Sports

Released March 12 Baseball Class 7A 1. Mountain Brook 2. Hewitt-Trussville 3. Bob Jones 4. Baker 5. Hoover 6. Florence 7. Sparkman 8. Prattville 9. Mary G. Montgomery 10. Spain Park Class 6A 1. Chelsea 2. Cullman 3. Russell County 4. Faith Academy 5. Hartselle 6. Athens 7. Hueytown 8. Robertsdale 9. Saraland 10. Benjamin

Photo: Southside High’s Grace Ann Clontz signed a bowling scholarship with Springhill College on March 4 at the SHS auditorium. Pictured, sitting, from left: dad David, Grace Ann, SHS bowling coach Zack Blume. Standing, from left: sisters Cora Lee, Jennifer and Jessica; mom Tiffany. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Several Southside High School seniors signed

Photo: Southside High’s Isaac Franklin (right) maintains his balance as Ashville’s Bruce Pantoja (16) defends during the Panthers’ 10-0 victory in boys soccer last Tuesday (March 10) at Barney Hood Stadium. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) Isaac Franklin scored goals four goals to lead Class 4A/5A No. 2 Southside to a 10-0 victory over Ashville in boys soccer

Southside High’s Camryn Davis (center) closes in on Ashville’s Taylor Knight as Meghan McCarthy (right) looks on during the Lady Panthers’ 10-0 victory in girls soccer last Tuesday (March 10) at Barney Hood Stadium. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)

Photo: West End’s Ty Taylor delivers a pitch during the Patriots’ 14-1 victory over Gaston last Monday (March 9) at GHS. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor West End battered the Gaston pitching staff for 15 hits on the way to a 14-1 victory in five innings last Monday (March 9) at Shinbone Ridge. Eli Pearce

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy A pair of Gadsden State basketball players recently received postseason honors. For the women’s team, Jalexis Russell (pictured above) was named to the All-Region 22 second team and the All-Alabama Community College Conference All-North Division second team. Corien Frazier was selected to the ACCC All-North Division second team. A

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 9 Review Auburn’s losses have all come in pairs so far this season. After last Saturday’s road loss at Kentucky, the Tigers lost at home for the first time all season against Texas A&M in a disappointing effort. Auburn is comfortably in the NCAA Tournament and likely will have

Three Etowah County natives are among the AASA Softball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. Tina Rood Hopper and Mike Delozier will be indicted in the Player category, while Clark Livingston is included in the Meritorious category. Collinsville’s Donny Jones will be inducted as a player. The AASA’s 29th induction banquet will be held on

Photo: Jalexis Russell scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Gadsden State’s 98-67 victory over Coastal Alabama South last Tuesday (March 3) in the quarterfinal round of the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament at Shelton State in Tuscaloosa. (Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor It was obvious last Tuesday (March 3)

Photo: Members of the Westbrook Christian varsity baseball team gather for a photo during the Etowah County Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ 2020 Media Day on Feb. 23 at Rainbow Presbyterian Church. Pictured, sitting, from left: Andrew Dutton, Brett Vice, Samuel Dutton. Standing: head coach Matt Kennedy. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor A

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 8 Review Auburn might not be as strong as last year when the Tigers made a run to the Final Four, but this team is as resilient as any in the country. Auburn trailed Tennessee by 17 points in the second half on Saturday but battled back and won

Photo: Members of the Southside High School varsity softball team gather for a photo during the Etowah County Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ 2020 Media Day last Sunday (Feb. 23) at Rainbow Presbyterian Church. Pictured, sitting, from left: Kaylee Brown, Lynnsey Hunt, Alexis Rennhack, Austyn Patterson, Savannah Yancey. Standing: head coach Brett Yancey.

Photo: Southside High School head football coach Gary Nelson introduces his family during a meet and greet session last Sunday (Feb. 22) at the SHS library. Pictured with Nelson are wife Stefanie, son Sam and daughter Lucy. (Cole Frederick/Messenger)  By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Although new Southside High football coach Gary Nelson has not yet conducted

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy The Southside High softball team went 3-1 at the Albertville Invitational Tournament last Saturday (Feb. 22). The Lady Panthers defeated Ardmore, 13-9; Grissom, 4-3; and A.P. Brewer, 9-5, before losing to the host Lady Aggies by a score of 6-5. Against Ardmore, Macey Herren went 2-for-3 with a home

Photo: Coosa Christian senior India Brown signed a basketball scholarship with Shelton State on Feb. 22. Pictured, sitting, from left: brother London Marbury, India, mom Breshelle Pearson, dad Anthony Brown. Standing, from left: Coosa Christian girls basketball coach Jayme Hollingsworth, Shelton State womens head basketball coach Madonna Thompson, Shelton State womens assistant basketball coach Chris

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 7 Review As it turns out, Auburn is not as good without its best player on the floor. Isaac Okoro’s injury has led to two straight Auburn losses at Missouri and at Georgia, and while those losses do not necessarily hurt the Tigers, they don’t need those two defeats

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Maddie Smith (left) protects the ball from Oneonta’s Virginia Ritchie during the Lady Eagles 56-38 loss in the Class 4A Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals last Monday (Feb. 17) at Jacksonville State. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent A 20-6 second quarter run propelled Oneonta to a 56-38 victory over Hokes

Photo: Southside High’s Savannah Nunn (right) drives to the basket as Boaz’s Savannah Wood defends during the Lady Panthers 46-33 loss in the Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals last Saturday (Feb. 15) in Jacksonville. (Courtesy of Gary Wells) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent The Southside High girls basketball team’s season came to an end at Jacksonville State’s

Photo: Gadsden City’s Cianni Rhodes (left) attempts a shot as Hoover’s Madison Adamson defends during Lady Titans’ 70-32 loss to Hoover in the Class 7A Northeast Regional Tournament finals last Tuesday (Feb. 18) at Jacksonville State. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Gadsden City High girls basketball team’s 2019-20 season came to an

Photo: Southside High junior Carnel Davis won the Class 1A-5A 170-pound state championship at the AHSAA state tournament last weekend in Huntsville. (Courtesy of Sally Staub)  Panthers’ Davis wins title, Finley finishes state runner-up By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor One local high school wrestler won a state championship, another was a state runner-up and several others earned

Photo: Glencoe High School senior Anna Claire Hipps signs a softball scholarship with Pensacola (Fla.) State on Feb. 14 at the GHS library. Pictured, from left: mom Amber, Anna Claire, dad Gary, sister Ella Kate. (Courtesy of Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Without so much as a plate appearance or a play in the outfield,

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 6 Review Bruce Pearl’s team never wants it to be easy, as four of Auburn’s last five games have made their way to overtime. Auburn prevailed in every game, but it’s hard to sustain that good fortune over the course of the year. The Tigers defeated Alaba-ma, 95-91, despite

Photo: Gadsden City’s Tenise Johnson (0) splits the Oak Mountain’s defense for a basket during the Lady Titans’ 47-38 victory over Oak Mountain in the Class 7A Northeast Regional Tournament basketball semifinals on Thursday (Feb. 13) at JSU. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Gadsden City weathered a late Oak Mountain rally to post

Photo: Southside High’s Ziniah Hardy drives to the basket during the Lady Panthers’ 49-37 victory over Springville in the Class 5A sub-regional basketball playoffs last Monday (Feb. 10). (Courtesy of Gary Wells)    By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent For the second consecutive season and the second time in school history, the Southside girls basketball team advanced

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Kristen Shields (20) drives to the basket during the Lady Eagles’ 40-32 victory over Talladega in the Class 4A sub regional girls basketball playoffs last Monday (Feb. 10). (Courtesy of Alex Chaney) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Kristen Shields had no intention of ending her last season of high school basketball on her home court.

Photo: Gadsden City’s Jakari Embry (pictured, center) finished fifth in the Class 7A boys 60-meter hurdles event at the AHSAA state indoor track and field meet on Feb. 7-8 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Although no local student-athletes took home a medal, there were several top 10 performances at the AHSAA

Photo: Westbrook Christian senior John Harvey signed a football scholarship with Birmingham Southern College on Feb. 6. Pictured, from left: dad Jeff, girlfriend Katelyn, John, sister Emily, mom Leslie. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor John Harvey will be playing college football just a few exits down I-59 South. The Westbrook Christian senior signed a scholarship

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Auburn Week 5 Review The Tigers enjoyed their best week of the season as they knocked off Kentucky at home and Arkansas on the road in overtime. Auburn pulled away from the Wildcats after being neck-and-neck for most of the game. Samir Doughty led the Tigers with 23 points and kept

Photo: Gadsden City High School seniors Trey Blount (pictured sitting at left) and Jakari Embry (sitting at right) signed football scholarships with Bethel (Tenn.) University last Wednesday (Feb. 5). Pictured with Blount and Embry is GCHS head football coach Ali Smith. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor A pair of Titans are headed to the Volunteer

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Senior guard Colton Morrison’s half court buzzer beater propelled Southside to a 48-46 victory over Etowah County rival Etowah in the semifinals of the Class 5A, Area 12 boys basketball tournament on Tuesday (Feb. 4) at Alexandria. The Panthers (17-10) led 37-34 after three quarters,