By Rubin E. GrantOne week into the new year, the Homewood girls basketball team already had surpassed the number of wins it had in Gavin King’s first season as the Patriots’ head coach.King guided the Patriots to a 17-13 record last season, but after three blowout wins last week, Homewood’s record stood at 18-4.“We are definitely improved,” King said. “We are better … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantThe Hoover Lady Bucs are chasing history this season, but other than their hashtag on Twitter — #Quest2R3PEAT — it’s not a topic of conversation during basketball practice or games.“In the rich history of the Hoover girls basketball program, there’s never been a three-peat,” coach Krystle Johnson said. “But we’re not talking about three-peating, … [Read more...]

AUBURN – Mountain Brook struggled to contain Saraland sophomore Ryan Williams in the 2022 Class 6A championship football game.When cornerback Tucker Crawford wrestled Williams out of bounds at the 1-yard line on what appeared to be the final play of the first half, Mountain Brook coaches and players hustled off the field with a surge of optimism.Saraland coach Jeff … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantEven though he led Mountain Brook to its first championship game appearance since 1996, Chris Yeager figured someone else would be the 2022 All-OTM Coach of the Year.He pointed to his former defensive coordinator Robert Evans, who guided Vestavia Hills to a 7-5 record and a second-round Class 7A playoff appearance in his first season; Wade Waldrop, who … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantLate in the fourth quarter of the Class 6A championship football game on Dec. 2, Mountain Brook senior linebacker Trent Wright went down in a pile on the ground at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.Wright didn’t get up. He had snapped the fibula in his right leg and torn all the ligaments in his ankle.“I was running to make a tackle and in the pile … [Read more...]