By Loyd McIntosh
Teams from Mountain Brook, Homewood and Vestavia Hills high schools won multiple state championships this spring, proving, once again, why Over The Mountain schools are among the top athletics programs in the state and beyond.
Mountain Brook was the big winner as the Spartans captured four 6A spring state titles—boys and girls tennis, girls track and field and boys golf.
The Spartans’ tennis program continued its domination, rolling through the competition at the AHSAA tennis championship tournament in Mobile on April 24. The victories bring the school’s all-time title count to 36 for the girls and 30 for the boys since 1972. Additionally, the girls team amassed their ninth consecutive state title, the second-longest active streak by any school in Alabama behind UMS Wright with 11 in a row. The boys extended their own run to four straight championships, dating back to 2023. “It was a team effort on both sides,” says Mountain Brook Head Tennis Coach Carlee Petro Schaper. “We had lots of players who were multiple state champions, whether it was singles or doubles, which is a really big deal.”
Leading the way for the girls were Olivia Roberts (singles semi-finalist, doubles quarter-finalist), Leslie Mitchell (singles finalist, doubles champion), Virginia Puckett (singles champion, doubles quarter-finalist), Leila Malatesta (singles and doubles champion), Sarah Still (singles and doubles champion) and Kathleen Wilkinson (singles and doubles champion). On the boys’ side, Quint Freeman and Tony Sciara each won singles titles and reached the doubles quarterfinals, while Karna Palaniappan reached the singles semifinals and won the doubles championship alongside Aary Palaniappan, who also captured the singles title. Towns Lassiter, James Burnette and Luke Nagi all claimed doubles championships, with Lassiter and Burnette adding singles titles as well.
The Mountain Brook girls track team won its 15th state championship in Gulf Shores, completing its third triple crown in four years by winning titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track in the same academic year. “I’m super excited for this group of young ladies. This one wasn’t easy. We were actually behind going into the final event,” says Head Track and Field Coach Michael McGovern. “We had to beat Pelham by at least two places in the four by-four to make it happen, and they came through and got it done. It was closer than I’d like it to be, but it was exciting.”
The Spartans were led by Francesca DeMarco, who finished second in the 800m (2:16.67), 1600m (5:02.50) and 3200m (10:58.31). Ann Gibson Hamilton added top-three finishes, placing third in the 1600m (5:09.00) and eighth in the 3200m (11:26.41). Sydney Martin took second in the pole vault (11-6), Mary Alice Crull finished third in the high jump (5-2) and the 4×800 relay team won its event with a time of 9:40.62, while the 4×400 relay finished second at 4:03.80.
The Mountain Brook boys golf team also delivered a historic performance at the AHSAA State Championships, capturing the program’s 11th state title—its first since 2022—while tying the all-time 36-hole state scoring record at -32. The Spartans set the tone in round one with a -25, establishing a new single day team scoring record, then maintained that dominance through Tuesday’s final round to pull away from the field. The championship total of -32 tied the previous state record, set by Mountain Brook in 2018.
Leading the way was freshman SJ Thomas, who notched a -12 tournament score, tying the 36-hole individual state scoring record. The Spartans also received solid contributions from Denton Brooks, who finished in second place (-11), Fletcher Finch in fourth (-4), Ryan Pugh tied for fifth (-3) and Ford Birchall tied for seventh (-2).
Vestavia Hills captured two spring state championships, taking home titles in boys tennis and boys golf. The boys tennis team won its fifth consecutive title since 2022 and its 11th AHSAA state tennis championship overall in 7A competition at Mobile Tennis Center. The Rebels finished with 35 points, overtaking Hoover and Montgomery Academy, who tied for second place with 29 points.
Leading the way was senior Andrew Pipken who won the No.1 singles championship, putting the cherry on top of an outstanding 38-2 season. He was joined by Austin Hood, who won the No. 2 singles championship. Additionally, Pipken teamed up with John Brooks Harris to take the No. 2 doubles title.
Vestavia Hills won the Class 7A boys’ state golf championship at the RTJ Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, the Rebels’ second consecutive title and seventh overall. Senior Clarke Brown had an outstanding tournament, shooting a 36-hole total of 132, for 12-under par, tying the AHSAA state tournament record for 36 holes set by Spain Park’s Chase Kyes in 2025. “In VHCS, one of our core values is the pursuit of excellence, and it is a joy to watch our teams embody that commitment day in and day out,” said Athletics Director Laura Casey in a written statement. “We are always incredibly proud of how our student-athletes represent our school and community on and off the field, but there is something exciting about seeing their hard work culminate with state championships!”
The Homewood boys track and field team won the 6A spring title at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex. The Patriots narrowly missed out on the indoor championship, coming in a close second place to Northridge in the winter. However, Head Coach Logan Cornutt said he felt his team could vie for a state outdoor championship with a full squad of athletes and events. “At one point in the season, I just laid it out for them. I think you have the potential to win state,” says Cornutt. “Ever since we had that team meeting, they just came with it. They were primed and ready.”
In the end, Homewood got its revenge, amassing 76.5 points over second-place Northridge with 68 points, and had three athletes win individual state titles. The Patriots were led by Tomon Felton, who won the long jump competition with a distance of 23-09.25 on his final jump. He was joined by Davis Griffin, who won the javelin competition with a distance of 178-04 and the 8×400 relay team with a time of 7:49.85, edging second-place Mountain Brook by less than a second.
