Vidalia — It’s been 30 years, but they still remember it like it was yesterday.

Well, almost. The final score eludes them, and so do some of the key plays, but the 1979 Vidalia men’s state championship basketball team can still recall what it felt like to be in that game.

“I remember being underdogs, being somewhat overwhelmed that we had actually made it that far,” said Kevin Mays, who now lives in Tallulah and works for Ameristar Casino. “I remember our determination. We were always determined, regardless of if we got behind or not — and we were behind late in that ballgame, but we came back and won.”

The emotions are still fresh in the minds of the players, some of whom went on to college and professional careers — like then-senior Kalpatrick Wells — and some of whom stayed around town or went to college for something other than sports.

“During the game it was all nerves,” Wells said. “It was a chance to win the state title, and it was all nerves until we won. There was no time to relax.”

The 1979 Vikings defeated Varnado for the 2A state championship, and the team hasn’t won the big game since then.

But this year’s team, the one that has gone 34-1 and pretty much demolished every team in its way during the state playoffs — the Vikings have won the past four games by an average of 24.75 points — has a chance to do what no Vidalia team has done in 30 years.

Mays said this team reminds him so much of his own squad, it’s only fitting they would repeat the victory.

“It would be great, 30 years later, for a team to win that reminds us so much of us, what we stood for, just trying to win ball games together,” he said. “There are some kids on that team that really enjoy playing the game. They have obviously played together for quite a long time. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, they enjoy passing, they enjoy playing defense. They sacrifice personal statistics for the team, and that’s basically what we did.”

While Wells was the star of the team — he signed with Mississippi State that year, was drafted by the Philadephia 76ers and later played professional ball in Europe — Mays said the team was never run by just one player.

And the fact that he’s seen such unselfish play at his school again has brought tears to his eyes.

Wells himself got emotional watching the team. He’s been to every playoff game except the quarterfinal win against Port Allen.

“They remind me of us in a sense that they don’t seem to care who scores the most or who does the scoring on a certain night,” he said. “I watched these guys, and they gave me chill bumps. It brings back such memories.”

Mays also said the coaching styles are similar. Current coach Robert Sanders is a quiet-spoken man who likes to make sure the game is in hand but doesn’t brag or let his squad show off too much in a big win.

“Our coach, Ken Simmons, believed in teamwork,” Mays said. “If there was something you did really well — say you were great at rebounding or could come in for one or two minutes and play really good defense — some of our team may have only played one or two minutes a game, but they really contributed during that time frame.

“They could make free throws. They knew if the game was close, they would be getting in the game.”

The 1979 teammates said the support the Miss-Lou community has given this year’s Vikings has also been incredible. From T-shirts to sold-out gymnasiums, Vidalia and the surrounding area has been with the team from the beginning.

Raymond Riley, a member of the Concordia Parish School Board and a junior on the 1979 team, said he’s been to 95 percent of the Vikings’ games this season, and they’ve almost all been packed.

“I don’t know how many people could’ve been left in Vidalia Wednesday night,” he said of the Vikings game against Patterson in the Cajundome in Lafayette, La. “We had the most people out of any of the teams there.”

Most of the team is young — there are only two seniors playing for the Vikings — and the former teammates hope the young guys can go down the same road again next year.

The Vikings were ranked No. 2 in the state, but Riley said that was an underestimation of the team.

“They soared through the season, and nobody gave them credit for being the team they are,” he said. “Those are numbers that people not in this area gave them, people who really don’t get to see them play.

“They really didn’t get credit because of the schools they had to play in this area, but then they started beating the district teams. Even when they got into the playoffs, they were still winning the same way — that speaks volumes for what they can do.”

Mays, whose nephew is junior Gary Stewart, won’t be at the championship game because he has to attend a wedding. But he’s got several friends and former teammates lined up to send him text messages about the game.

Riley will be there, and so will Wells, who has a bit of advice for the team.

“If they don’t win, I would say stay humble and come back next year, work harder, learn from what mistakes you made and prepare for next year,” he said. “If they do win, they still need to stay humble.”