By Rubin E. GrantSpain Park boys basketball coach Chris Laatsch couldn’t control his emotions following the Jaguars’ disheartening loss in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 7A semifinals.During the postgame news conference, he glanced to his right at seniors Colin Turner and Josh Harrington and choked up. He apologized, but there wasn’t any need … [Read more...]

 By Rubin E. GrantJohn Simmons didn’t have any plans to leave Hayden High School. He had been there 27 years, including 23 as the head softball coach. He had compiled a 659-299 record and led the Wildcats to state championships in 2013 and 2019.But last year, when he was contacted to see if he was interested in becoming Vestavia Hills’ head … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantReniya Kelly clutched the basketball in her left arm as she made an emotional dash up the court.Her facial expression had the look of someone who finally had accomplished something they had been trying to do for some time.Hoover’s 5-foot-7 junior guard had gotten fouled in the backcourt with nine seconds remaining in the girls Class 7A championship … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantJack Lamey Jr. didn’t have any qualms when his dad, Harley Lamey, accepted the job as head wrestling coach at Hoover last summer, although the younger Lamey knew it meant he would have to leave a place where he had become a state champion.As a freshman at rival Vestavia Hills, Lamey won the 2020 Class 7A 145-pound state title. As a sophomore in 2021, he … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantColin Turner let his emotions get the best of him following a poor play during his first two seasons on the Spain Park boys basketball team.“If he made a mistake, he would let it affect the next play and the next play and the play after that,” Spain Park coach Chris Laatsch said. “He couldn’t get out of his own way.”Turner acknowledged his coach’s … [Read more...]