Sports

By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor One local girls high school soccer player made the first team and three others were named to the second team of the Alabama Soccer Coaches Association’s 2020 all-state girls soccer team. For the Lady Panthers, Makayla Moore (pictured above) was selected to the Class 4A/5A first team. She finished the abbreviated 2020

A close call, flipping the grass and gone in 30 seconds It was an eventful week of fishing over the past seven days. Weather changes and boaters were major factors. We had two larger tournaments this past weekend, so it was take-a-number-and-wait-to-fish in most places during the day. Adding to that the Coosa River was

Learning the hard way to be self-sufficient Although I have learned in life to ask questions, there occurred an early experience where I did not practice the art of asking enough significant questions. My dad often took me deer hunting, and we spent many days down at the Goodyear Hunting Club. I’d listen to stories of

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Matt Harris is leaving Sand Mountain for Shinbone Ridge. The Sardis High School assistant football coach recently was named head football coach at Gaston. Harris replaces Swane Morris, who resigned earlier this year to become an assistant coach at Pierce County High School in Blackshear, Ga.

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Southside High’s Isaac Franklin and Westbrook Christian’s Jai’Shawn Cattling and Will Edwards recently were named to the Alabama Soccer Coaches Association’s 2020 all-state boys soccer team. Franklin was selected to the Class 4A/5A team, while Cattling and Edwards were named to the Class 1A-3A team. A

Photo courtesy of Gadsden State  Article courtesy of AL.com Gadsden State men’s basketball coach Deddrick Tarver has a significant hole to fill on his staff. This past week, Kory Walker, Tarver’s top assistant and a 1999 Gadsden High School graduate, was hired as boys head basketball coach at Class 6A Decatur High School. Gadsden State

Photo: Will Clemons and the 2021 Hokes Bluff baseball team will compete in Class 3A (Courtesy of Alex Chaney) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Some local high school sports teams found themselves in new area and region alignments, others stayed put and a few programs were discontinued following the release of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s

Uncooperative fish and commiserating with The Bergens My brother and I fished a tournament this past Wed-nesday afternoon. Our efforts were to no avail, then than laughing at not getting bites and putting up with each other complaining about not getting any bites. We had a good turnout for the tournament, and, as always, Chief

Tweety Birds and the East Gadsden National Forest I started hunting at a very young age. My dad took me squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail and deer hunting and he did a good job of making it fun for me. We lived in East Gadsden, so my early years were spent navigating The East Gadsden National

Photo: Pictured is 2016 Gadsden City graduate Darnell Mooney competing in a 2015 high school football game. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Darnell Mooney is taking his gridiron skills to the Windy City. The 2016 Gadsden City High School graduate recently was taken by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2020 National Football League

Crowded Coosa, frog bites and one that got away This past weekend on the lake was interesting, for sure. We had two tournaments of over 100 boats each day as well as several smaller tournaments. It seemed as if the river was churning like a washing machine with all those boats, but it looked like

True love and wild pigs in Marengo County Happy Mother’s Day! I am blessed with a wonderful mother who has always supported me, whether it be hunting, work or whatever. I love her and appreciate who she is and what she stands for. Thank you, God, for my mother! When our boys were too young

Let’s 86 the Coosa River Cutoff I managed to get out on the river this week between working at Silver Lakes golf course and being a grandpa. As always, it is a privilege to be on Neely Henry Lake throwing a jig in shallow water and catching a few fish. While I was out fishing,

You can never have enough Ptarmigan buckets My name is Bobby Dale Welch. I was born and raised in East Gadsden by Bobby and Pat Welch and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1988. My sister, Deidra Holland, works for the Gadsden City Schools System. My wife Tracie and I live in Ashville with our

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Although this year’s spring sports season ended in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, senior Isaac Franklin left an impression on various soccer fields in northeast Alabama. The Southside High senior striker recently was named Player of the Year for the 2020 All-Etowah County boys

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Ashley Morgan did not miss a beat after two full seasons away from competitive soccer. The Glencoe High senior forward recently was named Player of the Year for the 2020 All-Etowah County girls soccer team. Nominations were submitted by area coaches and the team was

Allow me to preface this article with a disclaimer. I am no writer by any means, and only a fair fisherman. So obviously I am the first choice to come up with some sort of weekly fishing article for The Messenger. I truly believe I may be the only fisherman Chris knows, so here I

Photo: Jason Shields, pictured during a 2019 game, recently resigned as head coach of the Hokes Bluff High School girls basketball team to accept the women’s head basketball coach position at Snead State. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor After 23 years and almost 700 games of coaching varsity high school girls and boys,

By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Etowah High School football program is locked and loaded for the future. During the Attalla City School Board meeting on April 9, Ryan Locke (pictured above) was hired as the school’s 29th head football coach. Locke was named interim head coach following John Holladay’s resignation in early March. “It’s exciting, it’s

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Jai’Shawn Cattling’s senior year at the campus of Westbrook Christian may have ended prematurely due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, but his post-high school future recently received a shot in arm. Last month, Cattling (pictured above) was selected as the Bryant-Jordan Foundation’s Class 2A, Region 6

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Darrian Meads recently was notified that his high school football career is not quite finished. The Hokes Bluff High School senior was one of 74 players across the state selected to participate in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s North-South All-Star Football Game on July 15

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Although area high schools have closed their classrooms and athletic facilities for the remainder of the spring semester due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, a Glencoe High senior recently received a bit of good news. Anna Beth Giles (pictured above) was selected as the Bryant-Jordan Foundation’s

Photo courtesy of Mark Almond/al.com By Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter, Chris McCarthy Publisher/Editor Twin sisters Maggie and Marie Woodall of Fyffe made the All-DeKalb County girls basketball team following the 2019-20 season, during which they helped lead the Red Devils to their 21st area tournament championship and a 24-6 record. Basketball coaches in Jackson and DeKalb

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor A Panther and a Conqueror highlight the 2019-2020 All-Messenger boys and girls basketball teams. Southside’s Chris Lengyel and Coosa Christian’s India Brown were the respective girls and boys Player of the Year for the 2019-20 All-Messenger basketball team. A senior center, Brown averaged 18.5 points and

Photo: Former Gaston High head football coach Swane Morris (pictureed at center) instructs his players during a 7-on-7 scrimmage with Coosa Christian last July. Morris resigned his position last month to take an assistant coaching/teaching position at Pierce County, Ga. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor After 20 years and more than 100 victories as a

Released March 20 Baseball Class 7A 1. Mountain Brook 2. Hoover 3. Sparkman 4. Spain Park 5. Prattville 6. Bob Jones 7. Hewitt-Trussville 8. Baker 9. Florence 10. Oak Mountain Class 6A 1. Chelsea 2. Russell County 3. Cullman 4. Athens 5. Hueytown 6. Faith Academy 7. Hartselle 8. Saraland 9. Robertsdale 10. Gulf Shores

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Southside swept Sardis in a pair of tightly contest games between two Etowah County rivals last Saturday (March 14) at Danny League Field. The Lions (2-8) took a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth before the Panthers (9-7) answered with two runs in

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Hunter Burke slides into third base as Southside’s Landon Brasher applies the tag during the Eagles’ 9-8 victory in high school baseball last Saturday (March 14) at SHS. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Hokes Bluff held off a late Southside rally to knock off the Panthers, 9-8, in eight

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Southside softball celebrated an impromptu senior night with a pair of home victories over Etowah and Gadsden City on Saturday, March 14. As of last Tuesday (March 17), all spring athletics in the state of Alabama were postponed until at least April 6 as schools

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Haleigh Cashman finished first in the long jump event during a track and field meet at Lincoln High School on March 12. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Hokes Bluff girls track and field team took home 10 medals, including three first place gold, on the way to winning the Lincoln Open