By Lee Davis By any measure, 2017 was a golden season for Over the Mountain baseball. Briarwood, Homewood and Oak Mountain produced outstanding seasons. Vestavia Hills had a strong April-May push that nearly put it in the Class 7A championship finals, and Hoover brought home the big blue trophy, emblematic of the 2017 state title. As a result, the 2017 All-Over the Mountain … [Read more...]
The Island of the Blue Trophies: Area Teams Dominated Sports in 2016-17
By Lee Davis This story has been written so many times that it’s almost become a cliché, and here it is again: Over the Mountain schools dominated statewide athletic competition in the 2016-17 academic year. But that’s just the hometown sportswriter building up the hometown teams, isn’t it? Actually, it’s just the fact. Area schools earned championships in 2016-17 in sports … [Read more...]
Caroline’s King: Homewood’s Lawrence Wins State Heptathlon Title
By Lee Davis Caroline Lawrence entered the 2017 Alabama High School Athletic Association Girls Heptathlon competition with a lot of confidence. The Homewood senior’s confidence was justified. She had finished third in the heptathlon a year ago and had excelled in many of the competition’s seven events during the outdoor track and field season. “I had already competed in the … [Read more...]
Championship Runs: Hoover Sweeps Boys, Girls Title; Homewood Claims Girls Crown in Class 6A; Knights Win
By Lee Davis The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state Class 7A track meet may have been conducted at Gulf Shores, but it definitely had the look of Hoover. That’s because the Bucs swept both the boys and girls championships on the weekend of May 5-6. Hoover’s boys totaled 104 points to win their sixth title in eight years, easily outpacing runner-up Auburn’s 89 … [Read more...]
Weekend Work: Bucs, Eagles Sweep Rivals; Rebels Advance; Jaguars, Patriots, Lions Eliminated
By Lee Davis The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s baseball playoff format normally calls for two games on Friday with a third game on Saturday, if necessary. Last week, as far as Over the Mountain schools were concerned, most teams – for better or worse – wound up getting Saturday as a day off. Hoover and Oak Mountain only needed two games to clinch their … [Read more...]