Bessemer City edged Spain Park in a high scoring game, 42-35, last Friday night. Highlights for the Jags included junior wide receiver Cooper Kelley hauling in nine passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, and senior quarterback Harrison Barker finishing the night 29-of-39 passing for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Barker now has 850 passing yards in two games this … [Read more...]

The opening week of the high school football season proved to be a coming out party of sorts for two Over the Mountain players. Spain Park senior quarterback Harrison Barker earned the first AHSAA Prep Offensive Spotlight of the season and Hoover junior placekicker Constantine Hontzas earned the AHSAA Special Teams Spotlight. Barker made his first varsity start one for the … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Harrison Barker doesn’t have any qualms about following in the footsteps of his dad and older brother as a high school quarterback. In fact, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Spain Park senior rather enjoys playing the position his dad, Jay Barker, played at Hewitt-Trussville and his brother, Braxton, played at Spain Park. Jay Barker went on to quarterback Alabama … [Read more...]

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...]