By Rubin E. Grant After winning two consecutive Class 7A football championships and five state titles in the past six years, the Hoover Bucs could be excused for allowing complacency to set in. Except head coach Josh Niblett is not about to let that happen. “The key for us is to continue to be the hunter and not the hunted,” Niblett said. “It’s all about competing.” The … [Read more...]
‘We’re Excited About the Move’: Young Cavaliers Hope to Be More Competitive Moving Down to Class 5A
By Rubin E. Grant Entering his third season as John Carroll Catholic’s head football coach, Logan Colafrancesco is hoping a step down will be a step up. The Cavaliers are moving down to Class 5A after going 4-36 in four years in Class 6A, including 3-7 in 2017. John Carroll will compete in Class 5A, Area 4 along with Briarwood Christian, Fairfield, Parker, Pleasant Grove, … [Read more...]
‘It Comes Down to Day-to-Day Work Ethic’: Mountain Brook Starts With an Experienced Defense, Looks to Fill the Offensive Line
By Blake Ells Defense will be a strength for Mountain Brook in 2018. Coming off an 8-4 season that concluded with a loss to Thompson in the second round of the state playoffs, the Spartans return nine players from a unit that lost just two 7A Region 3 regular season games. “Most of the urgency is on offense,” said coach Chris Yeager. “We have a lot of positions up front that … [Read more...]
‘We’ve Got Some Kids Who Can Play’: Eagles Aren’t Flashy, but They Have Talent to Compete
By Rubin E. Grant Fans attending Oak Mountain football games this fall probably won’t see any stars, at least on the Eagles’ side of the ball. That’s because the Eagles don’t have any big-time recruits lining up for them. “We’re not as flashy as some other spots,” Oak Mountain coach Cris Bell said. “We don’t have the four- and five-star players. In fact, some of our guys … [Read more...]
‘Every Week, We’ve Got to Bring It’: Spain Park Filling in Its Roster in Bid to Excel
By Blake Ells Spain Park will have some key positions to fill in 2018, but coach Shawn Raney feels confident that he has enough “program kids” who are up to the task. “Program kids” are what he affectionately calls the athletes who have been a part of his program from the moment they could be but who often are inexperienced and undersized before their arrival, who work hard … [Read more...]