Our team is extremely grateful to our corporate sponsors and our community for the financial support we have been given to make this gorgeous new update possible,” Rieger said.
The court’s floor sponsorship was something Hays didn’t know was an option.
“It’s a great option,” he said. “We’ve still got several more going down (on the surface). If I was sponsoring for a team, I would rather have that (sponsorship) on the floor out there in front of our home stands. There’s a lot of different options, but that’s one I really think will pop for people who see it. Our kids will see it on a daily basis. Our teachers see it. Other schools and other fans, whatever they come to, they’ll see it.”
Speaking of seeing things, Hays said the student athletes have been observant of what all has been happening on campus. Just last year, Warrior Stadium was resurfaced with new artificial turf.
“Hopefully it will result in some wins,” Hays joked. “(Warrior football) Coach (Jacob) Kelley kicked things off with football, and Coach (Katherine) Johnson and Coach (Shawn) Turner have really worked hard getting the track how they would like it to where they can be even more successful. We’ve probably had more state champions in track since 2016 than any I can remember, and we’ve had a lot of great athletes. Those kids sometimes get overlooked, so they deserve some upgrades as well.”
As for the basketball court, Hays said “it was definitely needed.”
“The last time I know (of an upgrade), looking in one of the 90s state championship pictures, it’s still the same court,” Hays said. “To me, just as an ex-player, I want to bring something to what we can give the kids. They’re getting memories, and they’re getting experiences, but I want our kids to have everything that they deserve, that they work for. I don’t want them to go through and be a group that says ‘That would’ve been nice if we could’ve gotten something like that’ 10 years down the road.”
“There’s been a lot of renovations with football in the weight room, a lot of facility upgrades. This is just one we’ve looked forward to. I think it will be a good spark for the fans.
We’ve got a newer “CC” logo on there. It’s been a long time coming. I think the kids are excited about it. They got in here and got to see it the other day. The coaches are excited about it. The students who get to come in here at PE are excited about it. It’s brought some good energy for us.”
And it’s just the beginning, Hays said. He said there are plans for more upgrades in the future.
“There are plans or ideas that will hopefully turn into the action phases,” he said. “Obviously the new court is a good start. I would like to progress. I think phase two is getting it painted and getting it updated color-scheme wise. We’ll have to see where our funds are, but hopefully we can get some new side bleachers, and maybe one day down the road, a new gym at some point where we can have more facilities for PE and our practices and different things so we’re not all having to fight for time in the gym.
“That’s all ideas and dreams right now, but we’ll see where they go. Hopefully we’ll continue growing year by year, taking it one step at a time, and not sit back and wait. Every year that goes by, a group of kids don’t get to use what we put towards them. I do think that pride and tradition will just continue to help grow what we do.”
