By Anne RuisiIn 2007 as he thought about retirement, Air Force Master Sgt. Grant Gibson considered a second career in emergency preparedness.Although he earned a master’s degree in homeland security, Gibson ended up in the classroom as an Air Force Junior ROTC instructor, first in Columbus, Ohio, and then at Hoover High School in 2018. “I’ve not looked back … [Read more...]
Painful Loss: Wood Wishes Hoover Volleyball Team Had a Better Season Ending
By Rubin E. GrantA day after her first season as Hoover’s head volleyball coach had ended, Amanda Wood was in no mood to offer any reflections.The dejection and disappointment of being eliminated in the Class 7A state tournament was too fresh.“I am still wallowing in self-misery,” Wood said.Enterprise narrowly defeated Hoover 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-27, 25-22, … [Read more...]
Three and Out: Mountain Brook’s Volleyball Team Sees Streak of State Championships End
By Rubin E. GrantMountain Brook couldn’t get into a flow, and as a result the Spartans’ streak of consecutive state volleyball championships ended at three.The two-time defending Class 6A champion Spartans fell to the record-setting Bayside Academy Admirals 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 25-17) in the semifinals last Wednesday at the 52nd AHSAA Elite 8 State Volleyball … [Read more...]
Head(y) Stuff: Rebels’ Junior Quarterback Putting Up Big Numbers
By Rubin E. GrantJohn Paul Head would rather not hear it. So please don’t tell him about the eye-popping statistics he put up in Vestavia Hills’ final three regular season football games.“I don’t like to keep count,” Head said. “It could make my ego go up.”Head getting the big head would be understandable considering what the junior quarterback did in leading the … [Read more...]
Analysis: OTM Schools Finding a Football State Championship Hard to Come By
By Rubin E. GrantIn the first 50 years of the Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoff system for all its classifications, which began in 1967, Over the Mountain schools frequently won state championships.John Carroll Catholic was the first, in 1973, followed by Homewood in 1974, Mountain Brook in 1975 and 1976, Berry (now Hoover) in 1977 and Vestavia … [Read more...]