By Rubin E. Grant Ken Thompson has been around football for most of his life. In all that time, he noticed one thing about the game that hasn’t changed. “I’ll never forget my first experience playing youth football in the 1970s. Our coach instructed – yelled at – us each day to keep our head up. It was really difficult for most of us, especially for me, said Thompson, an … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Adelaide Vandevelde knew something was up with her twin daughters when they were babies. “They crawled early, they climbed out of their crib and they walked early,” Vandevelde said. “We had a feeling they might be agile.” Ann and Liz Vandevelde weren’t just agile. They were in the early stages of developing into multi-sport athletes. The twins began with … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Hoover volleyball coach Chris Camper has a problem many coaches would like to have. Camper has so many talented players that he has to figure out a way to get them court time this fall. “We have 15 players and it’s the deepest team I’ve been a part of,” Camper said. “We’re athletic, big and strong. We’re a presence on the front and deep on the back … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Legendary Briarwood Christian football coach Fred Yancey wasn’t expecting to win his first Alabama High School Athletic Association championship in 1998. He figured 1999 would be the year the Lions would bring home the blue map AHSAA championship trophy. But in 1998, the Lions shocked him by going 15-0 to win their first AHSAA title, claiming the Class 3A … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Robby Ashford is an emotional guy. In his first season as Hoover’s starting quarterback, in 2018, Ashford admits he let his emotions get the best of him at times. When you’re the quarterback, that could be problematic because of the effect it has on your teammates. “I wasn’t the leader I needed to be,” Ashford said matter-of-factly. During the offseason, … [Read more...]