Photo: Southside High’s Camren Thompson (10) heads in a first-half goal during the North’s 4-1 soccer win over the South on Wednesday, July 18 in Montgomery. (Josh Bean/For AHSAA)
Southside’s Thompson, Westbrook’s McHugh named MVPs
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Several local high school rising seniors participated in the recent AHSAA North/South All-Star Sports Week in Montgomery.
Boys soccer
Southside’s Camren Thompson was named North MVP after finishing with two goals and an assist in the North’s 4-1 victory on Wednesday, July 18 at Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex.
Springville’s Trey Byrd broke a 1-1 deadlock when he scored on Randy Cortes’ assist early in the second half. Cortez scored nearly nine minutes later on Thompson’s assist. Thompson finished the scoring when he found the back of the next off a pass from John Carroll Catholic’s Sebastian Guerrero.
Thompson scored the game’s opening goal on a header off a corner kick by Briarwood Christian’s Sawyer Felton in the fourth minute. The South scored the equalizer just before halftime when Spanish Fort’s Ethan Spuler scored an unassisted goal.
The South played a man down for the final 12 minutes, as Fairhope’s Patrick Burns received a second yellow card and was ejected.
The victory improves the North’s lead in the boys’ all-time all-star series to 16-4-1.
This past season, Thompson scored 54 goals and had 15 assists while helping the Panthers to a 25-3-1 record, a final regular season ranking of No. 1 in the Class 5A coaches’ poll and the program’s first-ever berth in the Final Four in Huntsville. Southside also won the first-ever Etowah County Soccer Tournament and Rainbow City Classic Tournament. He was named Super All-State first team Class 5A All-State and was selected Player of the Year of the All-Gadsden Metro Team.
Girls soccer
Southside’s Kinsey Carter had three shots on goal in the North’s 4-1 win over the South on Wednesday, July 18 at Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex.
The North scored two goals in each half en route to the win. With the victory, the North improved its lead in the series 19-3-1.
This past season, Carter was named to the Class 5A All-State first team after finishing with 26 goals and 19 assists. She helped the Lady Panthers go 20-7 and make it to the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs. Southside also won the first-ever Etowah County Soccer Tournament.
Softball
Southside’s Jalyn Allen participated in the North’s 3-0 loss and 11-11 tie on Wednesday, July 18 at the Lagoon Park Softball Complex.
Coming on in relief in Game 2, she recorded the final out of the game with the bases loaded. In three innings, she scattered nine hits, five earned runs and one walk while striking out two. She also played at first base earlier in the game.
This past season, Allen had 128 strikeouts and a 4.40 earned run average in 175 innings while posting a 25-6 record. She helped the Lady Panthers go 29-12-1, win the Class 5A Area 13 Tournament championship and finish a game shy of the state tournament.
Boys basketball
Gaston’s Mica Merriman and Gadsden City’s Devin Barksdale helped the North squad rally from a six-point halftime deficit to post a 97-85 over the South on Tuesday, July 16 at the Montgomery Multiplex.
In 17 minutes of action, Barksdale scored 13 points along with one rebound, one assist and one block. In 13 minutes of game time, Merriman contributed four points, three rebounds and one assist.
This past season, Merriman averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds while helping the Bulldogs go 24-7, win an area championship and qualify for the regional finals for the first time since 2005.
Girls tennis
Sardis’s Jayden Johnson and partner Riley Edwards of Hewitt-Trussville defeated Houston Academy’s Kenza Bilbeisi and Providence Christian’s Owen Thompson, 6-2, 6-1, in No. 3 doubles on Tuesday, July 16 at the Lagoon Park Tennis Complex. Due to weather conditions, the event’s six singles matches were not completed and the event was called without declaring an overall winner.
This past season, Johnson won the No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles title to help the Lady Lions win the sectional championship.
Boys cross country
Southside’s Evan Christopher finished fourth out of a field of 19 runners at the boys cross country 5K competition on Tuesday, July 16 at Gateway Park.
Christopher crossed the finish line with a time of 16:08.68, behind teammates John Shoemaker of Oak Mountain (15.39.27) and Luke Alverson of James Clemens (15:50.83) and William Porr of McGill-Too-len-Catholic (15:56.28).
Christopher was the Class 5A state runner-up last season and a two-time Etowah County Schools Meet winner. He set the school 5K mark last year with a time of 15:29.
Boys golf
Westbrook Christian’s Cove McHugh and Southside’s Justin Lovoy competed for the North boys golf team which produced a 39-33 victory on Monday, July 15 at Arrowhead Country Club.
McHugh and partner A.J. Bradford of Athens Bible earned MVP honors for the North after beating Bayside Academy’s Luke Ferguson and St. Paul’s Episcopal’s Walter Hensley, 11-7, in a head-to-head dual match. Lovoy and partner Cam Mahalthey of Huntersville tied St. Paul’s Will Conwell and Smiths Station’s Ben Halverstad.
McHugh helped Westbrook win its third straight state golf championship this past season, while Lovoy took first place at the Class 5A Section 3 Tournament.
Baseball
Etowah’s Jameson Scissum competed for the North baseball team, who lost to the South, 4-1 on Monday, July 15 at Riverwalk Stadium. Game 2 was halted in the first inning to due weather conditions. Scissum had a hit and a stolen base in two plate appearances.
The North picked up its only run in the top of the sixth when Brannon Oliver of Fort Payne walked and later scored on a double by Gordo’s Jase Neel. Scott Brackett of Gadsden City was a North assistant coach.
Scissum was named to the All-Messenger baseball second team pitching staff this past season after finishing with a 2.00 ERA, 44 strikeouts, 18 walks and a 5-2-1 record while helping the Blue Devils each the second round of the state playoffs.
