By Rubin E. GrantHeading into the AHSAA State Tennis Championships last week, Mountain Brook coach Susan Farlow liked the Spartans’ chances to continue their dominance, but she figured it wouldn’t be easy for her girls and boys.“We have two strong teams with very good players, but there are a lot of other strong teams and players,” Farlow said.But none were strong … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantHoover senior basketball star Reniya Kelly had a few individual goals in mind entering the final season of her high school career.“I was really pushing to get some awards,” Kelly said, “one of them being Miss Basketball.”The 5-foot-8 guard already had an impressive list of accomplishments when she added the state’s most coveted award. The Alabama … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantAfter nine years as Hoover High School’s athletic director, Andy Urban decided it was time for a change.But he’s not leaving the area to make that change. He’s moving to Mountain Brook to become the Spartans’ next athletic director.The Mountain Brook Schools Board of Education approved Urban on April 5 as the successor to Benny Eaves, who had served … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantSpain Park baseball coach Will Smith decided his team needed a challenge for the first two months of this season, especially since the Jaguars had 12 seniors and seven returning starters from their 2022 team.“I knew we had an experienced group coming back, so by design I made the schedule as challenging and as difficult as it could get because, come … [Read more...]

By Josh BeanHomewood senior Adele Brandrup understands the influence she can have on others.A record-setting swimmer, she was born with Charge syndrome, a complex and rare condition that often causes vision and hearing difficulties, heart defects, struggles with breathing and balance, and other wide-ranging issues.For Adele, she was born deaf and essentially has no … [Read more...]