By Rubin E. Grant First-year Oak Mountain head football coach Tyler Crane would like nothing better than to see the Eagles soar again this season – and even higher than they did in 2020. Oak Mountain reached the Class 7A quarterfinals last year before being eliminated by Hoover. “I would like to end this season playing at Protective Stadium,” Crane said, referring to the … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant If ever a coach could say his team is in a rebuilding mode, it’s Mountain Brook’s Chris Yeager. The Spartans graduated 36 seniors from their team that went 12-2 and reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2020. But Yeager isn’t feeling sorry for himself going into the 2021 season. He’s just the opposite, embracing the challenge ahead. “We’re going to have a lot … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Will Mara isn’t making any promises as he enters his second season as head coach at John Carroll Catholic. The Cavaliers finished 5-5 in his first season at the helm of his alma mater’s football program. John Carroll reached the .500 mark for the first time since 2010, when it was 6-4. Mara hopes 2020 was just the first step toward the heights he wants to … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The script has become all too familiar for the Hoover Bucs. The past three football seasons, the Bucs have reached the Class 7A semifinals only to see their dreams of a state championship dashed with a loss to Thompson. For Hoover, playing and winning state titles is all that matters. Head coach Josh Niblett certainly understands that.  “We don’t have … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The Homewood Patriots have reached the state playoffs for nine consecutive seasons. Coach Ben Berguson, in his eighth season, believes the ingredients are there to make it 10 years in a row, considering the abundance of talent returning from 2020. “Last year, we were young and inexperienced,” Berguson said. “This year, we’re still young but we do have … [Read more...]