By Rubin E. GrantBefore the start of the high school football season, second-year Oak Mountain head coach Shane McComb said senior dual-threat quarterback Will O’Dell would be a force.McComb probably didn’t envision just how impactful the 6-foot-4, 210-pound O’Dell would be.O’Dell accounted for 1,352 yards total offense and 11 touchdowns in the Eagles’ first four … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantHomewood senior running back Evan Ausmer didn’t give it a second thought when asked who was the better football player, him or his older brother Trae.“Me,” Evan Ausmer blurted out. “I’m better. I don’t have to hesitate. I bring more to the game of football than him. I can do all-around things, run the ball, catch it and do kick returns.”Trae Ausmer … [Read more...]

Will Reichard has dreamed of becoming a kicker in the National Football League since he was in the third grade.On Sunday, Sept. 8, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Reichard’s dream will become reality when the former Hoover High kicker tees it up for the Minnesota Vikings in their 2024 NFL opener against the New York Giants.The Vikings’ media relations … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantAs he stood on the sideline before Briarwood Christian’s season-opening volleyball game, Chris Camper wondered to himself what he was doing there.After 25 years in education and a 22-year coaching career that included stops at Spain Park, Mountain Brook and Hoover, Camper retired at the end of the 2021 season to spend more time with his family and on … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantThere was never any doubt Hoover senior Sydney Durban would become a volleyball player.Her mother, Michelle Durban, played at Indiana, coached at the high school and collegiate level and now works in the Samford athletics department.Her sister, Aly Durban, who is four years older, was a star player at Hoover and played a year at Samford before … [Read more...]