Photo: Seven Southside seniors signed college athletic scholarships on Dec. 4 in the school auditorium. Pictured, sitting from left: Hayes Cosby, Southern Union, soccer; Corbin Driskell, Marion Military, baseball; Justin Lovoy, Snead State, golf; Caleb Gallagher, Freed Hardeman, track and field. Standing, from left: Jamin Brown, Duke University, football; McCade Wright, Jacksonville State, football; Camren Thompson, UAB, soccer. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher
Seven Southside High seniors recently reaped the benefits of their academic and athletic achievements.
Hayes Cosby, Corbin Driskell, Justin Lovoy, Caleb Gallagher, Jamin Brown, McCade Wright, and Camren Thompson signed college scholarships on Dec. 4 in the school auditorium.
“This is an exciting day for our student-athletes, for our athletic program and our school,” said SHS baseball coach Shane Chappell. “As coaches, we strive to win games, but at the end of the day, our job is to put our students in the best possible position to be successful later in life.”
Jamin Brown, Duke University, football
Brown, who also considered offers from Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, will enroll in the 2025 spring semester at Duke.
“Academics has definitely been the most important part of school for me, because at the end of the day, football always ends at some point,” said Brown, who plans on studying engineering. “Every time I visited [Duke], I just loved the place, and eventually I couldn’t see myself going anywhere else.”
Brown, who transferred in from Glencoe prior to his sophomore year, appreciated the help provided by current head football coach Ben Stewart and former head coach Miles Holcomb. Stewart replaced Holcomb as the beginning of 2024.
“Coach Holcomb was the first person to ever tell me that I could go play Power 5 football. He was also there when I got my first-ever scholarship offer. I’ve learned so much about football in general from Coach Stewart. It meant a lot that he was so personable with me and showed me how to look at football from a greater point of view, and I really respect him for that. Both coaches changed my life and inspired me for the future.”
This past season, Brown graded out at 93 percent with 71 pancake blocks and 51 nasty blocks as the Panthers went 6-5, finished second in the region and made the state playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. He will compete in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Mobile. Brown made the ASWA Class 5A All-State second team in 2023 and was selected to the 2023 All-Messenger first team.
“This year was not only my first year as a head coach; it was my first year to be involved with someone as smart as Jamin,” said Stewart. “He’s probably the smartest football player I’ve ever been around. Not only that, he’s been able to lead not only the other offensive lineman but the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. That’s the reason that Jamin will compete for a starting position at Duke next year. Going to Duke is an opportunity that most people don’t get, and nobody deserves it more than him. Do I think that Jamin has the ability to play in the NFL one day? I sure do. He has the size, the ability, the smarts and work ethic to make that happen.”
McCade Wright, Jacksonville State, football
This past season, Wright finished with 58 tackles, including seven for a loss and seven sacks. He also caught a touchdown pass in Southside’s victory over Gadsden City in Week 8.
“My dream growing up was to play college ball, and I did it, so it’s an amazing feeling,” said Wright, who plans on studying business finance. “I like how the [JSU football] program is constantly improving, and they have a really good fan base.”
Wright verbally committed to UAB earlier this year before signing with JSU.
“I don’t think Jacksonville State realizes what they’re getting in McCade,” said Stewart. “I told (JSU head football coach) Rich Rodriguez that McCade is the caliber of player who can go to a Power 5 school, so he had better treat him right.
“McCade and I were kind of in the same boat this season, because this was my first year as a head coach and it was basically McCade’s first year of playing high school football. Seeing him come back from a fractured back was an amazing thing to witness. That’s not the easiest thing to recover from, and he could have whined and complained about it, but that never happened, not one time. He went back and forth about where he wanted to go to (college), and I told him that whatever would be best for him and his family would be the right decision. I’ve never met a young man of his age who knows what he wants to do and knows what he has to do to get there.”
Camren Thompson, UAB, soccer
Thompson is a true local product in club soccer, having come up through the Rainbow City-based Coosa and Rush leagues before transferring to Alabama FC out of Birmingham.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to compete at the level, and I can’t wait to see how I’ll di at UAB,” said Thompson, who is considering studying kinesiology. “If I can just make an impact during my freshman year, I’ll be happy. I’ve always wanted play at the highest level I could, and playing Division I soccer is a dream come true.”
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. Thompson was named to the Super All-State first team and Class 5A All-State first team in 2023 and 2024 and was selected Player of the Year of the All-Gadsden Area Team. He is a two-time All-Area MVP. In July, he was named MVP after finishing with two goals and an assist in the North’s 4-1 victory in the North/South All-Star boys soccer match. Thompson currently has 84 goals for his varsity career while helping the Panthers go 67-4.
“I’ve had some great players in my 37 years as a coach, including several who have signed college scholarships, and Camren is the best soccer player I’ve ever coached,” said SHS boys soccer coach Randy Vice. “This is an outstanding young man who I’ve coached over the last seven years at one level or another. Camren’s not just a great player; he’s a great person and a great student who carries a 4.5 GPA.”
Considering that Southside lost to Guntersville by a 1-0 score in the 2024 state semifinals, the 2025 goal for Thompson and his teammates is nothing less than a state championship.
“I know that we can do it,” he said. “We’re going to be strong and phy-sical, and we’ll be able to play with the top tier teams that some people say are better us. I’m ready to go out there and dominate this year.”
Hayes Cosby, Southern Union, soccer
Cosby’s career record at Southside is 45-8-2, including 12 shutouts. He has allowed only 38 goals during his varsity career while making 210 saves. He was selected to the All-Greater Gadsden Area team in both 2023 and 2024 and made the Class 5A All-State first team in 2024. With Cosby in goal, Southside has won three straight area championships and made it to the Elite Eight three consecutive seasons, including an appearance in the Final Four in 2024.
“Just being able to continue playing the sport I love at the next level is a huge blessing,” said Cosby, who will focus on general studies in order to get in his core classes. “I like [Southern Union’s] campus, which is close to home, and it’s close to Auburn. [Southern Union] has good coaches and good players who can challenge me to be a better player. I also know that [Southern Union soccer] Coach [Taylor] Jones would be able to develop me.”
Cosby career as a goalkeeper began as a 10-year-old after he volunteered for the position during a Coosa League girls’ game.
“I played well, and then I played a game [in goal] for the boys team,” he said. “I ended up loving being in there. Taking away someone’s chance to score is very empowering, and it’s fun to make a save that no one thinks you can make. You also have to be totally mentally focused, which gets you into the flow of the game.”
Cosby is also a member of the school’s varsity basketball team.
“Hayes is one of the best goalkeepers, if not the best goalkeeper, I’ve ever coached,” said Vice. “I’ve coached soccer for 37 years, so that tells you something. You don’t accomplish what this program has over the past three years without having a goalkeeper who can play, and Hayes can play. This young man has played soccer at one level or another since the seventh grade, and he’s done an outstanding job for us at Southside. He also has a 4.5 GPA, which is the most important part.”
Like Thompson, Cosby sees the 2025 Panthers as a top contender for the state championship.
“It’s going to be a challenge being in 6A and it’s a tough area with Gadsden City and Fort Payne, but we’ll be ready for that.”
Caleb Gallagher, Freed Hardeman University, track and field
Gallagher’s promising 2024 season was cut short after he suffered a fractured hip in April.
“I’ve been working extremely hard for this [scholarship], so it feels great,” said Gallagher. “It’s been good to get back up and running, so I’m excited for this season. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
The multi-talented Gallagher competes in four events for the Panthers – the long jump, triple jump. 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. At the Etowah County Schools Meet this past April, he was named MVP after winning all four of his events – the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump. It was the program’s seventh consecutive county title, not counting the canceled COVID-19 season of 2020.
“Caleb is very deserving of this, because he dedicated himself to track and field,” said SHS track and field coach Ray Cargill. “He’s been in the program for six years, so he started at a young age,” “For me, his transformation has been remarkable. In my eyes, Caleb is an all-star, because not only can he do any [event], he excels at it. For an example, last year he said he’d try the 110-meter hurdles, and he ended up setting the school record in that event. That will always be something that he can go back to. I know that Caleb will do extraordinary things at Freed Hardeman, and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Gallagher already had a strong connection to Freed Hardeman, as his parents are both graduates of school.
“They also have the major I wanted, the ministry, as well as a really good track and field team. I also love the campus.”
Justin Lovoy, Snead State, golf
This past season, Lovoy finished first place at the Class 5A Section 3 Tournament and qualified for state. In July, he competed in the North/South All-State golf match, in which he and partner Cam Mahalthey of Huntersville tied St. Paul’s Will Conwell and Smiths Station’s Ben Halverstad to help the North team produce a 39-33 victory. Lovoy has won numerous tournaments, including the Greater Gadsden.
“I’m really looking forward to kicking off my collegiate career,” said Lovoy, who plans on majoring in business. “I’ve been playing competitive golf for 11 years, so I’ve been doing it since I was six years old. Its definitely been a goal to play at the next level, and I want to take it as far as I can go.”
According to SHS golf coach Jake Nichols, Lovoy’s stroke average this past season was below 74.
“I’m very proud of Justin for his accomplishment of getting to play at the next level,” said Nichols. “I remember him as a skinny seventh grader who could barely reach some of the par-4’s that we had to play. I knew from watching him play for the first time that he was an extremely talented young man. The feel and the touch that he had was uncommon for anyone at that age. His speed and power caught up to that as he grew, and there’s not a shot he needs on a golf course that he can’t hit. He’s been a leader for our program who is always willing to help anyone on the team. But the one thing that I’ll remember about Justin is how much he loves what he does. I’ve never seen Justin go through a practice round where it felt like work, and that’s a testament to how he approaches everything that he does.”
Lovoy will have some familiar faces on the Parson roster with 2024 Southside graduate Jake Kilgo and 2024 Westbrook Christian graduate Eli Edge.
“With [Snead States’] plans for me and they way they treated me, I just felt that it was the best place for me,” said Lovoy. “But I’ve been blessed to play for such a great high school. Coach
Nichols is a great coach who taught me a lot.”
Corbin Driskell, Marion Military, baseball
“Not many people get this opportunity, so I’m blessed to be able to play at the next level,” said Driskell, who plans on studying physical the-rapy. “Compared to the others places I was looking at, [Marion] gave me a lot more freedom, scholarship-wise. They also said that I could go in there and be a Day 1 starter type of guy. I wanted to go someone where I could play right away and get better instead of watching from the bench.”
Playing at pitcher, catcher and first base last season, Driskell finished with a .333 batting average, 35 hits, 32 RBI, 10 runs and 18 walks while helping the Panthers go 20-18 and reach the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
This past summer, Driskell was an assistant coach for the Coosa 12U All Stars, which won a second straight Alabama state championship and qualified for the Little League World Series Southeast Region Tournament.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching Corbin for years,” said Chappell. “We brought him up to junior varsity as an eighth grader and has been a full-time starters the past three years. He’s had a great career here, and he has all the makings to put up some big numbers this year. I think what sets Corbin apart is who he is as a person. He works hard every day and love his teammates and is willing to give back. The good thing about being at Southside High School is that we have a lot of young men and women like Corbin who do the right things and set good examples and are a pleasure to coach.”
