By Rubin E. Grant Going into the girls Class 6A State Tennis Championships two weeks ago, Mountain Brook coach Susan Farlow told freshman Pippa Roy to just go out, play her best at No. 1 singles and not worry about winning. That was because of a likely match-up against junior Libbie Hamilton of St. Paul’s Episcopal. “Everybody had told us that Libbie Hamilton was not … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Ron Smith loves golf and played the game while growing up, including in high school at Briarwood Christian. But he never dreamed of becoming a professional golfer. Instead, Smith set his aspirations on owning a brick-and-mortar golf shop. His goal became reality April 12, when Pebblehurst Golf and Putter Lab, a boutique golf shop, opened in the heart of … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Conner Eberhardt was just a toddler when he became interested in playing baseball. His older brother Reece was playing the sport, and Eberthardt said, “I wanted to get out and try it. I was 2 or 3, about the time I could walk.” When Reece got to high school, he had switched sports, playing soccer for Spain Park. But this time, Eberhardt didn’t follow in his … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The Hoover Bucs figured their best chance to defend their 2019 Class 7A boys soccer state championship was in 2020. With 13 seniors on their roster, the Bucs were off to a hot start with an 8-0-2 record. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause and eventually the cancellation of the rest of season. “It was hugely disappointing,” Hoover coach Kris … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Braxton Wetzler is once again enjoying the sounds of spring, especially the crack of the bat. A year ago, after the Mountain Brook baseball team had gotten off to a 16-2 start, its season was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wetzler was a junior on a squad that had 15 seniors. He felt bad for them when the season was halted. “It was really … [Read more...]