Sarah Finnegan
Spain Park Girls Basketball VS McGill Toolen State Championship
Spain Park girls celebrate after the AHSAA Class 7A State Championship game against McGill-Toolen on March 3, 2018 at the Legacy Arena. The Lady Jaguars won 56-26 to take home the state title.
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
BASKETBALL
The Spain Park High School girls basketball team won the first Class 7A state championship in school history on Saturday in a dominating win over McGill-Toolen.
BASEBALL
Spain Park
The Spain Park High School baseball team dominated Shelby County on Monday, winning 11-1 in five innings. Jarrod Kennington and Colby Mills each drove in three runs, while Kennington and Adam Wygle had a pair of hits apiece. Sam Dozier hurled four innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run.
The Jags played a pair of games on Saturday and came away with a split. In the first game, Oxford ran away with a 10-1 victory. The Jags found some offense in the second game and beat Arab, 11-4. Matthew Moser led the way with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
Hoover
The Hoover baseball team split a pair of games with James Clemens on Tuesday. In the first game, James Clemens held on for a 3-2 victory after scoring all of its runs in the second inning. Peyton Wilson and Sam Sanford drove in the only runs for the Bucs and Scott Elgin went the distance on the mound. Hoover jumped out to a big lead in the second game and held on to win, 9-7. Preston Moore drove in four runs and picked up two hits, with Wilson and Evan Veal also registering multiple base hits.
Hoover picked up a set of convincing wins on Saturday. In an 11-4 win over James Clemens, Moore homered and drove in three runs, while Sanford brought home four runs. Moore homered again in the 12-2 victory over Northview and drove in three more runs. Sonny DiChiara also hit a homer and brought three runs across.
SOFTBALL
Spain Park
The Spain Park High School softball team started the week with a doubleheader on Tuesday night. The Jags knocked off Clay-Chalkville, 13-1, in the opener, as Kate Campbell pitched the complete five innings and allowed just one hit and an unearned run. Campbell and Maddie Majors drove in three runs apiece, as Majors hit a three-run homer in the first. Lindsay Parker drove in a pair of runs on two hits.
The Jags capped off the doubleheader with a 6-4 win over Tuscaloosa County, on the strength of two early homers. Annabelle Widra hit a two-run shot in the first inning and Caroline Wooley belted a grand slam the following inning. Alexis Anderson registered two hits as well.
Taylor Harrington committed to UAB. CJ Hawkins picked up her 800th win.
Spain Park hosted the Jag Classic over the weekend. In pool play, the Jags beat Fort Payne twice, by scores of 6-2 and 4-1. In the first game, Annabelle Widra and Savannah Rogers homered and Lindsay Parker had a two-run double. Kate Campbell surrendered one earned run in the circle. Alexis Anderson and Widra combined for the win in the circle in the second game.
The Jags advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday, but were unable to defend their Jag Classic title. They began the day with a 2-0 win over Brookwood, as Kate Campbell and Annabelle Widra combined for the shutout in the circle. They then beat Sumiton Christian, 10-1, behind homers from Maddie Majors, Caroline Wooley and Alexis Anderson. In a 5-4 loss to Oak Mountain, Majors hit another homer and drove in three runs.
On Tuesday evening, sophomore outfielder Taylor Harrington committed to UAB and coach Amanda Ellis.
Coach CJ Hawkins surpassed 800 career wins during the Sidney Cooper Invitational the weekend of Feb. 24-25.
SOCCER
Hoover
The Hoover girls soccer team defeated Briarwood, 2-1, on Tuesday. Sarah Harrell got the Lady Bucs on the board in the eighth minute of the second half. Briarwood countered with an Alex Broughton goal seven minutes later, before Hoover junior Nicole Kennedy secured the second goal and game-winner 22 minutes into the second half.
On Friday, the Hoover boys played a scoreless draw with Oak Mountain. Max Rudolph made two saves in goal for the shutout.
Saturday, the Lady Bucs took down the top-ranked 6A team, John Carroll, 3-2. John Carroll took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break, but Nicole Kennedy scored the equalizer and Kyla Shaw gave Hoover the lead with a goal. John Carroll tied the game again, but Mackenzee Smith found the back of the net to give the Lady Bucs the victory.
Hoover’s boys tied McGill-Toolen, 1-1, on Saturday. Nick Ibanez scored and was assisted by Vintage Narvaez on Hoover’s lone goal. Max Rudolph made nine saves in goal.
Spain Park
Spain Park girls soccer coach Robert Starr picked up his 300th career win on Wednesday night. On Thursday, Briarwood defeated the Spain Park boys, 3-2.
On Friday, the girls team fell to Vestavia Hills, 3-0.
TENNIS
The Hoover High girls tennis team beat Tuscaloosa County, 8-1, on Tuesday afternoon, as Angie Morales, Julia Keffer, Sarah Holditch, Emma Burch and Arya Tamhane all won their matches 6-0. The boys team swept Tuscaloosa County, 9-0. Josh Oakman, Zac Tucker, Kartik Patel, Jake Berg, Andrew Pierson and Spencer Bourn won individual matches.
Over the weekend, the Spain Park boys edged out Hoover for first place in the Decatur Invitational. Spain Park’s girls finished fourth.
— Who did we miss? What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
