By Rubin E. Grant Mountain Brook senior Blake Pugh paid a lot of attention to former teammate Logan Brewer during the 2019 football season. Brewer always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, making plays on both sides of the ball and on special teams. This season Pugh is doing similar things for the Spartans, playing cornerback and receiver and returning … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant At nearly 6 feet, 4 inches tall, Hoover senior Gabrielle Essix is an imposing presence on the volleyball court, especially playing middle hitter. But height alone doesn’t allow Essix to dominate. She has athleticism and skill. “For a girl her size, she’s a phenomenal athlete,” Hoover coach Chris Camper said. “She’s explosive and she jumps out of the gym, … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Emily Knerr didn’t grow up dreaming about becoming a high school homecoming queen. She was too busy trying to survive two bouts with ovarian cancer. So, when she was announced as Hoover’s homecoming queen during the Bucs’ football game against Oak Mountain on Sept. 18, she was stunned. She was presented as a member of the senior class homecoming court and … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant On the eve of Auburn’s season-opening college football game against Kentucky, Tigers broadcaster Stan White was on the sidelines for John Carroll Catholic’s high school contest at Moody. White has been at all the Cavaliers’ games this season, acting as a volunteer assistant coach under first-year John Carroll head coach Will Mara, a former Cavs’ player and … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The first month of Grace Burgess’ first season as Oak Mountain’s volleyball coach exceeded her expectations. The Eagles fashioned a 14-7 record despite not making it out of pool play last weekend in the Heffstrong Tournament, hosted by Spain Park. “It has been amazing,” Burgess gushed, “much better than I thought it would be for my first season, even though … [Read more...]