By Blake EllsWhile Spain Park’s season didn’t end the way the Jaguars had hoped, accolades continue to roll in for freshman pitcher Annabelle Widra.After breaking her own school record with 264 strikeouts this season, she is Over the Mountain Journal’s Player of the Year.“My older brother has a great work ethic, and I feel like I’ve gotten … [Read more...]
Spartans Gann Leads All-OTM Volleyball Team
By Blake EllsWhen the volleyball season began, Libby Grace Gann was tasked with a tall order. She was the only senior on a team with a new coach and just one junior to complement her experience.Former coach Haven O’Quinn left Mountain Brook High for Birmingham-Southern College after leading the squad to three straight state championships. Just before the season … [Read more...]
Old Tricks: Briarwood’s Yancey Said Smart Players Made a Good Year Better
By Blake Ells Fred Yancey has been coaching football for almost 50 years; his first team was in 1969, right after college. Being named Over the Mountain Journal Coach of the Year is certainly not the first time the Briarwood Christian legend has been recognized for his leadership, but the accolades never get old. “It means that we’ve had a great season,” said Yancey. “As … [Read more...]
Regaining Confidence: Spain Park Coach Pushing Players to Overcome Three Losses Before the Playoffs
By Blake Ells Spain Park has known its postseason plans for a few weeks, which could be to blame for late season complacency and losses to Hoover, Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain. In its final region game against Mountain Brook, the Jaguars had five turnovers. “Against a team like Oak Mountain that eats up the clock, you don’t get many opportunities on offense,” said head … [Read more...]
OTM Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
On Sept. 13, 16,000 students were named semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Corp. competition, which awards approximately 7,500 scholarships each year. The list included a number of Over the Mountain students, each recognized as being among the highest-scoring students out of the 1.6 million high school juniors who took the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit … [Read more...]