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...]
OTM Students Recognized as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists
Earlier this month, the National Merit Scholarship Program announced the semifinalists for the 2016 competition. The program began with about 1.5 million entrants. In this round, that number is whittled down to 16,000. In the spring, 7,400 students will be selected as National Merit Scholars and will receive $32 million in scholarships. At Hoover High School, Juhee Agrawal, … [Read more...]