Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
SPK girls vs HV Class 7A Championship
The Spain Park Lady Jags reach out for AHSAA State Championship ball caps as they have photos made by the AHSAA after being named the Class 7A girls state champions following a game against Hoover on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 at Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. The Jags claimed the Class 7A state title after defeating Hoover 47-44. Photo by Erin Nelson
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 Hoover and Spain Park girls basketball teams faced off in the Class 7A state final for the second time in four years last Saturday, with Spain Park prevailing in an exciting finish. Click here for the story behind the Lady Jags' second title in three years.
On Thursday, Hoover and Spain Park both earned victories in the semifinals to set up the championship matchup.
BASEBALL
Hoover
The Hoover baseball team began last week on Tuesday with a 15-5 win over Helena. The Bucs scored three runs in the first inning and six in the second, with the outcome never being in doubt beyond that. Lucas Steele hit a home run, Evan Radford went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs, and Robby Ashford, Colby Davis, Davis Young and Lawrence Hammonds all drove in two runs each.
Hoover kicked off a big weekend on Friday with a 3-1 loss to Flowery Branch (Ga.) in a nine-inning game. The game was tied at 1-1 after seven innings and Flowery Branch scored a pair of runs in the ninth to win. Young drove in the lone run for the Bucs. Colson Lawrence was stellar on the mound, going eight innings and allowing one run on five hits, while striking out 10.
Hoover split a doubleheader on Saturday. The Bucs outlasted Helena 11-10 in eight innings, as Carter Short notched the walk-off hit in the extra inning. Cooper Prince had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Ethan Pomeroy and Davis each had two RBIs. Cullman shut out Hoover 7-0 in the second game.
Spain Park
Last Tuesday, the Oak Mountain baseball team knocked off Spain Park 9-4. Spain Park scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but Oak Mountain took the lead for good with five runs in the second. The top of the Eagles’ order did most of the damage. Davis Gillespie went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, Mitchell Pierce drove in three runs, and Jake Rivers was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Rivers also got the win on the mound, going five innings and allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits.
Spain Park got back on track on Thursday with a 6-2 win over Gadsden City. Carter Sidor drove in two runs for the Jags and Eli Copenhaver threw five solid innings in his start. He allowed one run on no hits and struck out four.
Spain Park split a doubleheader on Saturday. In a 5-3 win over Hueytown, Colton Ledbetter hit a home run and drove in two runs to support a strong pitching performance from Eli Mefford. He allowed just three hits and no runs in six innings of work. The Jags concluded the day with a 6-5 loss to Briarwood. Sidor registered three hits, including a double, and drove in a run.
SOFTBALL
Hoover
The Hoover softball team began last week’s play on Tuesday, as the Bucs took down Pelham 5-0 in a game at the University of Montevallo. Bucs pitcher Brookelyn Cannon was the star of the show, as she hurled the complete game, allowing just one hit and striking out 15 Panthers. Gracie Hillman, Emily Sims and Carolyne Hecklinski each drove in a run for Hoover.
Vestavia Hills earned a 3-1 win over Hoover on Wednesday evening. The Rebels scored single runs over the first three innings and held on. Mary Claire Wilson and Nikki Hammond contributed solo home runs to the cause. Charity Bibbs pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine. Cannon pitched three scoreless innings of relief for the Bucs and drove in the team’s lone run in the seventh inning.
Spain Park
The Spain Park softball team traveled to Oxford on Tuesday to play the Yellow Jackets at Choccolocco Park’s Signature Stadium. The Jags made a five-run first inning stand up in a 6-1 win. Annabelle Widra gave Oxford no breathing room, as she hurled the complete game, striking out 11 while only surrendering one run on two hits. Maggie Daniel doubled and drove in three runs for the Jags, while Oxford’s Alex Howard drove in her team’s lone run.
SOCCER
Hoover
The Hoover boys soccer team avoided the loss column during the week with a win and a tie. The Buccaneers tied with Grissom on Feb. 27, 1-1, but Hoover bounced back with a win over Enterprise on Feb. 29 with a 3-1 victory.
The Lady Bucs fell twice during the week to tough competition. Hoover lost to Mountain Brook 2-1 on Feb. 26 and then fell to Vestavia Hills on Feb. 28 by a score of 4-0. The Lady Bucs are now sitting at 3-3 on the season.
Spain Park
The Spain Park boys team finished the week perfect with a 2-0 record. The Jaguars posted an impressive win Feb. 25 over Oak Mountain 4-2. Spain Park rode the momentum of the first win into another win over Calera, 7-1 on Feb. 27. Spain Park is now 6-1-1 on the season.
The Lady Jaguars dominated its only competition of the week. Spain Park beat Calera 11-1 on Feb. 27 for the first win of the season.
TENNIS
Hoover
Hoover’s boys tennis team remained perfect on the year with a near sweep of Hewitt-Trussville. The Bucs put together an 8-1 win to improve to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the area.
The Lady Bucs also put together an 8-1 win over Hewitt-Trussville for their first area win. Hoover is now 4-0 on the season.
Spain Park
Spain Park posted another win for the boy’s tennis team and a close loss for the girls team against Thompson. The boys team swept Thompson 9-0 to improve to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in the area. The girls team narrowly lost by a 5-4 margin. The Lady Jaguars are now 5-4 on the year.
GOLF
Spain Park
The Spain Park girls golf team started the season with matches at Robert Trent Jones Highland Oaks in Dothan. Seventh-grader Carmen Britt hit a hole-in-one on the eighth for the Lady Jaguars.
The Lady Jaguars finished in second place at the Winter’s End Invitational at Ol’ Colony Tuscaloosa on Feb. 27. Marilyn Steed and Taylor Trible earned all-tournament team honors at the match.
The Spain Park boys golf team finished as the runner-up in the Joe King Memorial in Auburn. Slade McGraw finished in the top-10 as an individual, shooting a 149 in both rounds combined. The Jaguars had a 28-shot improvement from round one to round two.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.