Sports

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Karmichael Cattling runs past a pair of North Sand Mountain defenders during the Warriors’ 35-13 loss in the second round of the Class 2A state football playoffs last Friday (Nov. 15) in Higdon. (Jason Bowen/Jackson County Sentinel) By Jason Bowen, Jackson County Sentinel North Sand Mountain advanced to the state football quarterfinals for

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Alabama Week 11 Review A handful of first half errors put Alabama in a 33-13 hole at halftime against LSU last week, and a valiant second half effort came up just short in a 46-41 home loss. A red zone turnover on the opening possession of the game and an interception

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Jalen Robinson (8) catches a touchdown pass in front of Northside’s Wes Maluda during the Eagles’ 35-21 loss in the first round of the Class 4A state football playoffs last Friday (Nov. 8) in Northport. (Alex Chaney) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Hokes Bluff’s football season came to an end on Nov. 8

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy The Gadsden State volleyball team will be recognized at a community pep rally and dinner sponsored by The Chamber of Gadsden and Etowah County and hosted by Back Forty Beer Company. The Lady Cardinals won the National Junior College Athletic Association Gulf Atlantic District A/B Volleyball Championship on Nov.

Photo: Glencoe High’s Katie Giles finished sixth in the Class 3A girls state cross country meet last Saturday (Nov. 9) in Oakville. (submitted photo) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Several area runners turned in medal-winning performances at the AHSAA cross country meet last Saturday (Nov. 9) at Indian Mounds Education Center in Oakville. The top 15 finishers in

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells By Eddie Edwards/Sports Correspondent Westbrook Christian won its first postseason game since 2010 with a 25-22 victory over Aliceville in the first round of the Class 2A state football playoffs on Nov. 8 at Aliceville. The Warriors (8-3) travel to Higdon this Friday, Nov. 15, to face North Sand

Photo: Etowah High’s Tae Wright (7) tackles Center Point’s Jayson Jones during the Blue Devils’ 42-13 loss in the first round of the Class 5A state football playoffs last Friday (Nov. 8) in Attalla. (Travis Green) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor For the first time in four years, Etowah will not participate in the second round of

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 10 Review Auburn did not play a home game in the month of October, so the Tigers expected to return home to play in front of a raucous crowd last week at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Instead, the crowd was anything but, and AU snuck away with a 20-14 win over

Released Nov. 6 Class 7A Rank Record Points 1. McGill-Toolen 10-0 261 2. Central-Phenix City 9-1 220 3. Thompson 8-1; 176 4. James Clemens 8-2 151 5. Hoover 8-2 150 6. Prattville 8-2 100 7. Mountain Brook 8-2 96 8. Vestavia Hills 7-3 53 9. Theodore 8-2 48 10. Auburn 7-3 33 Others receiving votes:

Photo: The Gadsden State volleyball team gathers around the tournament bracket after winning the NJCAA Gulf Atlantic District championship last Sunday (Nov. 3) in Boaz. Pictured, kneeling, on left: Shelby Bates. Kneeling on right: Joanie Lang. Middle row, from left: Madelyn Massey, Jaylyn Freeman, Grace Nolen, Brooke Murphy, Gracie West, Leighanna Tralongo. Back row, from

Photo courtesy of Toni Bishop By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Southside High boys and boys cross country teams finished in first place at the Class 5A, Section 2 Meet at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park on Nov. 1. The Panthers had four runners finish in the top 15, led by Ryan Maudsley first-place time of 17:00.05. Mason Williamson

Photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Ashville High girls cross country team had three runners place in the top 10 and four more in the top 25 on the way to a first-place finish at the Class 4A Section 3 Meet on Nov. 1 at Fairview. It was the second straight section championship

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Glencoe High girls cross country team finished third at the Class 3A, Section 2 Meet at Auburn on Nov. 1 The Lady Yellow Jackets qualified for the AHSAA state meet this Saturday, Nov. 9, at Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center in Danville. Katie Giles

Submitted photo By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Helped by four top 10 showings, the Westbrook Christian boys cross country team won the Class 1A/2A, Section 4 Meet on Nov. 1 at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park. The Warriors qualified for the AHSAA state meet this Saturday, Nov. 9, at Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center in Danville. “I was very

Messenger file photo by Colin Edwards Will Noles finished with 216 offensive yards and rushed for four touchdowns as Westbrook Christian ended the regular season with a 38-18 victory over Sand Rock last Friday (Nov. 1). Noles rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries and was 8 for 13 in passing for

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy Courtesy of al.com Ashville has suffered through 14 straight losing seasons and Vincent hasn’t had a winning season since 2013, but both coaches found reasons to be optimistic about the future of their teams after Ashville earned 41-14 victory last Friday (Nov. 1) at Vincent. Class 4A Ashville (2-8)

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Ashton Gulledge (2) attempts a pass during the Eagles’ 35-12 win over Sardis on Nov. 1. (Alex Chaney) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Hokes Bluff relied on a pair of four-year starters for a 35-12 win over Sardis on senior night at Mike Robertson Stadium in Hokes Bluff on Friday (Nov. 1). Running

Photo: West End’s Isaiah Roberson (25) runs for a first down as Glencoe’s Hunter Hanners (4) pursues during the 49-0 shutout win over Glencoe on Nov. 1. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor West End wore out the scoreboard in Walnut Grove last Friday (Nov. 1), as the Patriots finished off the 2019 season with

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Alabama Week 9 Review The absence of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was not noticeable in Alabama’s 48-7 rout over Arkansas. It was clear the game would be a blowout very early in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide built a 17-0 lead after one quarter and led 41-0 at halftime. Mac Jones threw for

Class 7A Rank Record Points 1. McGill-Toolen 9-0 255 2. Central-Phenix City 9-1 218 3. Hoover 8-1 189 4. Thompson 8-1 148 5. Theodore 8-1 147 6. James Clemens 7-2 124 7. Prattville 7-2 69 8. Mountain Brook 7-2 56 9. Vestavia Hills 6-3 35 10. Auburn 6-3 25 Others receiving votes: Fairhope (6-3) 17,

Photo by Chris McCarthy The Ashville High girls and boys cross country teams both finished runner-up at the St. Clair County Meet on Oct. 23 at Odenville. Both teams had four runners place in the top 10. The Lady Bulldogs were paced by Taylor Knight’s second place showing of 21:31.8, followed by Meghan McCarthy in

Messenger file photo by Sherry Abercrombie Three local football players were recognized in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Prep Spotlight for the week of Oct. 25. West End junior quarterback Eli Pearce (pictured above) finished with 394 total yards and four touchdowns in the Patriots’ 38-21 victory over Woodland. The junior quarterback completed 13-of-28

Photo: Gadsden City’s Jakari Embry (11) runs for a first down as Grissom’s Caleb Peake (10) pursues during the Titans’ 17-14 victory last Friday (Oct. 25) at GCHS. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Gadsden City’s first win of the 2019 football season came with a couple of anxious moments last Friday (Oct. 25) at a soggy

Photo courtesy of Bentley Gray Photography By Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter Class 5A Sardis led 6A Albertville 14-13 at halftime in last Thursday’s non-region football game, but the Aggies outscored the Lions 32-6 in the second half to pull away for a 45-20 victory in Sardis City. Albertville (5-4) forced six turnovers, including two

Courtesy of Sand Mountain Reporter West End trailed 21-6 in the first half but outscored Woodland 26-0 in the second half to storm back for a 38-21 victory last Friday (Oct. 25) in Walnut Grove. It was the Class 2A, Region 6 finale for both teams. The Patriots improved to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in

Courtesy of Sand Mountain Reporter  The Crossville High football team’s best defensive effort of the season put the Lions in position to earn a Class 5A, Region 6 win, but Southside hit a late field goal to break a 3-3 tie and escape with a 6-3 decision last Thursday (Oct. 24) at Crossville Memorial Stadium.

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Darrian Meads (left) follows the blocking of Hunter Burke during the Eagles’ 35-14 loss at Jacksonville last Thursday (Oct. 24). (Alex Chaney) Hokes Bluff closed out its Class 4A, Region 6 schedule with a 35-14 loss at Jacksonville last Thursday (Oct. 24). The Eagles (6-3, 4-3) already clinched the region’s fourth playoff

Photo by Gary Wells By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Sparked by 15 top 10 finishes, the Southside boys and girls cross country teams swept the Etowah County Schools Meet on Oct. 24 in Glencoe. It was the second straight county title for both teams. The Southside boys posted an average time of 18:00.1, 1:38 ahead of second-place

By Ricky Smith/For Sand Mountain Reporter NyNy Davis and Ethan Foster combined to rush for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 5 Etowah to a 35-14 win over Boaz in Class 5A, Region 6 action on Thursday, Oct. 24, at Boaz. Davis and Foster each carried the ball 11 times and scored twice.

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Joe Tucker runs after a catch as Cleveland’s Gary Gilliland (2) pursues during the Warriors’ 7-0 loss in high school football last Thursday (Oct. 24) in Rainbow City. (Gary Wells) By Cole Frederick /Sports Correspondent It was a physical, old school knock-down-drag-out football game last Thursday (Oct. 24) night at Jack Osborn