TA Athletics

from 2021 Fall Magazine

TAPA

Winning at the highest Level

AISA Boys Tennis State Champions.

The 2020-2021 season saw an incredible amount of success! We had two Varsity state championships in Boys Soccer and Boys Tennis, as well as three JV state championships in Girls Track, Cross Country and Basketball! Not to mention, Varsity Girls Tennis , Varsity Girls Cross Country, and Varsity Boys Basketball were all the state runners-up in their sport, and our Varisty Girls Basketball made it to the Final Four!

Tuscaloosa Academy had 15 students to be named AISA West All-Stars: Lauren Richmond - Basketball; Bo Abston - Football, Soccer, and Basketball; Mitch Piper - Basketball; Sam Rowley - Basketball and Baseball; Emma Fulgham - Volleyball; Houston Evans, Wilson King, Jordan Evans and Jack Standeffer - Baseball; Carson Claytor, Oli Kneer, Davis Zwick, Lucy Bonhaus, Ava Mills, and Morgan Smith - Soccer. Bo Abston also achieved the AISA’s Most Outstanding Offensive Back of the Year. In addition, the AISA named Patton Miller, Lane Marshall, Maria Sealy and Natalie Sanders as 2020 Student Athletes. Over the course of the year, several of our student athletes were named Player of the Week by the Tuscaloosa News based on votes from the community. Anna Christian Beeker for Golf, Jack Standeffer and Wilson King for Baseball, Ava Mills for Soccer, Taylor Wright for Tennis, and Katelyn Seale for Softball. Oli Kneer was named the Overall Spring Sports MVP.

The Tuscaloosa News also announced their All West Alabama Football players. Three TA athletes made the list and three athletes were Honorable Mentions. Jordan Evans, Phillip Lancaser and Whitt Winfield made the top honor, and Bo Abston, Jack Standeffer and Luke Kilgore were Honorable Mentions. In basketball, Willesha Lang and Sam Rowley were selected for the Super 5 All-Area Team and Hill Warr and Walker McKee were named as Second Team Honorable Mentions. Our own Coach Barry Sanderson was named the Basketball Coach of the Year!

The Alabama Sports Writer’s Association listed their First Team All-State and Second Team All-State. Phillip Lancaster made the First Team. Whitt Winfield and Jordan Evans made the

AISA JV Girls Track Champions.

AISA Boys Soccer Champions

Winning at the highest Level

AISA JV Girls Basketball Champions

Second Team. We had one senior, Houston Evans, sign with Florida State University to play baseball.

Our athletic facilities saw several upgrades last year, thanks to Annual Fund contributions and also TAKS donations! Upgrades include: a refinished gymnasium floor, a new fence and windscreen installation on the baseball fields, Field House renovations, and a long overdue makeover to the weight room.

Overall, TA Athletics had an outstanding year across all sports and this year is looking even brighter. We hope to bring back competitive powerlifting in the Spring, a sport that we have achieved great success with in the past. Our Varsity Volleyball and Football teams are top-ranked in the AISA, our strong coaching staff is dedicated to seeing our student-athletes succeed on the highest level, our parent volunteers tirelessly give of their time and resources, and our students are excited about showing the community who we are as a school.

New coaches: Alex Jackson, Hunter Stockton, Josh Wright, Jonathan Kress, Kyle Fuller, and Mike Rodriguez-Trainer. Not pictured: Todd Jones and Kevin Boswell (softball). Sam Rowley scored his 1,000th point during the 2020-21 basketball season Bo Abston wins Most Outstanding Offensive Back Award in the AISA AllStar football game.