tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50835588022708120042011-12-14T23:02:11.256-06:00Covering the northeast Alabama high school sports sceneGarynoreply@blogger.comBlogger851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-54523089991604532932008-11-06T20:13:00.002-06:002008-11-06T20:40:55.236-06:00

To find the way to tonight's football games, click on the link of the game that you wish to attend. The link will bring up a Mapquest page that gives you directions to the respective high schools. From past experience, Mapquest directions are pretty good, but they're not always perfect. However, on Friday nights stadiums are usually the easiest things in the world to find. Just like a moth, find

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-85697860818650818322008-10-22T11:24:00.004-05:002008-10-22T12:03:41.052-05:00

With two weeks left in the regular season, only three area teams remain undefeated: Lincoln and Cherokee County in Class 4A and Clay County in Class 2A.Which of these teams has the best shot at getting through the regular season without a loss?Let's look at the remaining schedules:The Cherokee County Warriors (8-0) make a trip to winless Ashville this Friday, then travel to face a 4-4 Scottsboro

Garynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-52469043630755104072008-09-29T22:17:00.002-05:002008-09-29T23:29:04.001-05:00

Sadly, I have no excuses -- merely contrition. I've not blogged here in quite some time, and it's time I got cracking.(Note: I'll be off the sports desk at The Daily Home at the end of football season, a move that many will likely welcome all too happily. Nevertheless, I'm offering the rest of football season to this blog, such as I can give. But I digress.)You may recall my preseason predictions

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-13428257509486900892008-09-27T03:38:00.001-05:002008-09-27T03:38:59.880-05:00

CLASS 6A1. Prattville (4-1) beat Brentwood Aca. (Tenn.) 26-02. Tuscaloosa Co. (5-0) beat Clay-Chalkville 42-213. McGill-Toolen (4-1) lost to No. 9 Davidson 14-134. Oxford (5-0) beat Huntsville 26-35. Opelika (4-1) lost to Vigor 34-286. Mountain Brook (5-0) beat No. 8 Vestavia Hills 17-147. Hoover (4-1) beat Oak Mountain 24-78. Vestavia Hills (3-2) lost to No. 6 Mountain Brook 17-149. Davidson (5-

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-61999451640947858282008-09-27T03:08:00.002-05:002008-09-27T03:15:13.273-05:00

Sports editor Bran Strickland here. Friday night I went to the Weaver-Cedar Bluff game, which Cedar Bluff won 42-21. Big plays wasn't how the Tigers earned their 42 points; It was long sustained drives. In those drives, the Tigers were chewing up yardage in medium-sized chunks and getting loads of first downs. The final tally? 28. While adding up the stats, I said to myself, "Self, wonder where

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-87515133315921941282008-09-26T00:27:00.002-05:002008-09-26T00:31:01.133-05:00

Piedmont 38, Ohatchee 0First downs........P, 16; O, 7Rushing yards......P, 183; O, 65Passing yards......P, 165; O, 8Total yards........P, 348; O, 73Passing............P, 9-16-0; O, 1-11-2Fumbles............P, 0-0; O, 2-0Penalties-yards....P, 8-80; O, 6-40Punts-average......P, 3-32.7; O,27.8

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-76827850312116757652008-09-21T03:33:00.001-05:002008-09-21T03:35:30.669-05:00

CLASS 6A1. Prattville (3-1) beat Wetumpka 31-02. Tuscaloosa Co. (4-0) beat Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 37-93. McGill-Toolen (4-0) beat Daphne 23-104. Oxford (4-0) beat No. 6 Gadsden City 24-145. Opelika (4-0) beat Enterprise 21-136. Gadsden City (2-2) lost to No. 4 Oxford 24-147. Mountain Brook (4-0) beat Spain Park 35-08. Hoover (3-1) beat Thompson 36-09. Huntsville (3-1) lost to Florence 41-3510.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-68288545738668187732008-09-21T03:18:00.002-05:002008-09-21T03:24:21.676-05:00

TALLADEGA --- One way or another Saturday night, Alabama School for the Deaf’s homecoming game against Florida was bound to be memorable.Josh Snow made sure it was memorable for the right reasons.Snow stole the ball away from an FSD ball-carrier late in the fourth quarter, and returned the turnover 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Silent Warriors a nail-biting 27-22 victory over the Dragons .

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-3131774733283634102008-09-06T05:36:00.001-05:002008-09-06T05:46:15.277-05:00

Listen, you may think we have the best job in the whole entire world. While it is pretty cool, it's a far shot from being easy. One of the toughest things we have to do is to vote. Joe Medley, The Star's columnist, votes on the Heisman Trophy. But that's just once a year. Nick Birdsong, The Star's high school sports writer, votes every week on where he thinks the high school teams across the

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-43176581567587139282008-08-30T16:33:00.001-05:002008-08-30T16:34:54.819-05:00

I realize we had these in the paper, but these are broken down by classification. It makes it a little easier to find what you're looking for.Alabama Friday’s Prep ScoreboardClass 1AAkron 32, Autaugaville 22 Alabama School for Deaf 42, Jacksonville Christian 22Ariton 34, Headland 12Brantley 21, Luverne 6Coosa Christian 19, Gaylesville 12Frisco City 18, J.F. Shields 0Hackleburg 34, Meek 0Hazlewood

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-53465937608470389252008-08-27T18:49:00.002-05:002008-08-27T19:01:47.952-05:00

We've just gotten word from from the folks at Thunder 92.7 FM and there is a slight change of plans when it comes to the broadcasts of high school games. In the past, the 92.7 crew had produced an internet-only feed for a certain high school football game every week. Thunder personality Grady Sapp has told us that will no longer be the case. In any event, if you're not going to a game, you

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-28376746781965820622008-08-25T16:22:00.003-05:002008-08-25T20:34:01.830-05:00

It just feels right, doesn't it?Here's something we can do in blog form that we can't do in print: an unabashed look at East Central Alabama, and how each team will finish.Before we start, let me say that I have a new passion in the sports world: the Alabama High School Football History Site, which must have taken painfully copious amounts of time to put together and is a valuable resource for

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-44958495561385512832008-08-11T10:24:00.001-05:002008-08-11T10:28:17.423-05:00

Long hiatus -- no excuses, just apologies.As penance, here's the 2008 preseason ASWA prep football poll. ASWA Football Poll (8-6-08)Class 1A Rank School 2007 Pts.1. Sweet Water (28) (14-0) 3362. Talladega Co.-Cen. (14-1) 2233. Brantley (10-2) 2004. Gaston (8-4) 1985. Hazlewood

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-71259361348497350072008-05-26T14:39:00.002-05:002008-05-26T14:42:08.377-05:00

Note: This story ran in the May 21 edition of The Daily Home, and due to a screw-up by the sports editor — yeah, that's me — didn't make the Web site that night. We're re-posting here for those who looked for it. Please to enjoy. —————————————————————————————————Darren Blakely can’t think of the proper way to thank the citizens of Pell City for their generosity.“My wife got ill last year, July 1,

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-66345561841502107392008-05-15T15:22:00.002-05:002008-05-15T15:26:09.773-05:00

For those of you looking for updates on the Munford Lady Lions or others at the AHSAA 3A softball tournament, here they are:-- The wireless card in my laptop is lousy, so it's hard to post any breaking updates from the press box.-- Munford lost in the first round 8-0, with the game called in the bottom of the sixth (two Munford players on and a 2-0 count on the batter) due to heavy rain. As

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-55726365220053587582008-04-14T12:41:00.003-05:002008-04-14T13:18:58.600-05:00

With the AHSAA playoffs starting this weekend, let's take a look at The Daily Home's playoff baseball teams -- we only have a handful, but the ones we have do have a chance to make a deep run.While we're here, a round of applause for the squads from our area who came up just a little short -- Lincoln, Talladega, Munford, B.B. Comer and Sylacauga. All of them have impossibly young rosters, all of

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-68426500454159064592008-03-25T22:59:00.003-05:002008-03-26T00:25:03.054-05:00

Even though his resignation won't become official until Monday, Norred was willing to sit down with us today (Tuesday) and discuss it. Here's the result.Obviously, we'll have to wait a few days to let the other major players in this deal -- Comer's principal, Linda McAdam and the BOE members -- have their say. But here are some facts:Since Bobby Overton retired in 2002, B.B. Comer has had five

will heathnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-72787445835953367042008-03-25T10:06:00.002-05:002008-03-25T10:09:17.004-05:00

We have some unofficial word that Comer is indeed looking for a new head football coach once again -- David Norred is reportedly preparing his resignation for Thursday's Talladega County BOE meeting.Hopefully we'll have more on this in tomorrow's edition.wlh

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-78860570274515485292008-03-24T11:46:00.003-05:002008-03-25T10:06:48.274-05:00

A link to an important happening that slipped by us over the weekend, in which Lincoln's baseball team -- headed by coach Mark Glen, a native of Hanceville -- won its first two games of the season in the head coach's hometown.At 3-5, Lincoln's got B.B. Comer at home today in a doubleheader starting at 4:30, and an area game at hone against Weaver on Tuesday.wlh

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-21851615153979259362008-03-13T15:48:00.002-05:002008-03-13T15:59:05.973-05:00

A few things we need to get clear — and yeah, we'll cover these in the printed version of the paper later, but I wanted to get them up now:• In Wednesday's column about local players at the next level, I neglected to mention Jesse Sharbutt (total goof on my part), currently batting .267 with 6 RBIs at Bevill-Fayette, according to the ACCC Web site (well-run and easy to understand, by the way — I

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-8486756413852638192008-03-10T17:19:00.004-05:002008-03-10T21:16:20.145-05:00

I was running down the teams in East Central Alabama that we see on a regular basis yesterday while in the car (one must visit the parents occasionally, after all) and came up with what I thought might be a pretty good blog entry.We have, unofficially, 14 teams in our coverage area, counting Coosa Valley Academy and Ragland, who we don't get to see much of (and that doesn't count Central-Coosa,

will heathnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-44434475417896545542008-02-27T12:11:00.002-06:002008-02-27T12:19:01.279-06:00

Maybe Jannie Keith was onto something the other day when she said God was watching out for her girls.Talladega 47, Ramsay 46 Talladega vs. Ramsay buzzer beaterThanks to al.com for providing the vids.More coming

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-45884271444961421522008-02-23T03:52:00.003-06:002008-02-23T04:05:09.516-06:00

Can't sleep. Not even a lick. It might have something to do with the 80-something ounces of Coca-Cola I consumed on Friday. Who knows?Anyhoo, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Al Muskewitz is a funny guy. He's always making cracks, renaming things. His latest got a song stuck in my head.He told me the other night he needed two scores to finish his work on page 2C."What are they," I

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-82520800982314833152008-02-23T03:36:00.003-06:002008-02-23T03:45:00.299-06:00

HOMEWOOD 73, GADSDEN CITY 65 JACKSONVILLE --- Gadsden City missed shot after shot in the first quarter. The Titans missed 3-pointers. They missed jumpers. They even missed layups and free throws. At the end of the eight-minute drought, what was left was a hole that Gadsden City just never could completely dig itself out of. Homewood took its first-quarter lead and held on for dear

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-88792813793092921562008-02-23T03:14:00.003-06:002008-02-23T03:46:02.720-06:00

CLAY-CHALKVILLE 75, MOUNTAIN BROOK 57 JACKSONVILLE --- Clay-Chalkville may not have walked out of Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum with a sparkling shooting percentage. However, when you shoot the ball as many times as they do, the law of averages is bound to put you ahead. Friday, it did as Clay-Chalkville defeated Mountain Brook 75-57 in the Class 6A Northeast Regional finals.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-4080135064677324552008-02-22T04:22:00.003-06:002008-02-22T04:35:59.067-06:00

Aside from basketball, what's your favorite sport?DAR's Autumn Largen"Softball, I guess. I play ... but we're not that great."Jacksonville State Sports Information Director Greg Seitz"College baseball, and I hope we have an excellent start to the season." (JSU is slated to play its season opener on Friday.)Huntsville Times writer Mark McCarter, an ex-Anniston Star sports editor"Baseball.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-3804415891750607152008-02-22T04:06:00.001-06:002008-02-22T04:21:51.432-06:00

Best Set-Up Man: Madison Academy's Kerron Johnson Madison Academy junior point guard Kerron Johnson dished out a tournament-high nine assists to go along with his 15 points in the Mustangs' 79-58 win over Weaver in the Northeast Regional semifinals of the AHSAA Class 3A state basketball playoffs on Thursday at Pete Mathews Coliseum. But what was impressive about Johnson more so than just the

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-51086707151143103282008-02-22T04:05:00.000-06:002008-02-22T04:06:32.153-06:00

DAR 52, Locust Fork 46JACKSONVILLE --- With 3:58 remaining, Emily Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to give DAR the lead, and the Lady Patriots did enough to keep Locust Fork at bay and advance in the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University.With the win, DAR (27-5) advances to Saturday's Class 4A final where it will take on Boaz, a 52-24 winner of Jacksonville.Locust Fork matched its

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-84550285730400113782008-02-22T04:04:00.001-06:002008-02-22T04:05:54.479-06:00

Guntersville 63, Tarrant 58JACKSONVILLE — Many basketball games are decided in the final minutes.However, long before Thursday's nightcap the Class 4A Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University, Guntersville coach Ronnie Stapler told his team exactly how this one would go.For his Wildcats, it would be won or lost in the beginning.His team responded to their coach's warning jumping out to

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-38612362193906964602008-02-21T17:57:00.000-06:002008-02-21T17:58:30.316-06:00

Madison Academy 79, Weaver 58 JACKSONVILLE --- Weaver fell behind 21-8 after the first quarter Thursday and was never able to recover against top-ranked Madison Academy in the Class 3A Northeast Regionals at Jacksonville State University. Madison Academy (23-8) will now take on second-ranked Crossville, a 76-65 winner over Glencoe, on Saturday at 10:40 a.m. in the regional final. Madison

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-67570325412175945912008-02-21T17:46:00.000-06:002008-02-21T17:47:11.951-06:00

Crossville 76, Glencoe 65 JACKSONVILE --- Glencoe’s Jay Whorton had a strong nitht with a game-high 26 points and a 7-for-8 performance behind the 3-point line. However, his efforts weren’t nearly enough to upset second-ranked Crossville. The victory by Crossville sets up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown for the Class 3A regional final. The Lions will take on Madison Academy, a 79-58 winner over

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-44075168610675101242008-02-21T17:35:00.002-06:002008-02-21T17:38:31.998-06:00

Crossville 63, Hokes Bluff 58 JACKSONVILLE --- Courtney Thacker scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to help lead Crossville to the upset win on Thursday at the Northeast Regional at JSU. Hokes Bluff (24-4) entered the contest ranked sixth by the Alabama Sports Writers Assocation; Crossville was not ranked.With the win, Crossville (19-11) advances to the 3A Regional Final to take on

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-49664112728583875352008-02-21T17:32:00.000-06:002008-02-21T17:34:11.645-06:00

Glencoe 56, Geraldine 50 JACKSONVILLE --- Glencoe used to 1-2 punch of Chelsi Matthews and Mimi Williams, who finished with 19 and 18 points, to keep Geraldine at arms length and pull out a win Thursday in Class 3A action at the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University. Glencoe (20-10) advances to the regional final to take on Crossville, a 63-58 winner over Hokes Bluff. Tipoff is

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-54000682335468229782008-02-21T01:39:00.001-06:002008-02-21T01:41:32.586-06:00

Should there be a shot clock in high school basketball?Scottsboro coach Jerry Kirkland"Yes. I like to play fast. I think it would help shooting, because more shots would be taken. There are so many girls who can't shoot. It would make girls basketball more interesting and faster."Butler guard Justin Pride"Yes and no. Yes, because if we're down, they'd have to shoot; They couldn't stall. No,

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-32126064401546614832008-02-21T01:35:00.003-06:002008-02-21T01:39:06.152-06:00

Thoughts from Nick Birdsong on the Northeast Regional action at Pete Mathews Coliseum at Jacksonville State University:Best Paint Job: Talladega's Tae KeithDespite being only 6-foot-3 and playing the center position in Class 5A ball, Keith led all rebounders in boys' action on Wednesday with 13 in the Tigers' 75-71 loss to Butler. Keith, a Jacksonville State football signee who tips the scales at

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-29157963867548985162008-02-20T18:28:00.002-06:002008-02-20T18:29:14.504-06:00

Piedmont 74, Westbrook 65JACKSONVILLE — Piedmont shot better from behind the arc than it did inside it as the knocked off Westbrook Christian on Wednesday to advance to the Class 2A Northeast Regional finals. The win put the Bulldogs one game above .500.The Bulldogs got five 3-pointers apiece from Kyle Glover and Marquise Diamond (both attempted nine) to lead the surge. Piedmont was 13-for-27 (48

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-90062719213802953362008-02-20T17:54:00.003-06:002008-02-20T18:29:33.923-06:00

PIEDMONT 63, OHATCHEE 48JACKSONVILLE --- After playing a close game for the first 24 minutes, Piedmont’s offense exploded to score 25 points in the final quarter and cruise to the win Wednesday at the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University.Ohatchee last led with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter, 37-36, on a jumper by Laneshia Anderson.Piedmont then went on a 13-2 run to take

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-82563482544438323032008-02-20T15:18:00.001-06:002008-02-20T15:18:57.029-06:00

BUTLER 75, TALLADEGA 71 JACKSONVILLE --- Talladega led by as many as 17 points twice in the third quarter, only to see that lead slip away on Wednesday at the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University. O’Bryan Davis’ layup with 3:45 left in the third quarter gave Talladega its largest lead at 53-36. However, the Tigers (27-3) did not score for the remainder of the quarter as

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-68836393910057048262008-02-20T15:07:00.001-06:002008-02-20T15:07:33.346-06:00

TALLADEGA 64, J.O. JOHNSON 34 JACKSONVILLE --- Talladega raced out to a 17-4 first-quarter lead and never looked back to cruise to the victory on Wednesday at the Northeast Regional Tournament at Jacksonville State University. Talladega advances to take on Scottsboro, which defeated Anniston 58-46. A fast-break basket by Jameica Rivers with 22 seconds left in the third quarter gave the

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-10795495297542747162008-02-20T14:55:00.000-06:002008-02-20T14:56:10.774-06:00

ANNISTON 56, J.O. JOHNSON 53 JACKSONVILLE --- Anniston’s Josh English hit a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired on Wednesday at Jacksonville State University to lift Anniston (24-4) to the Class 5A Northeast Regional Final. English finished with a team-high 18 points. The 3-point basket was his only trey of the game. The Bulldog senior was one of four Anniston players in double

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-22908212034991897122008-02-20T14:47:00.002-06:002008-02-20T14:57:00.123-06:00

SCOTTSBORO 58, ANNISTON 46 JACKSONVILLE --- After falling behind 18-2 early, Anniston faught valiantly, but was never able to dig itself out of the early hole on Wednesday at the Northeast Regional Tournament at Jacksonville State University. Anniston shot just 20 percent (8-for-40) in the first half and failed to connect from 3-point range (0-for-7), as the Lady Bulldogs (15-14) trailed 33-

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-91960444836627540082008-02-20T00:28:00.002-06:002008-02-20T00:33:13.679-06:00

Best point production in a half: Spring Garden's girls. The undefeated Lady Panthers, ranked No. 2 in the state by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, scored 52 in the first half of their 72-42 win over upstart Ragland to build a 35-point lead going into halftime. They shot 62.5 percent from the field, including a surprising 8-for-15 from beyond the 3-point line. They were more than

Nick Birdsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06087680234242542306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-8179826393130335842008-02-20T00:25:00.002-06:002008-02-20T00:28:17.272-06:00

During the stops in action, we took a very informal poll with a few folks. Here's their responses to our question of the day: What do you watch more of, college or professional basketball?Gadsden City coach Reginald Huff "I prefer my players to watch college basketball, no doubt. They take more pride in the game and they work harder. The professional athletes work hard to but in a different sense

Nick Birdsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06087680234242542306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-22585740389548218302008-02-19T19:04:00.003-06:002008-02-19T19:16:22.440-06:00

Class 1A BoysJACKSONVILLE-Holy Family coach Darryl Hagler knows what to expect from No. 24.For the Tornadoes, who defeated Spring Garden 71-58 in the Class 1A regional semifinals at Pete Mathews Coliseum, it’s usually just a matter of who the supporting cast will be from night to night.Holy Family, who earned its first ever win at the Northeast Regional in four appearances, got 21 points from 5-

Nick Birdsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06087680234242542306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-61702664751362820642008-02-19T17:21:00.001-06:002008-02-19T17:23:47.273-06:00

Class 6A BoysGadsden City 79, Minor 69Gadsden City allowed a 19-point third quarter lead to be chiseled down to four less than two minutes into the fourth quarter before pulling away in the game’s final stages.Minor guard Chris Young scored two of his game-high 27 points on a layup with 6:41 to play in the fourth quarter to make the score 66-62 in favor of the Titans. But it was as close as the

Nick Birdsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06087680234242542306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-26762088663760824952008-02-19T14:53:00.001-06:002008-02-19T14:56:05.133-06:00

Clay-Chalkville 66, Hoover 55JACKSONVILLE --- An early lead helped Clay-Chalkville (26-6) force Hoover’s starters to play a full game and the Cougars avenged two regular-season losses to the favored Lady Bucs at the Northeast Regional Tournament at Jacksonville State University on Tuesday.“The big key for us was the first quarter,” noted Cougars coach Mike Chase. “We were up 16-8. That really set

Nick Birdsonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06087680234242542306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-20589148298518738292008-02-19T12:30:00.000-06:002008-02-19T12:34:02.724-06:00

Homewood 53, Huffman 37 JACKSONVILLE --- Homewood outscored Huffman in each of the first three quarter to cruise to a first-round victory on Tuesday at the Class 6A Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University. The Patriots will take on the winner of Gadsden City-Minor on Friday at 10:40 a.m. Homewood (29-4) put three players in double figures to lead the charge. Ronald Nored led

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-52419096925002078742008-02-19T11:03:00.000-06:002008-02-19T11:04:09.014-06:00

MOUNTAIN BROOK 56, HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE 52 (OT) JACKSONVILLE -- Hewitt-Trussville led by 10 points with 4:33 remaining in regulation until Mountain Brook charged back to outscore the Lady Huskies in the final quarter 16-7 to force overtime and then outscore Hewitt 6-2 in the extra period to earn the victory on Tuesday at Jacksonville State's Pete Mathews Coliseum. The Lady Spartans (22-5)

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-80994401617056782202008-02-19T09:42:00.001-06:002008-02-19T09:44:59.082-06:00

It's that time of year again, and we're here to bring you basketball fans everything that going on at the Northeast Regional at Pete Mathews Coliseum.Stay tuned this week for the exciting basketball action.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-21695954876167830732008-02-15T23:06:00.001-06:002008-02-15T23:07:27.955-06:00

Try this story of a high school wrestler, 0-27, with Downs Syndrome, who wins his final high school match.Click here.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-12361277121100073552008-02-12T14:57:00.000-06:002008-02-12T17:31:25.824-06:00

So the area tournaments are at an end, meaning basketball season is now officially over at most of the schools remaining in East Central Alabama. So what to make of our remaining schools -- who should we expect to be still standing by Monday?I'll take a stab -- as always, the complete sub-regional pairings are available here and here.Without any more adieu ...Girls1ARagland (vs. Donoho, 6 p.m.):

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-2348693680881150862008-02-11T06:02:00.000-06:002008-02-11T07:07:37.864-06:00

The Northeast Regional Tournaments starts a week from today at Jacksonville State's Pete Mathews Coliseum. We have no idea exactly who's coming yet, but we've got it halfway narrowed down. The deal is that the winners of Thursday night's sub-regional showdowns earn the spot. Here's the ones that germane to our regional. (These are for the girls. The ones for the guys will come after tonight's

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-52512043503477643352008-02-09T08:21:00.000-06:002008-02-09T08:29:28.419-06:00

And yeah, I realize it's a little late -- hey, you do what you can. As always, complete area schedules are available at the AHSAA's Web site. 6A Area 14 at Gadsden City HSMon., Feb. 11: Pell City vs. Gadsden City, 7 p.m.5A Area 6 at Sylacauga HSMon: Sylacauga vs. Chilton Co., 7 p.m.5A Area 11 at Anniston HSMon: Talladega vs. Anniston, 7 p.m.4A Area 7 at Midfield HSMon: Childersburg vs.

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-31372174035280665972008-02-08T14:33:00.001-06:002008-02-08T14:40:55.662-06:00

As promised, the area tournament finals schedule, ladies' style. Talladega, Sylacauga, Childersburg and Munford all qualified for the area finals (and the sub-regionals) with wins last night, and we still have Talladega Co. Central, playing tonight against ASD in its first-round game.Here's what we have so far — complete schedule coming late tonight ...5A Area 6 at Chelsea HSSat.: Chelsea vs.

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-2542063715682962562008-02-08T00:16:00.000-06:002008-02-08T00:41:36.205-06:00

We don't have a lot of them, but we've got a good deal of them. Class 6A Area 2: Davidson 67, McGill-Toolen 41; Blount 49, Murphy 31Area 3: Fairhope 44, Daphne 3; Robertsdale 55, Foley 33Area 6: Lee-Montgomery 66, Sidney Lanier 54; Jeff Davis 42, Wetumpka 18Area 7: Northview 74, Russell County 56; Enterprise 39, Dothan 38Area 9: Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 81, Paul Bryant 42; Northridge 56, Tuscaloosa

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-11993810194965288042008-02-06T10:27:00.000-06:002008-02-06T10:32:41.399-06:00

Here's the schedule for Thursday and Friday for area tournament games involving teams in East Central — finals are Saturday and Monday, and we'll get those up before we go home Friday night (complete area tournament schedules are on the AHSAA's Web site for girls and boys).Enjoy Signing Day, folks.Thursday5A Area 11 Tournament at Talladega High (Girls)Moody vs. Talladega, 7:30 p.m.1A Area 7

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-49273352885580612352008-02-05T06:13:00.001-06:002008-02-05T06:13:55.094-06:00

OK, maybe not if you catch a college or NBA game, but this kid's not bad.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-87265245364775051322008-01-24T14:14:00.000-06:002008-01-24T14:41:47.287-06:00

Some leftover thoughts after the county tournament ...• Talladega looked extraordinarily sloppy last night, particularly on offense. The Tigers couldn't shoot a lick, made poorly-conceived passes that inevitably clanged off the walls out-of-bounds and dribbled the ball off their own feet more often than not.Still, they won 65-48.See, what's most impressive about that win is they didn't give TC an

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-45079695924417273492008-01-19T11:20:00.000-06:002008-01-19T11:28:08.419-06:00

Well, I guessed pretty dang wrong on the Saks-Faith game.Saks blew the doors off Faith 70 to 42. The Saks faithful were out in force too. Nice atmosphere for a game, even if it was a blowout.The TV timeouts were a little annoying last night. Stop the action for 90 seconds and it feels a lot longer. I guess that's the price for live television coverage.Tonight's games (if the happen) will have

Andy Johns, mobile reporternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-37169739288783719212008-01-18T15:58:00.000-06:002008-01-18T16:03:08.954-06:00

The first thing I have noticed so far today is the increased media attention for these games. Today pits Ohatchee against Oxford and Anniston against White Plains on the girls side. We've got Anniston vs. Weaver and Faith vs. Saks on the boys side.My uneducated picks?Anniston and Ohatchee win on the girls side, though I'd pick White Plains over Ohatchee.Anniston boys and Faith boys will advance,

Andy Johns, mobile reporternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-84352791577217719372008-01-17T23:34:00.000-06:002008-01-17T23:53:07.157-06:00

ThursdayBoysChildersburg 61, Munford 58Talladega 66, Sylacauga 64GirlsChildersburg 43, Sylacauga 40Today offered the best tournament action so far, with both boys' games coming down to the final possession. Technically, the girls' game also came down to the final possession as well, but since that possession occurred with 00.5 on the clock, there wasn't much of a chance.Some other thoughts ...--

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-77450640259507442582008-01-16T19:28:00.000-06:002008-01-16T19:31:20.683-06:00

It's Bran. Sitting here beside Nick courtside in the Oxford-Anniston game.Anniston, the No. 1 seed, is playing a lot like the last No. 1 seed (Ohatchee) performed: Less than I expected.Ohatchee snuck out of Pete Mathews with a close victory over Wellborn.Anniston looks like it could be in for much of the same before this thing is over with. It's 41-34 with about two minutes left in the third

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-31292215459990201822008-01-16T18:16:00.000-06:002008-01-16T18:40:51.190-06:00

The bench beside the game is a familiar spot for me, as anyone who has ever seen me play.(I'm shooting video for The Star this week.)Over the first few games I have a few observations.Best Fans: Alexandria- I'm sorry to see the boys be knocked out. Plenty of painted students followed the team the first few days.Most Obnoxious Fans: Piedmont. In my opinion the refs called a tight but fair game.

Andy Johns, mobile reporternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-77516414972422351682008-01-15T15:14:00.000-06:002008-01-15T15:38:23.709-06:00

GIRLSNO. 2 PIEDMONT VS. NO. 7 WHITE PLAINSThis will definitely be the best of the two girls games this afternoon with Piedmont once again putting its undefeated record on the line. White Plains looked good its opener against Saks but the Lady Bulldogs seemed to have turned their games up after a lax first quarter against Weaver yesterday. I've got Piedmont in a fairly close one...Piedmont 48,

Nick Birdsong, preps writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06503014606559693830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-80605261676368802212008-01-15T07:38:00.000-06:002008-01-15T07:56:54.759-06:00

I wanted time to sleep on this one before I wrote about it. I've had time, so, here it goes.Basketball needs a mercy rule. Baseball has one. So, what's the hold up?I can promise you I'm not the only person that thinks this way. No more than five minutes spent in the hospitality room at the Calhoun County Tournament, where coaches and trainers congregate during the games, it was all the talk on

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-20290135916406234662008-01-14T15:09:00.000-06:002008-01-14T15:29:19.526-06:00

The 57th Annual Calhoun County Basketball tournament is upon us, so I figured I’d post some picks on this thing to get that great reader-reporter relationship on and popping again like we had going during football season. That and Andy Johns told me to do it.BOYSNo 2 ALEXANDRIA VS. No. 15 DONOHOWhile Donoho does have its fair share of capable athletes, I’m going to have to side with the school

Nick Birdsong, preps writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06503014606559693830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-81431025117569554172008-01-13T22:25:00.000-06:002008-01-13T22:46:44.379-06:00

The Calhoun County Tournament began Saturday with eight games. After a break Sunday, the tourney will continue Monday at JSU's Pete Mathews Coliseum, and we'll be there all week, with game recaps, photo slideshows and video.Complete tournament coverage can be found at www.annistonstar.com/prephoops but be sure to stay tuned to Prime Time Preps for regular blogs from "The Pete"!Here are the

Consolidated Publishingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-88057340499032602812008-01-10T14:32:00.000-06:002008-01-10T15:36:40.592-06:00

Many apologies to you, PTP. And to you, blog readers. If you exist. I'm sorry I neglected you, sorry I haven't treated you right. I know I've been foolish, baby, and I'm prepared to make it up to you however I can.As a start, I'm giving you as much as I can on the upcoming Talladega County Tournament, which starts Monday. The seeds were established Wednesday night in Sylacauga, an event that was

will heathnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-70485728660045118512007-12-06T17:39:00.000-06:002007-12-06T17:46:22.617-06:00

It's looking quite grim. A pair of 1-yard touchdown runs by Anthony Landrum has all but put the game away.But there's always hope, I guess.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-17703346058630194752007-12-06T16:53:00.001-06:002007-12-06T16:54:36.989-06:00

With 59 seconds left the in the half, Sweet Water struck again.Drew Luker hooked up with Heath Hill all by himself in the endzone 18 yards away for the easy score.That put the Bulldogs up two touchdowns and that's the way the first half ended.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-20247960375946318522007-12-06T16:17:00.000-06:002007-12-06T16:19:06.847-06:00

Sweet Water all-star Anthony Landrum took it in from 17 yards out to stretch the Sweet Water's lead back to eight with the extra point.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-34425865913573941942007-12-06T16:03:00.001-06:002007-12-06T16:05:22.017-06:00

After falling behind 8-0 on a Sweet Water defensive touchdown, TC Central busted a big play to cut the lead to one.Quarterback Robert Duncan found Reginald Virges over the middle. Virges took the pass went 30 yards for the score.TCC elected to just kick the point after, instead of tying the game.Score stands 8-7, Sweetwater.

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-21840554453210439832007-11-15T17:22:00.000-06:002007-11-15T17:38:18.078-06:00

Because I don't want to abandon the PTP blog (it's been nearly a month, I know):It's hard to make blanket statements in a football season that began with Appalachian State winning at Michigan and may end with Les Miles — LES MILES! — holding up a championship trophy, but if there was a team in the state that had a weirder season than 6A Pell City, I'd love to see them.To recap, the Panthers

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-72542773619811195322007-10-22T17:41:00.000-05:002007-10-22T17:49:42.953-05:00

OK, so I'm an awful blogger. I promise to do better in the future. At least try to do better.(Incidentally, the word "husband" could be inserted for "blogger" right there. And if you DO choose to make that correction, just start saying that phrase to yourself over and over again, for practice. You'll thank me later in life. You'll thank me.)It's just that this is a season that has made very

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-89044596805891044732007-10-05T23:16:00.001-05:002007-10-05T23:24:02.681-05:00

Rarely does a football writer get to write about a kicker. Just as rarely does said kicker get to read his name in a game story.For Heflin kicker Will Gaines, a 16-year old junior, that's all his mother, Pam, said he wanted to do one Saturday morning - pick up a paper and read about his team with his name in the story.I was able to do that for Will this week, albeit probably not under the

Kevin Jeffersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-26026179785249596182007-10-03T14:26:00.000-05:002007-10-03T14:34:24.308-05:00

(First place votes in parenthesis.) CLASS 1ARank School Rec. PtsNo. 1 Sweet Water (31) (5-0) 408No. 2 Talladega Co.-Central (5-0) 284No. 3 Maplesville (1) (4-0) 277No. 4 Hazlewood (2) (5-0) 247No. 5 Donoho (5-0) 174No. 6 McKenzie (1) (5-0) 161No. 7 Brantley (4-1) 146No. 8 Ragland (4-1) 112No. 9 Florala (4-1) 48No. 10 Millry (5-0) 42Others receiving votes:Valley Head (5-0) 32,

Kevin Jeffersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-51372074946678879892007-09-26T19:28:00.000-05:002007-09-26T19:54:08.586-05:00

(First place votes in parenthesis) CLASS 1ARank School Rec. Tot PtsNo. 1 Sweet Water (32) (4-0) 402No. 2 Brantley (4-0) 262No. 3 Talladega Co. Central (4-0) 248 No. 4 Maplesville (1) (3-0) 243No. 5 Hazlewood (4-0) 200No. 6 Florala

Kevin Jeffersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-87223392546064194142007-09-22T05:34:00.001-05:002007-09-22T05:44:45.852-05:00

I really hate to brag.Honestly. I really do.But enough is enough. I've got to toot my own horn. 18-2. Two weeks in a row. Give it up for the bald-headed demon.I missed two picks this week: Cedar Bluff vs. Valley Head; and Munford vs. Leeds.What's so bad, is you don't even know how close I was to going 19-1. (Really, this is way too easy.)Cedar Bluff vs. Valley Head: Final score was 14-7, Valley

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-10965346797661246572007-09-22T00:51:00.000-05:002007-09-22T01:14:49.767-05:00

This season I've been shooting the game of the week video for the Star instead of writing game stories like I did last season. So far so good - the videos have had a positive response.When I saw that I was going to be shooting the Gadsden City/Oxford game this week, I was excited.I'm used to having to cover the lesser games in the area, as I'm a lowly intern and not a staff writer. So the

Kevin Jeffersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-36776653624117307742007-09-20T10:42:00.000-05:002007-09-20T11:39:28.065-05:00

(First place votes in parentheses.) Class 1ARank School Rec. Tot Pts1 Sweet Water (30) (3-0) 3952 Brantley (3-0) 2783 Talladega Co.-Central (3-0) 2384 Maplesville (1) (2-0) 2375 Hazlewood (1) (3-0) 1986 Linden (3-0) 1637

Garynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-7118693783785158822007-09-17T17:33:00.000-05:002007-09-17T17:43:57.483-05:00

How many more poorly-officiated football games do we have to endure before someone finally says, "Enough already!"? The past two Friday nights, I've personally witnessed enough screw-ups that I'm surprised some coach hasn't completely flipped his lid. If other games around the state are being so poorly called, I wonder how long it's going to take before a coach gets himself thrown out of a game.

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-25153065482041644522007-09-05T10:28:00.000-05:002007-09-05T10:39:03.842-05:00

OK, so it's Wednesday now ... a full four days after I said I'd update everyone in my previous post. Here are some quick-hit thoughts for mid-week:— Fayetteville 6, Winterboro 0. It doesn't look like an instant classic, and it didn't look like one in person, either. Winterboro looked like the athletically superior team, but couldn't cash in any of their opportunities.Fayetteville's definitely

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-74856153486247368242007-08-31T17:07:00.001-05:002007-09-05T12:50:35.344-05:00

Two thoughts before Friday night begins:— Some folks in Childersburg weren't happy with Wednesday's picks, because apparently the implication was that they're not very tough. Don't know where they'd get that idea, unless it's because they haven't tackled well in three years, didn't protect Hunter Yarnell worth $.02 in their jamboree game last spring and lost a ton of close games last season,

will heathnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-85082210137814901932007-08-31T05:37:00.000-05:002007-08-31T05:50:02.961-05:00

Less than an hour after the Saks-Wellborn game was complete Thursday night, my Nextel chirped. As soon as I looked at the name, I had a good feeling what I was about to hear."Your dog is the smartest person in your family," said Michael Easley, one of the members of Saks' coaching staff.What he was making reference to was my dog, KiAnne, was part of The Star's Picking the preps staff picks. And

Bran D. Stricklandnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5083558802270812004.post-1693091693005762132007-08-21T11:15:00.000-05:002007-08-22T11:25:15.730-05:00

Anniston Star staffers Andy Johns and Nick Birdsong focus on Alexandria, Donoho, Oxford and Piedmont and discuss the powerful Saks kicker who came out of nowhere in today's prep podcast. Listen in or subscribe to future podcasts using the player on the right side of this page.

Garynoreply@blogger.com0