OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
SIGNING DAY
Thursday, February 9, 2017 • 35
SPORTS
By William C. Singleton III Thirty-five Hoover High seniors signed letters of intent on Feb. 1, marking the largest number of student signings during a school-sponsored Athletic Signing Day ceremony. “We had 32 a few years ago, but I believe this is the largest signing day we’ve ever been a part of,” said Andy Urban, Hoover High athletic director. Hoover students signed letters to participate in football, softball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, golf, cross country and track and field on scholarship. Football had the most students signed to scholarships, with 13, followed by baseball with five. Urban said the school will hold another signing day ceremony in April for late signees and for sports that hold their signing periods later. Hoover students who have signed scholarships to play sports on the college level are: Baseball: Garrett Farquhar, Shelton State Community College; Brock Guffey, Wallace State Community College, Hanceville; Drew Guffey, Snead State Community College; Jacob Kopkin, Nicholls State University; Ty Robinson, Denison University; and Tyler Williams, Huntingdon College. Cross Country: Tucker Hill, University of Mobile. Football: Ben Abercrombie, Harvard
University; Markese Brown, Cumberland University; Kholbe Coleman, Bowling Green State University; Kam Ford, Faulkner University; Cortez Hall, University of North Alabama; DeCarlos Hurt, Faulkner University; Jayden Jordan, Sacred Heart University; Ricky Palao, Western Carolina University; Will Singleton, University of North Alabama; C.J. Sturdivant, University of North Alabama; Christon Taylor, University of North Alabama; Jimmy Turnver, Cumberland University; and KJ Vault, Tulane University. Golf: Julie Baker, University of Southern Mississippi; Mychael O’Berry, Auburn University; Tanner Tabor, Millsaps College; and Frankie Wade, University of North Alabama. Soccer: Hayden Cousineau, University of Alabama in Huntsville; Jared Walker, University of West Alabama; and Cole Williams, United States Coast Guard Academy. Softball: Kaley Anthony, Wallace State Community College, Hanceville; Caroline Hart, Spring Hill University; Leslie Norris, Millsaps College; and Abby Tissier, Auburn University. Track and Field: Luke Ballard, University of South Alabama; Will Clark, Harding University; and Caitlyn Little, University of South Carolina. Volleyball: Kyra Hunter, University of New Orleans. ❖
Photo special to the Journal
Record Number of Hoover Athletes Commit
Members of the 2016-17 Spain Park bowling team state champions are from left: Assistant Coach Lillian Singleton, Wyatt Lumsden, Matt Plexico, Ryan Caraway, Tucker Contorno, Andrew Harris, Devin Dowdle, Jalen Johnson, Brady Cooper and Head Coach Stephen Hobbs.
Rolling Pins
Spain Park Wins Another Bowling Crown By Lee Davis
fearlessly and always put the team over individual statistics. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Mountain Brook finished the weekend with a 25-4 record and number three ranking in Class 7A with the region tournaments just around the corner. But if you’re looking to pick another local team to reach the Class 7A Final Four in the office pool, don’t overlook the Hoover Bucs. In girls class 7A, the Hoover Lady Bucs look like they are close to resuming their position of a few years ago, when they were among the elite teams in the state. Coach Krystle Johnson – who as a player led Hoover to a state crown in 2001 – has rekindled the Lady Bucs’ pride and tradition. The road is long and hard, but the chances of Hoover returning to their familiar perch
in the final four seem to look better every week. In boys Class 6A, Homewood is a hardy perennial that always seems to play its best basketball in late Feburary. The Patriots’ record isn’t eye-popping, so many might overlook them. It’s always a mistake to overlook coach Tim Shepler, especially in the post-season. In girls Class 6A, Homewood’s girls team has been a dominant force the entire season. The super freshman class of two years ago has matured into juniors. Standout forward Ajah Wayne has recovered from a devastating knee injury in last season’s championship loss to LeFlore to be a better and more dangerous scorer than ever. The Lady Patriots haven’t missed a beat under new coach Kevin Tubbs, and they look
Journal photo by William C. Singleton III
Hoover High School had 35 seniors sign letters of intent to play college sports. Hoover school officials say it’s the largest number of seniors to sign letters of intent during a school-sponsored Athletic Signing Day.
Spain Park’s boys bowling team wasn’t perfect all season, but the Jaguars definitely were at their best when it counted the most. Facing a Vestavia Hills team that had defeated it twice in the regular season, Spain Park staged a late comeback to defeat the Rebels 1,036899 and earn a second consecutive state championship last week at Oak Mountain Lanes. “We were a better team this year than last, but the competition across the state was so much better,” Jaguar coach Steve Hobbs said. “We were fortunate to win, but our guys bowled outstanding games on the final day of the tournament.” Spain Park defeated Indian Springs, Grissom and HewittTrussville to reach the finals. The Jaguars finished the season with a 16-2 record, with an 8-2 mark in area play. Both losses came against Vestavia. The Rebels led going into the final day of the state meet before Spain Park rallied late to claim the victory. The Jags bowled their best game of the year in Baker game four of the finals. They rolled a 258, including a spare and seven strikes in a row. In
DAVIS, From page 36
Steinert may never coach a team to a state championship, but she’s giving a special group of youngsters something far more valuable than trophies or medals. CONFRONTATION MAY BE COMING…
Anyone who thought the Mountain Brook boys basketball team would have a down year in 2016-17 hasn’t followed the Spartan program very closely over the past few years. Coach Bucky McMillan has built a well-oiled machine that almost seamlessly replaces graduating players with new ones who fit the mold that he demands: athletes who work hard, play
the Baker game format, multiple bowlers alternate frames to bowl one game. “I’m really proud of the fact that in both the finals and semi-finals, we were down after the third game, but we didn’t fold under pressure and
‘The competition is getting better every year. Other schools are making a serious commitment to bowling and that’s going to be good for everybody.’ came back to bowl as well as we have all year,” Hobbs said. Hobbs said his team’s ability to thrive in a championship environment was a key to the victory. “Our average for the state tournament was 197 for the state tournament, 204 in the semi-finals and 207 in the finals,” Hobbs said. “The higher the stakes, the better we bowled.” The electric atmosphere at the championship final helped the Jaguars as well, Hobbs said. “The place was packed with parto be an odds-on favorite to reach their third consecutive final four – and they probably will go even further. INSIDE TRACK….
The Hoover Bucs dominated the state Class 7A indoor track championships last week, claiming both the boys and girls titles by comfortable margins. Homewood brought home the Class 6A girls title, and the Patriot boys team finished a strong second place. There were also some impressive individual champions, but perhaps the biggest winner of all was indoor track in Alabama. At one time in the recent past, indoor track was a stepchild compared to cross-country and outdoor track. One reason was simple: There was not an adequate place to hold the event.
ents and fans,” said Hobbs. “Oak Mountain Lanes had the feel of a bigtime championship match. Then we came out and got strikes and Vestavia got strikes and the crowd became louder and louder. It was a great experience for the kids – and for high school bowling.” Spain Park junior bowler Jalen Johnson had the team’s highest average for the season at 193. Seniors Andrew Harris and Ryan Carraway averaged 190 and 187, respectively. Sophomores Tucker Contorno and Devin Dowdle averaged 187 and 173, respectively. Carraway produced the season’s best individual score, rolling an impressive 264 against Hoover. The Jags also went undefeated in 2014-15 but could not claim a state championship because bowling was not an Alabama High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sport at that time. With only two seniors graduating, Hobbs is excited about Spain Park’s chances for a three-peat but warns that it won’t be easy. “The competition is getting better every year,” he said. “Other schools are making a serious commitment to bowling and that’s going to be good for everybody.” ❖ For years, the event was held in a place called Celebration Arena in Priceville. The venue was better known by its nickname, “the Barn.” A generation of runners has memories of competing in a facility that – while not without a certain charm – was always cold and usually had a few loose boards in the flooring. Eventually “the Barn” was deemed unusable, and indoor track was suspended from 2008 to 2011. The sport was reborn with the opening of the Birmingham Crossplex in 2012, and since that time, it’s just gotten bigger and better. Now indoor track can stand side by side with outdoor and cross country as the third competition option for Alabama’s talented young runners. Sometimes where an event is held really does make a difference. ❖