By Rubin E. GrantThe Hoover Lady Bucs are chasing history this season, but other than their hashtag on Twitter — #Quest2R3PEAT — it’s not a topic of conversation during basketball practice or games.“In the rich history of the Hoover girls basketball program, there’s never been a three-peat,” coach Krystle Johnson said. “But we’re not talking about three-peating, … [Read more...]
Fun While It Lasted: Mountain Brook Proud of the Way It Battled in Championship Game Loss
AUBURN – Mountain Brook struggled to contain Saraland sophomore Ryan Williams in the 2022 Class 6A championship football game.When cornerback Tucker Crawford wrestled Williams out of bounds at the 1-yard line on what appeared to be the final play of the first half, Mountain Brook coaches and players hustled off the field with a surge of optimism.Saraland coach Jeff … [Read more...]
A Christmas Snuggle
A group of sloths is called a snuggle. Did you know that? I didn’t. I’m sure the animals themselves don’t worry about such labels. They don’t look around and count to see if they’ve reached an official snuggle quorum. I’m not sure why we worry about the names either, but somebody somewhere went to the trouble to come up with one for a lot of these gatherings. A … [Read more...]
‘Incredible Year’ Yeager Surprised to Be Voted OTM Coach of the Year
By Rubin E. GrantEven though he led Mountain Brook to its first championship game appearance since 1996, Chris Yeager figured someone else would be the 2022 All-OTM Coach of the Year.He pointed to his former defensive coordinator Robert Evans, who guided Vestavia Hills to a 7-5 record and a second-round Class 7A playoff appearance in his first season; Wade Waldrop, who … [Read more...]
‘A Warrior’ Wright’s Leadership Made Him Cornerstone of Mountain Brook’s Defense
By Rubin E. GrantLate in the fourth quarter of the Class 6A championship football game on Dec. 2, Mountain Brook senior linebacker Trent Wright went down in a pile on the ground at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.Wright didn’t get up. He had snapped the fibula in his right leg and torn all the ligaments in his ankle.“I was running to make a tackle and in the pile … [Read more...]