By Lee Davis Any advocates of the idea that the Hoover Bucs’ longtime domination of high school football in Alabama is waning will have to come up with some fresh arguments this winter. The Bucs’ 17-7 win over defending Class 7A champion McGill-Toolen last December gave Coach Josh Niblett’s team its fourth state crown in five years and the school its 10th title in the 21st … [Read more...]
Hero Class: Sullivan Accepts Recent Honor with Typical Grace
By Lee Davis Current events in our nation and around the world make some people wonder if there are any heroes remaining. Maybe they don’t know where to look. The alumni rolls of John Carroll Catholic might be a good place to start. One of its heroes is Pat Sullivan, class of 1968. Sullivan was saluted Oct. 7 at the halftime of John Carroll’s 40-7 win over Springville, as … [Read more...]
Energizer Lions: Briarwood off to Big Start in New Class
By Lee Davis During 26 seasons as head coach at Briarwood, Fred Yancey has seen just about everything, and he’s loving the look of his latest team. The Lions’ 25-14 win over highly regarded Mortimer Jordan on Sept. 23 ran Briarwood’s record to 4-1 and, more importantly, 4-0 in Class 5A Region Three play. They followed that with a 44-6 rout of St. Clair County last … [Read more...]
‘I Knew It Was Good’: Dillard’s Winning Boot Gives Spartans Win Over Jags
By Lee DavisMason Dillard admitted it: The senior placekicker was a little nervous as Mountain Brook lined up for what would prove to be the winning field goal against highly regarded Spain Park. “Absolutely I was nervous,” Dillard said the next morning. “But I really shouldn’t have been. I had a great snapper and a great holder and a great line. All I had to do was … [Read more...]
Mid-Term Exams: Maybe Not Great, but Plenty of Good
By Lee Davis It seems incredible to believe, but we crossed the midpoint of the 2016 high school football regular season last week. While none of the eight Over the Mountain teams have made it through mid-September with a perfect record, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that at least three have a chance for memorable years. Here is a quick look at where they … [Read more...]