By Rubin E. Grant Late Sunday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Homewood had claimed the Class 6A boys soccer championship, Patriots senior goalkeeper Ian Myers was still trying to grasp what they had accomplished. “It still hasn’t set in fully,” Myers said. Top-ranked Homewood scored two goals in a two-minute stretch late in the second half to seal a hard-fought 3-0 … [Read more...]
Laser Focused: Hoover Goalkeeper Rudolph Relishes Pressure of Being a Hero or a Zero
By Rubin E. Grant Annoyed, peeved, angered, irritated, ruffled or vexed. Any of those adjectives is an apt description of Hoover junior soccer goalkeeper Max Rudolph’s reaction when an opponent scores a goal. “He’s pretty tenacious about not letting the ball get to the back of the net,” Hoover soccer coach Kris Keplinger said. “If it does, it bothers him. He’s a fierce … [Read more...]
Spartan’s McMillan Watford Top Vote-getters in Coaches Poll
By Blake Ells Mountain Brook alumnus Bucky McMillan changed the culture at his alma mater. Under his tutelage, the Spartans have now won four state basketball championships in the past six seasons. It continued with a 73-49 victory over McGill-Toolen in this season’s title game. The win capped a 33-4 season for the Spartans, and the game was never close. By the end of … [Read more...]
Players of the Year, Holt and Barker Led Spain Park’s Winning Season
By Blake Ells This season, the Over the Mountain Journal’s girls Player of the Year is shared by the foundation and future of what may be the state’s next basketball dynasty. Spain Park senior guard Claire Holt and Spain Park sophomore forward Sarah Ashlee Barker led the Jaguars to coach Mike Chase’s first state championship, just one year after falling in the championship … [Read more...]
‘Pepper’ Brings Plenty of Spice to the Hoover Softball Team
By Rubin E. Grant Caroline Nichols is her given name, but few people call the Hoover senior Caroline. She’s better known by her nickname “Pepper.” In fact, few of her friends know that her name is Caroline. “No one calls me Caroline except my teachers at school,” Nichols said. “My friends who have known me a while, when they hear someone call me Caroline they say ‘I didn’t … [Read more...]