By Rubin E. GrantKatie Flannery is something of a perfectionist.So, when she discusses her just-completed junior softball season at Spain Park, it comes from that perspective, especially considering the numbers she put at the plate. Flannery had a .451 batting average, a .541 on-base percentage, a .778 slugging percentage and a ridiculous 1.381 OPS (on-base … [Read more...]
Power Hitter: Oak Mountain Slugger Davis Gillespie Voted OTM Baseball Player of the Year
By Rubin E. GrantDerek Irons has been a high school baseball head coach for 14 years, has won more than 400 games and has captured two state championships, so he knows a thing or two about players.And when Irons, who just completed his seventh season as head coach at Oak Mountain, talks about Eagles infielder-pitcher Davis Gillespie, his words carry extra … [Read more...]
‘His Engine Never Quits’: Indian Springs’ Tozzi Delaying College to Play Soccer for Birmingham Legion FC
By Rubin E. GrantNathan Tozzi simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity of his young life.So rather than going to college in the fall, the just-graduated senior soccer player from Indian Springs will play for the Birmingham Legion FC of the USL Championship league.Tozzi already was on the Birmingham Legion FC Academy team, but as an elite player he will play with the … [Read more...]
A Very Merry Month of May: Spain Park Wrestler Oliveira Earns Spot on Brazilian National Team, Receives Prestigious Award
By Rubin E. GrantSpain Park wrestler Yasmine Oliveira had the most rewarding month of her life in May.At the beginning of the month, she traveled to Brazil and earned a spot on the U20 (Junior) Brazilian National Wrestling team for the United World Wrestling Pan-American Junior Championships July 8-10 in Oaxtepec, Mexico.She signed a wrestling … [Read more...]
‘Quiet Competitor’: Versatile Vines Excelled Throughout Her Vestavia Hills Track Career
By Rubin E. GrantOn the next to last weekend of May, Angelica Vines was sitting around wondering what to do next.“I don’t know what to do with myself because I’m usually at the track,” Vines said.A few days earlier, the Vestavia Hills senior had capped a brilliant high school track career by finishing fourth in the 2022 Alabama High School Athletic Association … [Read more...]