By Lee DavisAfter Homewood’s girls basketball team posted a 30-4 record and streaked to the Class 6A girls basketball championship in 2014-15, it might be safe to assume that the only way for it to go is downhill. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. “I’d say it’s clear that our team is more experienced than last year,” Homewood coach JoVanka Ward said. … [Read more...]
The 500: Shepler Reaches Milestone Victory as Homewood Keeps Winning
By Lee Davis The next time Homewood basketball fans want to show their appreciation to coach Tim Shepler, they might want to thank Rand McNally. That’s because a map might be the reason Shepler is coaching the Patriot boys team. Three decades ago, Shepler was the head coach at Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge and brought his team to Birmingham every year for UAB … [Read more...]
Friday Night Re-lights: Bucs Win Sets Up Rematch with Jags, Pats Lose Thriller
By Lee Davis Any time Hoover and Vestavia Hills meet in football, the odds are that something special is going to happen. Certainly that was true Oct. 16, when the underdog Rebels shocked the Bucs 20-13 in what had to have ranked as one of long-time Vestavia coach Buddy Anderson’s sweetest victories. As fate would have it, the pair met again Friday night in the second round … [Read more...]
Run, Win, Repeat: Lady Spartans, Cavs, Patriots Boys Repeat as Cross-country Champs
By Lee Davis One of Alabama’s most enduring high school dynasties added another trophy to its already-impressive list of accomplishments last weekend and two younger powerhouses added some hardware as well. The Mountain Brook girls cross-country team earned its 13th consecutive state title at Oakville Indian Mound Park. The Lady Spartans totaled 43 points to easily … [Read more...]
Playoff Fever: Intriguing Match-ups May Come Later
By Lee Davis It seems like we’ve been waiting forever, but the Alabama high school football playoffs finally begin this weekend. Last week’s season finales were important, but they had the feel of NFL exhibition games in that they meant nothing in the region standings. Now we are back to business, and the first round – as always – is intriguing and fraught with danger for … [Read more...]