By Rubin E. Grant Finally! Spain Park softball coach Urse Hawkins finally got to celebrate her milestone 900th career victory. The triumphant moment came Friday when senior pitcher Annabelle Widra tossed a shutout in the Jaguars’ 5-0 victory over Oxford in the Leeds Greenwave Classic. Hawkins, in her 25th season coaching, took the milestone victory in stride. “It just … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Vestavia Hills junior wrestler Zach Flurry was determined that things would be different this time. In the 2020 state tournament, Flurry was pinned by Thompson’s Blaise Albarado in the Class 7A 106-pound championship match. The loss motivated Flurry throughout this season. He moved up to 113 pounds, and when he returned to the state tournament Feb. … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Until 2020, the Oak Mountain boys basketball team had never been to the Alabama High School Athletic Association State Finals. Now, the Eagles are on the verge of making it two straight trips to the Final Four. Oak Mountain (21-9) will play either Hoover or Florence in the Class 7A Northwest Regional final at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Wallace State in … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant When Caroline Leonard’s mother, Missy, signed her up for gymnastics at the age of 4, little did they know that the decision would one day lead to a college scholarship. Leonard signed a gymnastics scholarship with Auburn last November. “My mom put me in the class and I immediately had a passion for it,” Leonard said. “It started out I was just doing it for … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Following their close 42-37 loss to Spain Park in the 2020 Class 7A Northwest Regional final, several Vestavia Hills girls basketball players went downtown to the BJCC Legacy Arena to watch the Jags capture the championship. They wanted to see for themselves what it was like to win a title and celebrate it. “Our team was so close to being in that position,” … [Read more...]