By Rubin E. Grant The script has become all too familiar for the Hoover Bucs. The past three football seasons, the Bucs have reached the Class 7A semifinals only to see their dreams of a state championship dashed with a loss to Thompson. For Hoover, playing and winning state titles is all that matters. Head coach Josh Niblett certainly understands that.  “We don’t have … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The Homewood Patriots have reached the state playoffs for nine consecutive seasons. Coach Ben Berguson, in his eighth season, believes the ingredients are there to make it 10 years in a row, considering the abundance of talent returning from 2020. “Last year, we were young and inexperienced,” Berguson said. “This year, we’re still young but we do have … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant As he enters his third year as the head coach of the football team at his alma mater, Matthew Forester finally can call the Briarwood Christian Lions his team. “This is the first varsity class to be entirely under me,” Forester said. “We’re really excited about it.” The Lions have had two solid seasons under Forester, including achieving an 8-3 record and … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant For the first time in 50 years, Buddy Anderson was somewhere other than the football field when high school practice officially began Aug. 2. It was a peculiar feeling for the legendary Vestavia Hills coach. “Of course it was real strange,” Anderson said. “But the one who is having the toughest time is my wife Linda. It’s all she knows. We said our ‘I dos’ … [Read more...]