Coach Marcus Hawkins Sr. and the Wildwood Middle High School boys basketball team were honored by city commissioners for their successful 2020-21 season.
With a 22-7 record, the team won the third state championship in school history, after winning the Class 1A district and regional championships.
The team won the state title last month with a 66-46 victory over Milton Central, a game in which senior Nate Mikell scored 24 points.
In a proclamation, Mayor Ed Wolf designated Monday as Wildwood Wildcats Boys Basketball Day.
Hawkins and the entire team were at the meeting to receive the honor. Marcus Hawkins Jr. plays on the team.
As Wolf presented the certificate, he recalled that he coached the parents and grandparents of some current players during his long career as a middle school teacher.
Hawkins, who has coached and taught at the school for three years, is the first coach in the Florida High School Athletic Association to take both girls and boys basketball teams to state championships. He led the Madison County girls team to a state title in 2016.
He also has served as senior pastor at Shiloh M.B. Church in Madison, Fla., since 2006. He earned his degrees at North Georgia College and State University as well as North Florida Community College.
When the ceremony was over, Hawkins signaled to the group that it was time to return to school and they filed out.
