By Rubin E. GrantJohn Carroll Catholic football coach Will Mara said Carson McFadden’s leadership skills have always been on display.But during the offseason, the Cavaliers’ senior quarterback/safety took it up a notch.“When I would get to school at 5:30 in the morning, Carson was already here,” Mara said. “We didn’t have mandatory 5:30 workouts.“He’s always … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantIn his first season as head football coach at his alma mater, Robert Evans guided the Vestavia Hills Rebels to a 7-5 record and a second-round Class 7A playoff appearance.But Evans faces a daunting challenge to improve on that kind of success in his second season.When asked about the outlook for the Rebels this season, Evans replied, “I wish I … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantThe Spain Park Jaguars have fallen on hard times in recent years.The Jags have not made the state playoffs since 2017 and have endured five consecutive losing seasons, including a 3-7 record in 2022 in Tim Vakakes’ first year as the head coach.Vakakes is more than ready for a different script.“I think we’ve got a chance,” Vakakes said. “We’ve … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantNew Oak Mountain football coach Shane McComb hit the ground running after being hired in January and officially taking over in April.“There was a lot of work to do behind the scenes,” McComb said. “I had to hire a new staff ‘cause I only kept one assistant from the previous staff. I brought in eight new coaches. They’re a great group of guys, not just … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantMountain Brook capped off its third consecutive 12-win season by reaching the 2022 Class 6A state championship game and finishing as runners-up to Saraland.But head coach Chris Yeager is not thinking about winning it all in 2023.“This is not going to be an ‘unfinished business tour,’” Yeager said. “We learned a lot of lessons from that (loss) that … [Read more...]