Guy-Perkins wins Hutchcraft’s 10th state championship

Guy-Perkins boys basketball coach John Hutchcraft, left, and his grandson and player Wyatt Spires hold the Class 1A state-championship trophy after the  Thunderbirds beat Shirley in the state-title game at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs on March 11.
Guy-Perkins boys basketball coach John Hutchcraft, left, and his grandson and player Wyatt Spires hold the Class 1A state-championship trophy after the Thunderbirds beat Shirley in the state-title game at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs on March 11.

Charlotte Hutchcraft Sober is the odd one out in her family.

The Hutchcraft family — her father, John; brother, Jason McGinty; sister, Ashley Hutchcraft Nance; and now her son, Wyatt Spires — has combined to win 15 state championship rings at Guy-Perkins since 1984.

Sober played on teams that finished runner-up in the mid-1990s.

“I’ll just steal somebody else’s ring,” Sober said, chuckling. “There’s plenty around.”

What she has is more valuable.

•••

The Guy-Perkins Thunderbirds won their latest title recently in the Class 1A State Championship at Hot Springs’ Bank of the Ozarks Arena over Shirley, 67-57.

John Hutchcraft’s 41st T-Bird squad finished 37-4, completing last year’s quest that ended 39-1 with a loss to Bay in the state semifinals. Spires, a junior, carried the big load inside in the championship game, especially in the first half.

“You’re just proud, and it’s emotional, too,” Sober said, pausing to compose herself. “I know that Dad’s going to be done soon, so it’s bittersweet for Wyatt and for me.”

Hutchcraft, who turned 64 two days before the championship game, coached one year at Hazen and one at Grubbs before finding his place with the T-Birds, where for most of his career he coached all four teams — junior and senior girls and boys. The Lady T-Birds won his first title in 1984 and added championships in 2001, ’02, ’03 and ’05; the Thunderbirds prevailed in 1997, 2005, ’06, ’09 and ’17.

“A few things made it special,” Hutchcraft said of the latest championship. “Because we had a chance to go undefeated last year, that made it feel good this year. Another thing was, I was 9-9 in state [finals] appearances, so this one gave me 10 [titles] and put me over the even mark.”

But perhaps the most special part was the family connection. In 1997, McGinty hit the winning basket for the championship; Nance led the Lady T-Birds to the three-peat in 2001, ’02 and ’03. Sober was runner-up three times.

“We tease her about being the only one who doesn’t have a ring,” Hutchcraft said. “That would’ve been neat if she’d

won it.”

Now Spires, a 6-6 post player, has one-upped his mother.

“I tease her about it all the time, but she comes back with, ‘But you can’t beat your mom in rebounds,’” he said.

Hutchcraft said he doesn’t know of another Arkansas grandfather who has coached a grandson to a state title.

Wadie Moore, who has followed Arkansas high school sports since 1968 at the

Arkansas Gazette, the Pine Bluff Commercial and the Arkansas Activities Association, said he could not find another case of a grandfather coaching a grandson to a state title, although he said he thought it had likely happened in the girls game.

Three seniors led the T-Birds in 2016-17 — Jahcoree Ealy, named state tournament MVP after a 25-point, 11-rebound outing in the championship game; Daniel Dorado; and Josh Ballard. Spires and Trey Minton will be returning senior starters next season.

“My team was so good this year because I had five good players, not three or two,” Hutchcraft said.

In the title game, Minton and Dorado added 16 points; Spires had 12 and pulled down 16 rebounds.

Several T-Bird mothers also played under Hutchcraft at Guy-Perkins, including Crissy Ealy (Ealy) and Jessie McVay (Minton).

Sober called the season “definitely a team effort.”

“When Ballard got hurt [during the season], everybody had to step up and start getting 15 to 18 points [per game],” she said. “That was a blessing in disguise. When everybody was back together, we were on fire.”

She moved back home from Georgia during Spires’ sixth-grade year so her son could play for her father.

“I look back and go, ‘This is what I came back for,’” she said.

Spires said last season, with the 39-game winning streak that ended two wins short of their goal, was a turning point for the Thunderbirds.

“We got really upset because we didn’t know how this year was going to go because we were losing a good point guard, and we were just hoping we could pull the team back together,” he said.

The T-Birds opened this season 0-2, losing to West Side Greers Ferry, 82-81; and Shirley, 85-76.

“It was rough,” Spires said. “We didn’t know what was wrong; then Ealy really stepped up and took the lead of the team. We all stepped up; in fact, we came together as brothers.”

The T-Birds then won 14 straight before falling to Jacksonville Lighthouse and Mount Vernon-Enola in December. Then they won their last 23.

In the Class 1A State Tournament, the Thunderbirds had a first-round bye and then rolled over Dermott, 102-73; County Line in the quarterfinals, 71-50; Nevada in the semifinals, 81-65; and Shirley

(for the third consecutive time), 67-57, to avenge the early loss and secure the title.

Spires said he was happy to have had the chance to play for his grandfather and add to his legacy at Guy-Perkins.

“I’m the last in the family to play for him, and to get a ring for him means a lot,” Spires said. “Now I can come back to visit the school and see I have my own mark with the banner in the gym.”

The latest T-Bird title will be celebrated with a community cookout/fundraiser for the senior boys program from 6-9 p.m. April 8. Sober said proceeds from the evening, which will include silent and pie auctions and be capped by a 9 p.m. fireworks celebration, will go for state-championship rings and a banner.

“Dad has never watched [the championship game] on TV, so we’re going to show that,” she said.

•••

Hutchcraft’s overall career record is almost too difficult to keep up with, but he is nearing 2,000 wins and should get those next year.

And that might be it — especially if the Thunderbirds can repeat as state champs.

“I do think they can win,” Sober said. “Trey did awesome during the district and regional tournament; he was our 3-point shooter and was great on our press. With him and Wyatt back — you’ve seen it in the past — you’ve got to have a great post player and a great guard, then fill in the role players.

“I’m already geared up for next year. I’m expecting it.”

She said she figured, “Dad’s going to walk when Wyatt walks.”

“It is bittersweet,” she said. “As a basketball family, we always thought there’s no way he’s going to retire; he’ll die in it. It really depends on what he wants to do.”

Jason McGinty has twin toddler boys, so there remains a possibility that Spires won’t be the last to play for his grandfather.

But Hutchcraft said no.

“I will say that I will be at their games,” he said of the twins, “but I’ll be sitting in the bleachers.”

Of course, he never intended to spend 40 years at Guy-Perkins, either.

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