By Rubin E. Grant As he enters his third year as the head coach of the football team at his alma mater, Matthew Forester finally can call the Briarwood Christian Lions his team. “This is the first varsity class to be entirely under me,” Forester said. “We’re really excited about it.” The Lions have had two solid seasons under Forester, including achieving an 8-3 record and … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant For the first time in 50 years, Buddy Anderson was somewhere other than the football field when high school practice officially began Aug. 2. It was a peculiar feeling for the legendary Vestavia Hills coach. “Of course it was real strange,” Anderson said. “But the one who is having the toughest time is my wife Linda. It’s all she knows. We said our ‘I dos’ … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Mattie Gardner can’t withhold her enthusiasm as she enters her first season as Mountain Brook’s head volleyball coach. “I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored,” she said. She’s also eager to maintain the Spartans’ status as an elite program.  “My expectations are to win a state championship again,” Gardner said. “That hasn’t changed.” Gardner has … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant When Addie Holden and Stella Yester traveled to New Jersey for the Association of Volleyball Professionals Beach Volleyball Nationals last month, their only goal was to do better than they had done in their previous national tournament. They finished a disappointing 33rd in the girls 16U competition in the AVP America Junior East Coast Championships last … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Mary Katherine “MK” Tedder’s parents were uppermost in her mind as she thought about what school she would attend to finish her college softball career. Tedder was the 2017 OTM Softball Player of the Year as a senior at Spain Park High School and was a prep All-American. She played the past four seasons at Texas before graduating in May with a degree in … [Read more...]