Sports

Photo: The Southside High boys cross country team gathers for a photo after winning the Yellow Jacket Invitational 5K last Saturday (Aug. 31) at Choccolocco Park in Oxford. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Bo Parker, Drew Simmons, Will Anglea, Luke Holcomb, Mason Williamson. Standing, from left: Sam Kilgo, Parker Cunningham, Hayden Tucker, Ryan Maudsley, Garrett McWhorter, River

Etowah 43, Moody 13 Brady Troup completed 10 of 12 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score – all in the first half – in the Blue Devils’ 43-13 victory over Moody on Aug. 30. The junior quarterback threw touchdown passes to Trent Davis, NyNy Davis and Andrew Pierce while

Photo: Gaston’s Malikah Warren (8) attempts to avoid Sand Rock’s Howie Holland as Josh Campbell (11) looks on during the Bulldogs’ 19-6 loss in high school football last Friday (Aug. 30). (Travis Greene) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Gaston hung tough against Sand Rock on Friday (Aug. 30), but self-inflicted wounds doomed the Bulldogs in a 19-6

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Darrian Meads (left) stretches the ball across the goal line before Southside’s Chance Moon can bring him down during the Eagles’ 21-0 victory in high school football on Thursday, Aug. 30, at HBHS. (Alex Chaney) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor It’s not often that a high school football team turns the ball over three

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent SEC Football Standings 1. Georgia 2. Alabama 3. LSU 4. Texas A&M 5. Auburn 6. Missouri 7. Mississippi State 8. Florida (1-0) 9. Kentucky 10. South Carolina 11. Tennessee 12. Ole Miss 13. Vanderbilt 14. Arkansas Week 1 Previews and Predictions Auburn vs. Oregon (+3.5). For the second straight season, the

Photo: The Ashville High boys and girls cross country teams both took first place out of 13 schools at the St. Clair County Invitational last Saturday (Aug. 24) in Odenville. Pictured, kneeling, from left: coach Michele Rogers, Callie Stewart, Emma Drinkard, Meghan McCarthy, Molly Northam, Grace Staples, Kathleen McCarthy. Standing, from left: Bruce Pantoja, Walker

Released Aug. 28 CLASS 7A Team (first-place); W-L; Pts 1. Hoover (25); 1-0; 309 2. McGill-Toolen (1); 1-0; 222 3. Central-Phenix City; 0-1; 208 4. Thompson; 1-0; 187 5. Hewitt-Trussville; 1-0; 166 6. Auburn; 1-0; 117 7. Mountain Brook; 1-0; 98 8. Theodore; 1-0; 81 9. Lee-Montgomery; 1-0; 64 10. Austin; 1-0; 15 Others receiving

Photo: Etowah’s Ny Ny Davis (left) looks to get past Gadsden City’s Quinton Densmore during the Blue Devils’ 31-23 victory in high school football on Aug. 23 at GCHS. (Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy/Publisher/Editor John Holladay’s inaugural halftime speech at Etowah seemed to have struck the right chord on Aug. 23 in Gadsden. After watching

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent A pair of untimely penalties, a busted play and a second quarter miscue ultimately doomed Southside in a 26-20 overtime loss to Lincoln in the Panthers’ season opener on Friday (Aug. 23) at Barney-Hood Stadium. The Panthers trailed 20-7 at halftime but battled back to

Photo: Ashville’s Luke Harris (5) is tackled by Ragland’s Montana Campbell (2), Brody Bice (10) and Elijah Ball (12) during the Bulldogs’ 35-0 win in high school football on Aug. 23 at AHS. (Gary Hanner/St. Clair Times) By Gary Hanner/St. Clair Times Things did not go well for the Ragland Purple Devils in their season

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Will Noles (left) runs for a first down as Joe Tucker (8) blocks Coosa Christian’s Cadden Moore during the Warriors’ 50-24 victory in high school football on Aug. 22 in Rainbow City. (Gary Wells)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Drew Noles Era at Westbrook Christian started off with a bang on August 22. After turning

Photo: West End quarterback Eli Pearce prepares to pitch the ball during the Patriots’ 56-14 loss to Susan Moore on Aug. 22 in Blountsville. (Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter) By Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter A sign on the fence along the Susan Moore High School sideline featured the message “The Bite is Back.” The

GADSDEN CITY SENIORS. Pictured, first row, from left: Kenneth Mabry, Arlando Jennings, Sam Day, Martavious Baker, Eric Heard, Trey Blount. Second row, from left: Korey Isom, Khalil Marshall, Quinton Densmore, Jovan Sumpter, Jackson Veasy, Jalen Robinson, Jakari Embry. Third row, from left: Allen Merrick, Phillip Hunter, Paden New, Daniel Sparks, DeRickey Wright, Levi Adams. (Courtesy of

SOUTHSIDE SENIORS. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Mahmood Abbassi, Zeke Hefner, Coleman Scales, Darryance Wofford, Jance Vaughn, Gage Lowman. Standing, from left: Austin Schatz, Colton Morrison, Bailey Sparks, Nolan Johnson, Malachi Leath, Chance Moon. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Answer: 4,613 yards and 51 touchdowns. Question: What did Southside’s recently graduated standout halfback produce over the

By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Despite the graduation of most of a record-setting defense unit and the cross-county transfer of an SEC commitment, first-year Etowah head coach John Holladay likes what he has at his disposal for the upcoming season. “We do have some guys with experience coming back but we’ve got to establish some depth on

SARDIS SENIORS. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Justin Fuller, Luke Morris, Mason Golden, Henry Chavez, Mason Smith, Tre Dalrymple, Reece Lee. Standing, from left: Brayden Bridges, Dylan Metcalf, Michael Turner, Brandon Noblett, Temon Wilson, Jacob Hopper, Wyatt Samples, Jay Owens, Will Love, Ray Perez. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Sardis High’s inaugural season of Class 5A

HOKES BLUFF SENIORS. Pictured, front row, from left: Dylan Boatner, Ryan Coggins, Austin Roebuck, Matthew Jones, Mikell Mooneyham, Clay Rainey, Darrian Meads, Noah Word, Josh Jones. Back row, from left: Coby Latham, Lake Gilbert, Austin Elder, Pete Jackson, Tucker Marsh, Tristan Billingsley, Ashton Gulledge. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor With the Darrian Meads Era entering

GLENCOE SENIORS. Pictured, from left: Will Harrison, Conner Gray, Jeremy Thompson. (Not pictured: Daniel Maye) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Despite a 1-9 start as Glencoe High head football coach, Brian Alred’s core philosophy remains intact. “Physicality and discipline is what you build a winning program on,” said the 1998 GHS graduate and all-county linebacker for the

WESTBROOK SENIORS. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Andrew Lockridge, Steven Smith, John Reese Bellew, Will Edwards, Jai’Shawn Cattling, Brandon Foster, Quinn Morrison, head coach Drew Noles. Standing, from left: Will Vice, Brandon Morgan, Baylor Tennyson, Derek Graham, Ethan Hart, Phillip Morrison, Josh Osagatharp, John Harvey, Brett Fouts. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Entering his 20th year

GASTON SENIORS. Pictured, sitting, from left: Mason Reeves, Alex McArthur, Garren Brown, Wes Simmons, Gage McArthur. Standing, from left: Cole Wadsworth, Malaikah Warren, Quoy Ransaw, Jayden Dupree. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Gaston head football coach Swane Morris is confident that his program’s 2019 edition contains a bit more ammunition in its arsenal than in

WEST END SENIORS. Pictured, from left: Jackson Tidmore, Levi Armstrong, Mason Barrett, Jeremiah Roberson, Adam Bates. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Following an offseason of reflection and reassessment, Kyle Davis believes he has his finger on the pulse of the 2019 Patriots. “We talked a lot during the offseason about what we wanted to be

COOSA CHRISTIAN SENIORS. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Adam Flannery, Carston Lipscomb, Dartavious Britton. Standing, from left: Reece Myrick, Clay West, Trevor Horn. (Photo by Chis Westcott)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Let the Rod Cates Era begin. Coosa Christian’s latest head football coach inherits a program that has made the postseason the past three years. The Conquerors

ASHVILLE SENIORS. Pictured, kneeling, from left: Jaiden Colley, Curt Kirkland, Nathan Phillips, Nathan Williams, Ty Armstrong. Standing, from left: Lane Tibbs, DeAndre Woods, Cam Tillman, Derrick Walker, Jamal Nichols, Cain Palmer, Hunter Hirsh. (Photo by Nick Wilson)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The best thing said about Ashville’s 2018 season is that the Bulldogs experienced a good

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent West Division predictions Alabama (12-0, 8-0) Over/under 11 Projected wins: Duke, New Mexico State, at South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Ole Miss, at Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, at Mississippi State, Western Carolina, at Auburn Projected losses: none No one would dare suggest this to Nick Saban, but at this point, the

Photo: Taylor Spradley (left) and Jaylen Freeman block a shot during a recent Gadsden State volleyball practice. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The 2019 Gadsden State volleyball team has a good blend of experience and youth with eight sophomores and six freshmen, and head coach Connie Clark hopes that will lead to good depth. “I’m

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Georgia (11-1, 7-1) over/under 11 Projected wins: at Vanderbilt, Murray State, Arkansas State, Notre Dame, at Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri, Texas A&M, at Georgia Tech Projected losses: Auburn Kirby Smart has swiftly turned Georgia into an annual contender, with the Bulldogs being favored in every regular season game in

Photo: Glencoe Cornhole Tournament participants get ready to toss the beanbag last Saturday (Aug. 10) at E.C. Wilson Park. The event was a benefit for the Glencoe High School softball program. (Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor When Tommy Stanley took over as head coach of the Glencoe High School softball team three years ago, one

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Alabama Coach: Nick Saban; 13th season at Alabama, 232-62-1 overall 2018 record: 14-1 There’s no safer bet in college football right now than Alabama winning at least 11 games in the regular season. The Crimson Tide have won at least 11 games in every season since 2010, when they finished 10-3.

Photo: Members of the Glencoe High School varsity volleyball team gather for a photo during the FCA Etowah County Volleyball Media Day on Aug. 2 at Southside Baptist Church. Pictured, from left: Morgan Lasseter, Mandy McGinnis, Hannah Whittenberg, Madalin Gorham, GHS FCA sponsor/coach Drew Hall, Brianna Beyerle, Lexi Gray, Aubrey Gray. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris

Photo: Dr. Adam Shaw with Northeast Orthopedics Sports Clinic and Physical Therapy (pictured at far left) conducts a seminar during the annual NEO Coaches Symposium on Aug. 2 at Southside High School. (Kaitlin Fleming/Messenger) By Kaitlin Fleming/Staff Writer In a few short weeks, the local football season will be in full swing, and with that