22 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2011
Pizitz Middle School Wins Eighth Grade Metro Championship
The Pizitz Middle School eighth grade boys’ basketball team won the Metro South Tournament held January 26-29 at Oak Mountain Middle School. Pizitz started the tournament by defeating Thompson Middle School, 38-31; next, they defeated Mountain Brook Junior High, 2620 which put Pizitz into the championship. Pizitz defeated Clay/ Chalkville Middle School in the championship game, 27-20. Landon Crowder was named All-Tournament MVP. William Barr and Trey Akins were named to the All-Tournament team. Pizitz’s overall record was 16-6 this year.
SPORTS
Front row, from left: Ryan Goodwin, manager; Coleman Kitchens, Cole Gannaway, Cabel Cantrell, Ryan Dobbs, Sam Wiggins and Michael Stockard. Standing, from left: Steve Faber, assistant coach; Landon Crowder, Will Harper, Carter Jacobs, William Boyd, Jason McKnight, Trey Akins, Austin Chandler, William Barr and John Wyman, head coach.
Pizitz Middle School Wins County Title
Pizitz Middle School won the Metro SouthWrestling Championship recently in what turned out to be an very competitive tournament. Individual place finishers were: sixth place at 130-pound class John Roddam; fifth place at 95-pound class Quin Estes, at 85-pound class Scott Myers and at 119-pound class Grant Redden; fourth place at 130pound class Reynolds Sorrell; third place at 103-pound class Jeremy Strong, at 125-pound class Sam Norris, at 135-pound class Watterson Young and at 175-pound class David McLean; second place at 85-pound class Josh Rogers and Metro South Champions at 112-pound class Max Hopkins and 119-pound class George Dazzio. The tournament capped off a great year for Pizitz going undefeated this season.
Basketball from back cover
ranked, but both are dangerous teams. Over the Mountain basketball teams are successful for many of the same reasons that their counterparts in other sports are so accomplished: The players come from an environment where they are expected to work hard and achieve in whatever they undertake, definitely including basketball. Of course, good talent and sound coaching are an important part of the equation as well, and our neighborhood has had plenty of both qualities in recent years. Homewood, led by Marvin Whitt and Jeremy Watson, has fallen to sixth in the most recent polls but still should be on the short list of favorites to reach the BJCC’s Final Four. Much was expected of Mountain Brook in 2010-2011, and so far the Spartans have mostly lived up to the lofty expectations. Junior guard Mario Stramaglia may be one of the most exciting
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Front row, from left: Charlie Fell, Joe Donald, Harlan Winn and Drew Smith. Standing, from left: Drew Williams, Spencer King, Ben Nelson, Ford Alexander, Andrew Reed, Harrison Pyburn, Jack Kline, Dillon Sullivan and Coach Bruce Henricks.
Mountain Brook Jr. High Seventh Grade Wins Metro to Complete Undefeated Season
The Mountain Brook Jr. High seventh grade boys’ basketball team completed an undefeated season after claiming the championship of the Metro South Tournament held at MBJH January 26-29. The seventh grade Spartans defeated Hewitt 45-32 in the quarterfinals, won over Pizitz 31-25 in the semifinals, and outscored Bumpus 54-35 in the championship game. Mountain Brook’s Drew Smith and Spencer King were selected to the All Tournament Team and Jack Kline was the tournament Most Valuable Player. The Spartans’ head coach is Bruce Henricks. All 12 players contributed to the team’s success throughout the season with different players stepping up big in different games. The Spartans also won the Berry Holiday Tournament earlier in the season and finished with an overall record of 22-0 for the season. Coach Henricks has been coaching at MBJH for more than 20 years. This is his first season for the seventh grade team to go undefeated in basketball.
Spartans’ Miller Williams Signs with VMI Pizitz wrestlers and coaches celebrate their title. Front row, from left: Watterson Young, Jeremy Strong, Max Hopkins, George Dazzio and Quinn Estes. Middle row, from left: Reynolds Sorrell, Shelton Boland, Dillon Campbell, Scott Myers, Josh Rogers and John Roddam. Back row, from left: Sam Norris, Grant Redden, Coach Malcolm Prewitt, David McLean and Coach Cody Merrill. players in metro Birmingham. But the surprise team of the year might be Spain Park. The Jaguars entered the weekend with a shot at their 20th victory, as veteran coach Brian Moon has quietly put together a solid unit. The sad reality is that only two teams in Area 12 will move on to post-season play, which means at least one really good basketball team will be going home early. But that’s the nature of the game. In girls’ play, the Hoover Lady Bucs are having a “down” year in the sense that they have actually lost three – count ’em, three – regular season games in 20102011. But in all seriousness, Coach Donnie Quinn’s team looks as good as ever. It will be a major upset if the defending state champs don’t make it back to the Final Four. Another girls’ team that can’t be overlooked is Mountain Brook. Coach Kevin Tubbs’ Lady Spartans are sparked by freshman Collier Ogilvie, who has a chance to become the first-ever five-time All-Over the Mountain athlete in any sport.
Class 5A’s Briarwood girls came into the new week with a 244 record. For some strange reason, the Lady Lions aren’t ranked in the top 10. But they will get ample opportunity to prove the pollsters wrong. With area tournaments beginning this week, a whole new season is about to start. There will be heavy favorites losing early, and underdogs going further than anyone can imagine. It’s a true second chance for everyone, and that, too, is the nature of high school basketball.
Recruiting Update...
In case you missed it, Feb. 2 was the first day high school football players could sign letters of intent with universities and colleges. It’s hard for any such list to be totally complete, but here’s the best and most current list we’ve been able to draw together. Briarwood wide receiver Cooper Harrington signed with the University of Southern Mississippi. His former Lion teammate, Zeke Walters, has transferred
Mountain Brook linebacker Miller Williams recently signed a letter of intent to play for Virginia Military Institute. Attending Miller’s signing were his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller Williams, III, left, brother Evins and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller Williams, II from Southern Miss to Samford University. Homewood’s Ameer Abdullah – who can play just about any skill position – signed with the University of Nebraska. As usual, Hoover saw several players sign on the dotted line. Offensive lineman Blake Burks signed with Jacksonville State. Defensive back Montez Carlton signed with Austin Peay University. Offensive lineman Max Elliott committed to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Wide receiver Jaylon Denson, the Over the Mountain Journal’s 2010 Player of the Year, signed with Auburn. Linebacker Marcus Matthews signed with Stillman College. Offensive lineman Brandon Morgan signed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Linebacker Tyler Roberts signed with Troy.
John Carroll Catholic running back Marcus Richardson signed with Tuskegee University. His teammate, defensive end Kameron Wood, signed with the University of Mississippi. Mountain Brook linebacker Miller Williams signed with Virginia Military Institute. Spain Park defensive back Jamel Cook signed with Tennessee Tech. Jaguar defensive lineman Emmanuel Cooper inked with Virginia Military Institute. Spain Park tight end Josh Drum signed with Tulane. Running back Steven Silvio is headed to New York City’s Columbia University. Three Vestavia Hills Rebels are headed for Tennessee Tech, including wide receiver Neil Gannaway, offensive lineman Justin Ivory and quarterback Patrick Prewitt. There almost certainly will be more as time goes along.