Denmark Olar’s Hercules Davis goes out on top
Hercules Davis caps his 26th year coaching with Class A state championship in basketball, the first for the Denmark-Olar Vikings in boys basketball. Previously, they finished runner up in 1990.
By Neill Kirkpatrick
Special to the HSSR
Denmark – 2024/25 was exciting year for the Denmark-Olar Vikings as boys basketball team brought home a Class A state championship and every other sport made the class A lower state playoffs.
The state championship in basketball is the first for the Vikings in boys basketball. They finished runner up in 1990. They finished the year at 20-5 with all five losses coming against AAAA and AAAAA teams. They also finished the year on a 15-game winning streak with only two games coming within six points.
“These young men wanted this game so bad. From practice Day 1 of this year this is what they were working towards. It has been 35 years since Denmark-Olar has played in this game.” head coach Hercules Davis.
It also ended Davis’s 26-years at the helm of the Viking program as he retired from coaching.
Coach Davis has also been the head volleyball for the past five years and finished his tenure by guiding the team to a second-place finish in the region 4A and into the second round of the class A lower state playoffs.
After three straight trips to the state Class A finals the Lady Vikings, who moved to the lower state due to realignment, fell to eventual state champ Military Magnet in the lower state finals. Head coach Terrance Jones has guided his teams to a 108-18 record and five consecutive region titles. He is also an assistant on the football team.
William Raysor finished his first year as the head football coach with a 4-7 record and a third-place finish in region 4A. The third-place finish got them into the playoffs where they went on the road to pull off an upset win over Carvers Bay 22-16 and move into the second round. He is also the head boys track and field coach as well as an assistant on the boys state championship basketball team.
“Right now, getting my guys acclimated to working hard every day and to win in the school building. Because if you can win in that school building, you can win on the football field,” Coach told the HSSR last fall.
Xzavier Goldsmith took over the soccer program. Moving to the lower state put the Vikings into a tougher region but they still made the class A playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
Chandra Williams is the competitive cheer coach and Lora Hampton is the head girls track and field coach
