1968 Newton County Team
From 7-27-14
The Rams had the nucleus for another great team in 1968 with seniors Terry Schell, Richard Allen, & Phil Shaw. Junior Thad Blankenship had already proven himself as an outstanding player, and the team had a lot of very capable young guys who were threats to break into the starting lineup at any time. South Hall's coach, Don Wade, had brought several good teams to Covington, and had always gone home with a loss.
As his 5-0 Viking team prepared for another shot at the Rams' home streak, he was quoted in the Gainesville newspaper as follows: "If you have never attended a game at the cozy Newton Co. Gym, you have neglected your basketball education. The place fills up early with, probably, the most rabid and vocal fans to be found in the state. They start yelling when the doors open and don't stop until they are home, snug in their beds, if then. The ear-splitting atmosphere has shattered more than one good basketball team bent on ending that fantastic streak." South Hall went home, once again, with another loss to the Rams, 66-49.
Right before Christmas, neighbor Rockdale Co. & host, Newton Co., played Woodward Academy & Wills H.S. In back-to-back games. The first night Rockdale lost to undefeated Wills 63-55. The Rams defeated Woodward 69-39, for their 129th consecutive home court win, tying the national college home court record held by the U. of Kentucky. Newton was not at full strength as Blankenship was out with an injury & Schell & Allen both had sprained ankles. Even with these injuries, no one thought anybody could beat their Rams in Covington. But Wills, a 6-yr. old Cobb Co. school (10-0 & ranked #2 in the state behind Carver), came in with a very confident, senior-laden, team. (They had already beaten state powers Druid Hills, Wheeler & Osborne). Anyone associated with the "blue and white" were shocked when the game ended---(& so did the 129-game home court winning streak) by a score of 59-41! Wills went on undefeated, to the State Finals, where injuries cost them when their guards hit head-on on the opening tip, and their top guard was taken to the hospital--& Sandy Springs went on to a huge State Championship upset. After winning their next game, the Rams lost on the road to Rockdale Co, (64-61), & Forsyth Co, (54-51). Getting Blankenship back, & inserting sophomore Bubba Hill in the starting lineup, the Rams went on a roll for the rest of the season and won their fifth straight Sub-region Championship. In the Region semi-final game, the Rams won 76-60 over Franklin Co., with Thad Blankenship leading the way with 29 pts. In the Region Championship game, Blankenship's 24 points, & Schell's 21 pts., led the Rams to a win over Forsyth Co., 79-51, for their 6th Region Championship in 8 years! In the State Tournament, the Rams defeated Russell High 50-38, but lost in the 2nd round to Crisp Co. 49-47 in a heartbreaker! Terry Schell was named to the 1968 All-state team and all-region team for the third consecutive year. Thad Blankenship was named to the All-region team for the 2nd straight year, & Richard Allen was named all-region this year. Allen, Schell & Shaw, finished their final year with a 23-4 record and a 4-yr. record of 119 wins & 14 losses. The Rams' 10-yr. record now stood at 284 wins & 31 losses, or a yearly average of 28 wins & 3 losses!
