By Lee Davis There was a time when Spain Park softball wasn’t a very big deal. “Before we got here they even gave an award if a girl just dived for a fly ball in the outfield,” Lady Jaguar coach C.J. Hawkins recalled. “We had to change that mindset from the very beginning.” The mindset did change, and a decade later, Spain Park is one of the state’s elite softball programs. … [Read more...]
Double Eagles: Jaguars and Patriots Roll to Boys Golf Titles
By Lee Davis One of Alabama’s perennial powers in high school golf reasserted itself and a potential new one arose at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 7A and Class 6A championships last week at Huntsville’s Hampton Cove course. In Class 7A, Spain Park earned its fourth title in five years. The Jaguars’ two-day total of 571 easily claimed the blue … [Read more...]
Girls of Steele: Cavs’ Steele, Patriots’ Barber and Wayne Lead All-OTM Team
By Lee Davis The Homewood Lady Patriots did not repeat as state Class 6A basketball champions in 2015-16, but they accomplished just about everything else. Despite not having a senior on its roster, Homewood rolled to a 27-7 record and spent the entire season as the state’s top-ranked team before eventually losing to hot-shooting LeFlore in the Class 6A finals. The Lady … [Read more...]
Patriot Gains: Homewood Trio Leads All-OTM Boys Team
By Lee Davis For years, the Homewood boys basketball team came close to winning state championships, only to fall a little short at the end. All of that changed in 2015-16, as the Patriots rolled to a 30-6 record climaxed by an exciting 54-51 win over Muscle Shoals to claim the school’s first boys Class 6A championship. There was plenty of local action in Class 7A as well. … [Read more...]
Break Point: Jaguars Confident for Stretch Run
By Lee DavisAlmost all high school students get excited about spring break. But the Spain Park boys soccer team might be just as excited about going back to school. That's because as the break arrived, the Jaguars were playing their best soccer of the season. Spain Park entered the vacation period with an impressive 4-1 win over cross-town rival Hoover. The victory … [Read more...]