By Lee Davis For a short time in 2014, Hoover looked to be an average football team. The Bucs lost to an excellent Miami Central team in their season opener. It got even worse the next week when Colquitt County – coached by former Hoover coach Rush Propst – dominated the Bucs 35-14. Was this the end of Hoover’s long reign as the kingpin of high school football in … [Read more...]
Going Forward: Spartans Looking Past Disappointments of ’14
By Lee Davis Mountain Brook coach Chris Yeager insists that he doesn’t dwell on the past, but nobody could blame him for still having nightmares about what happened to his team in 2014. The Spartans lost three times on – literally – the last play of the game on the way to a disappointing 3-7 season. They came within a few minutes of a couple of additional wins. “Last season … [Read more...]
Lesson Learned: Spain Park Hopes to Return to Playoffs
By Lee Davis Spain Park probably learned an important lesson about how difficult life can be in Class 7A’s Region 3 last season. “I’m not an expert on the history of high school football in Alabama,” said Shawn Raney the Jaguars’ head coach. “But I couldn’t imagine a team beating Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills in the same season and not making the playoffs. That’s exactly … [Read more...]
Talkin’ Football: After Controversy, Rebels Ready for Season
By Lee Davis Nobody can blame Vestavia Hills coach Buddy Anderson for being ready for some football. After a summer of controversy over the Rebels’ mascot, Anderson – and everyone else in the Vestavia football family – is ready to move on. “All of that is behind us,” Anderson said. “The full focus is on the season ahead.” The Rebels are hoping to bounce back from an … [Read more...]
Still Super: Sullivan Treasures Relationships the Most
By Lee Davis Pat Sullivan earned a lot of hardware in his days as a star Auburn University quarterback and later as a coach. Sullivan won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s outstanding college football player in 1971. In the 1980s, he directed the Tigers’ offense as Auburn won three consecutive Southeastern Conference championships. But his most prized awards from athletics … [Read more...]