High school sports

Prep soccer: Nordan makes All-Star Sports Week roster

noreply@annistonstar.com (Star staff) — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:34:00 -0600

Faith Christian's Sydney Nordan made the North squad for the All-Star Sports Week soccer game July 16 in Montgomery.

State softball: White Plains can't get past Saks; turns focus to next season

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:27:00 -0600

Although White Plains was able to overcome its mental mistakes against second-ranked Good Hope to pick up a win over Straughn on Friday afternoon in the first round of the elimination bracket of the Class 3A state tournament, it was unable to overcome similar mistakes against seventh-ranked Saks on Saturday morning, falling 7-2.

State softball: Saks can’t overcome errors, bows out of state tourney after eliminating rival

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:23:00 -0600

Taylor West’s last pitch for Saks High School didn’t close out another state championship. It didn’t even happen on a softball diamond. It came minutes after seventh-ranked Saks committed nine errors in losing 6-0 to No. 5 Winfield in a state-tournament elimination game Saturday at Lagoon Park. This time, she spoke with her voice and not her right arm. After making her way to the team huddle, with her left shoe on and right shoe off, she threw her team a riser. “You all need to keep your heads up,” the senior told her now former teammates, piercing an awkward silence. “Nobody expected us to even be here.”

State softball: Saks eliminates White Plains from 3A bracket

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:54:00 -0600

Saks came out swinging the bats early and put pressure on White Plains, and three early errors helped Saks eliminate the Wildcats 7-2 in Saturday’s early action in the state softball tournament. Seventh-ranked Saks (33-15-1), the defending Class 3A champion, will play Winfield in a noon elimination game on Lagoon Park’s Field 5. No. 6 White Plains finished its season 33-15.

Wehunt, Indians knock off Pleasant Valley

noreply@annistonstar.com (Chris Brown) — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:25:00 -0600

The second time playing in the Calhoun County Gridiron Showcase was much more forgiving for Ohatchee head coach Nathan Wehunt. Last year, he took the head coaching job days before the spring game. This year, his Ohatchee Indians were able to pull out a 20-7 win over the Pleasant Valley Raiders before the scoreboard was wiped clean for the junior varsity in the fourth quarter. At the sound of the final buzzer, the Ohatchee junior varsity team was up 8-0 over Pleasant Valley’s junior varsity team.

State softball: Saks falls to Pisgah in 2nd round, will face White Plains again

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:11:00 -0600

Mental errors on the base paths and a physical error in the field cost Saks its second round game against top-ranked Pisgah, 1-0.

State softball: White Plains' bats awaken

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:01:00 -0600

Sixth-ranked White Plains came out aggressive at the plate after struggling in their Class 3A state tournament opener Friday and stayed alive with a 7-1 victory over Straughn. The victory followed a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Good Hope earlier in the day.

Jacksonville's Lyons wins NAIA scholar honor

noreply@annistonstar.com (Star staff) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:33:00 -0600

Jacksonville High grad Jake Lyons, a senior tennis player at Spring Hill, has received one of the top NAIA academic honors for the second straight year. Lyons received a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete award. He is one of 94 men's tennis players nationally to receive the honor.

State softball: Ragland offense goes cold in loss to Kinston

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:22:00 -0600

Ragland’s bats turned cold as morning went to afternoon, resulting in a 2-0 loss to top-ranked Kinston 2-0 in a winners' bracket game in the Class 1A state tournament.

State softball: Saks edges Winfield in 3A opener

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:18:00 -0600

It’s what was written in the scorebook as “unearned” that earned seventh-ranked Saks its 2-1 win over fourth-ranked Winfield in the Class 3A state tournament Friday afternoon.

State softball: White Plains' attack falls short against Good Hope

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:07:00 -0600

Sixth-ranked White Plains pitcher Anna Snider threw a complete-game two-hitter, but the Wildcats managed just three hits in a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Good Hope in their Class 3A state tourney opener Friday.

State softball: Ragland wins 1A opener

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:04:00 -0600

Fourth-ranked Ragland put together rallies in the sixth and seventh innings Friday morning to get past third-ranked Sumiton Christian 6-5 in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament.

Saks bests Weaver in Gridiron Showcase

noreply@annistonstar.com (Chris Brown) — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:03:00 -0600

In the Calhoun County Gridiron Showcase, Saks used a strong running game to rush past Weaver.

Joe Medley: Reason to smile? Wellborn's Butcher got her turn at bat

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:19:00 -0600

The best thing in Thursday’s opening day of the state softball tournament happened with little fanfare. It’s recorded wrong in AHSAA.com’s official pitch-by-pitch account. “Now batting: (8) #21 Tymeria Mackey,” the entry says of Wellborn’s leadoff hitter in the top of the fifth inning against Lexington. Two entries later, “Mackey hits a single.” The batter was actually a pinch-hitter named Megan Butcher. Those who know her story are no doubt delighted the little-used senior in her first year of softball got her moment on the state’s biggest stage, as Wellborn was making its first state-tourney appearance in softball since 2001.

State softball: Cherokee County out of 4A tournament

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:43:00 -0600

Cherokee County’s offensive slump continued Thursday, as the Warriors were unable to get anything going against Alabama Christian in a 3-0 loss. The defeat eliminated Cherokee County from the Class 4A state softball tournament.

State softball: Cherokee County drops into elimination bracket

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:05:00 -0600

It fell apart for Cherokee County in the top of the sixth when Haleyville’s offense exploded, going on to win a rematch of the 2012 championship game 4-0 in second round of the Class 4A state tournament Thursday.

State softball: Young Wellborn team falls in state tournament

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:39:00 -0600

Sparse hitting and base-running mistakes cost Wellborn on Thursday in the school’s first appearance in the state softball tournament since 2001. A team with one senior and six eighth-graders fell 5-2 to Goshen in their Class 2A bracket opener, and the Panthers fell 2-0 to Lexington in their elimination game at Lagoon Park. Wellborn finished its breakthrough season 22-19-1.

State softball: Big pitching performance lifts Cherokee County in 4A

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:27:00 -0600

Cherokee County didn’t do much offensively until the later innings Thursday morning in the Class 4A state tournament, but with the way Tori Davis pitched, the Warriors didn't need many runs to beat Oak Grove. Davis threw a three-hitter and struck out 15 batters as Cherokee County won 4-0 to advance to the second round.

State softball: Wellborn falls in 2A opener

noreply@annistonstar.com (Joe Medley jmedley@annistonstar.com) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:48:00 -0600

Base-running mistakes cost Wellborn in its opener in the Class 2A state softball tournament Thursday, and the Panthers lost 5-2 to Goshen. Wellborn will play the Mobile Christian-Lexington loser in an elimination game Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Lagoon Park.

White Plains softball looking to shake off past with state title win

noreply@annistonstar.com (Brandon Miller bmiller@annistonstar.com) — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:54:00 -0600

Five straight Class 3A, Area 8 regular-season and tournament championships and three straight years of advancing through regionals as the top qualifier isn’t helping the White Plains players sleep at night. Despite recent years of nothing less than success under coach Rachel Ford, the Lady Wildcats have not been able to get the big prize — a state title.