MONTGOMERY – The AHSAA is saddened to learn of the death of AHSAA Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Miller, 88. The long-time Talladega High School basketball coach died at home Thursday, Sept. 13, after an extended illness. His son Chucky Miller, Talladega’s current head boys’ basketball coach, was among the family members at his side when he passed away.
“Coach Miller has meant so much to the young people and coaches in this state,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said. “He served as a member of the District 6 and AHSAA Central Boards and was a teacher and coach for almost four decades. His legacy will continue to live on. We offer our prayers and condolences to his family.”
Coach Miller, an Oxford High School and Jacksonville State graduate, won compiled a 704-250 career record in his high school coaching career. His son Chucky has also topped 700 wins and currently has a 733-332 record. They became the first father-son coaching duo to win 700 games each when the son won No. 700 in 2017.
Miller began his coaching career at Alexandria in 1956 and moved to Talladega in 1962 where he remained until 1988. He retired at Talladega with a 680-238 coaching record but came out of retirement and finished his career at Etowah. His teams won 16 county championships and made 11 trips to the state tournament. The Talladega High School gym is named in his honor.
Miller was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in its second class in 1992. He was also inducted into the Calhoun County and JSU Sports halls of fame.
Visitation will be Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at Usery Funeral Home located at 516 North Street East, Talladega (AL) 5160. The funeral service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Talladega. The address is 216 North Street East in Talladega.
MONTGOMERY – The 5,000-meter championship race at the Etowah County Trail Invitational high school boys’ cross country competition held at Noccalula Falls Course near Gadsden may have been a long-distance race. However, it came down to a photo finish last week when Briarwood Christian sophomore Trent Malloy nipped senior Chance Cofield of Albertville by just 27/100ths of a second to win the individual title.
Malloy clocked 18:31.25 to beat Cofield, who crossed the finish line at 18:31.52 to share the AHSAA Cross Country Spotlight for week three of the AHSAA prep cross country season.
The pair beat a field that totaled just over 200 runners. Albertville, coached by Logan Cornett, took first place with 39 points and Pleasant Valley was second with 75 points. Briarwood is coached by Aaron Margene.
The girls’ race was won by Abby Nunnelly, a 5-foot senior for Alexandria. She crossed the finish line at 22:26.11 in another close finish to nip runner-up Maddie Jackson of Fort Payne by 25 seconds. Jackson, a freshman, clocked 22:52.71 to help the Wildcats claim the team title with 24 points. Teammates Anahi Barboza, Aylin Vega, Mollie Sanderson and Abigail Vega were close behind at third, fourth, sixth and ninth, respectively. Barboza is an eighth grader, Anahi Vega, a sophomore, and Abigail Vega and Sanderson freshmen for Coach Ashley Jackson’s team. Pleasant Valley finished second with 78 points.
In other cross country highlights reported from last week’s action:
BOYS
WILL STONE, HOMEWOOD: The Patriots senior won the large-school division title at the 18th annual Chickasaw Trails Invitational meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park with a winning time of 15:37.19 in the 5,000-meter race. Mountain Brook senior Hunter Harwell was second crossing the finish line at 15:50.25. Both times were the fastest of the week for Alabama prep runners. Huntsville totaled 101 points to win the meet, one of the largest in the state annually in the regular season, that had 274 boys’ participants in the large-division race. Vestavia Hills had 127 points to finish second out of 39 schools participating, and Homewood was third with 140.
NICK SIEDERS, UNIVERSITY SCHOOL (TN): Ran 16:52.11 to win the small-school division of the 18th annual Chickasaw Trails Invitational meet at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. He helped his school from Nashville finished second behind winner Tupelo Christian (MS), which won with 76 points. University School had 79 and St. John Paul II Catholic of Huntsville was third with 80 points. Noah Flynn of St. John Paul II was third with a time of 17:07.03. The field included 33 schools and 297 runners.
GRAHAM BIANCHI, SPRINGVILLE: Helped the Tigers win the team title at the St. Clair County Invitational at Odenville with a winning time of 17:54.94 in the race that included 99 runners. John Niiler of Northridge was second at 18:07.59. Springville had 36 points and runner-up Stanhope Elmore had 90 among the nine teams participating.
DUSTYN LEWIS, GRISSOM: Clocked 10:10.99 to win the featured 2-mile race at the Bearcat 2-Mile Meet. Carson Levario-Slaten of Hartselle finished five seconds back to take second place in the field of 95 runners. Grissom won the team title with 50 points, and Cullman was second with 62.
GIRLS
McKENZIE HOGUE, THOMPSON: The Warriors senior won the large-school division race of the 18th annual Chickasaw Trails Invitational at Oakville Indian Mounds Park with a winning time of 18:31.28 in the 5,000-meter race. Sophomore Presley Miles of Saint James was second with a 19:15.04 time. The race included 233 participants representing 32 schools. Mountain Brook won the team title with 78 points, and Brentwood (TN) was second with 92.
ISABELLA ROWLAND, MONTGOMERY ACADEMY: The Eagles senior ran 20:47.37 to beat the field of 202 runners in the small-school division of the 18th Chickasaw Trails Invitational at Oakville. Junior Cassidy Winter of West Limestone was second with a 20:59.10 finish. St. John Paul II Catholic won the team crown with 106 points, and Montgomery Academy was second with 120. A total of 21 teams competed in the race.
MEGHIAN McCARTHY, ASHVILLE: She was the first runner to cross the finish line, clocking 22:29.51, and the Bulldogs scored 34 points to claim the title of the St. Clair County Invitational held at Odenville. Kathleen McCARTHY was second at 23:24.41, followed by St. Clair County teammates Taylor Knight and Emma Thompson, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the race of 45 participants. Northridge took second place with 52 points.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – More and more student-athletes are joining the 128 high school varsity girls’ and boys’ swim teams in Alabama. And, those Alabama High School Athletic Association swimmers are finding success beyond the confines of the pools in this state.
Wade Thaxton, swimming and diving coach at Bob Jones High School in Madison, said, “The state of swimming in Alabama is as good as it’s ever been. We are seeing more and more kids take it to college, it’s a good avenue for scholarships.”
Thaxton, who was an assistant for two boys’ state titles at Bob Jones and has been head coach for the past four years, said he was thrilled with the spirit his swimmers bring to the pool. “With high school swimming, it’s all about the team,” he said. “I asked my kids what was different between their summer league teams and our team and they told me, ‘We are together. We do things together besides what we do at the pool.’ One of my swimmers told me, ‘It is all about the school spirit, not just about yourself.’
“To see them celebrate with each other and the parents taking pictures, not of their swimmer in the pool but the team on the sidelines, that is really something that stands out.”
According to the latest reports, 72 AHSAA schools offer varsity girls’ swimming and 56 field boys’ teams. The 716 boys’ varsity swimmers is an 11.5 percent increase over the 2016-17 academic year. Girls’ participation jumped 3.8 percent to a total of 844 swimmers.
The Bob Jones swim teams do agility and weight training along with their work in the pool – which is at a local recreation center, since none of the Madison City Schools System teams have pools at school. “We practice five days a week, about 2½ hours a day,” Thaxton said. “Some of our kids also swim on their own, too. Sometimes in practice, I just want them to do sets for speed – ‘OK, just go as fast as you can on this, just get there.’ Other times, I ask them to go 60-70 percent so we can work on technique. They need individual instruction to know what they need to work on. It’s about doing every little thing that is going to make their time faster.”
Faster pays off for the high school teams – Bob Jones has won nine boys AHSAA championships, including seven straight in the 2000s, and one girls title in 2007 – and for the individual swimmers. Former Patriots standout Zach Harting, who now swims for the University of Louisville, won a bronze medal this year in the Pan Pacific Championships with a personal best time (1:55.01) after finishing second in the 2018 U.S. National Championships in the 200-meter butterfly.
High school swim season for the AHSAA began with the opening of practice on Aug. 6 with the first contests on Aug. 23. The sectional meets – in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile – are Nov. 16-17 with the State Meet set for Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Auburn University.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association, founded in 1921, is a private agency organized by its member schools to control and promote their athletic programs. The purpose of the AHSAA is to regulate, coordinate and promote the interscholastic athletic programs among its member schools, which include public, private and parochial institutions.
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(Photo of Kenya McWhirter; credit to Dennis Victory – AL.com)
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(Photo courtesy of the Montgomery Advertiser)
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama High School Athletic Association is saddened to learn of the death of long-time Trinity Presbyterian High School coach Jack Schweers, 74, who passed away Monday, August 27, after an extended illness.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said. “Jack Schweers had a tremendous positive impact on the lives of the many students he taught and was considered an icon in the community he served.
Schweers coached boys’ basketball and boys’ tennis for 24 years at Trinity. Schweers retired in the spring but not before leading the boys’ basketball team to a state title in 1999 and the tennis team to four state titles. He is survived by his wife, Teri, their two children and one grandson.
A “Celebration of Life” memorial service for Mr. Schweers will be Thursday, August 30, at 2 p.m., at Frazer United Methodist Church in Montgomery. Visitation will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Frazer.
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama High School Athletic Association is saddened to learn of the death of AHSAA Hall of Fame Coach John L. Meadows. Mr. Meadows, 94, passed away earlier this week after a long illness.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said. “John Meadows’ impact on the lives of the many students he taught and was considered an icon in the communities he served.”
Meadows compiled a 276-79-9 career coaching record over 35 years from 1955-89 and was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He coached football at Hanceville, Gordo, Butler, Scottsboro and Lincoln County (TN) during his long tenure as a teacher/coach compiling a career. Coach Meadows led Scottsboro to a 10-0 record in 1965, a team that was declared Class 3A state champs that year. His 1982 Lincoln County team was 13-1 and won the Tennessee AAA state title. The stadium at Lincoln County was named for him and his successor Louis Thompson. The fieldhouse at Scottsboro High School was also named for him and Coach Larry Morris.
In addition to the AHSAA HOF honor, he was also enshrined into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame (1989 inaugural class), Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 1993), Cullman County Sports Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), Jackson County Sports Hall of Fame (2014 inaugural class), Pickens County Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 1995) and Jacksonville State Hall of Fame (Class of 1986).
Meadows graduated from Falkville High School in 1942 as the valedictorian, then served in World War II before returning home to enroll at Jacksonville State where he earned Little All-America honors as a wide receiver in 1951. He was selected to the JSU All-Time Team in 1983,
His funeral is set for Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Scottsboro. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. with the memorial service to follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial contributions be made to the Samaritans Purse or St. Jude’s.
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From left: AHSDACA Director Jamie Lee; Bob Jones swimming coach Wade Thaxton; AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese; Montgomery Catholic senior four-time state cross country champion Amaris Tyynismaa; Catholic cross country coach Ed Wright; Goshen volleyball coach Amy Warrick; Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange; and AHSAA Associate Director Alvin Briggs. (AHSAA Photo)
From left: (Front row) AHSDACA Director Jamie Lee, AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese, Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and AHSAA Associate Director Alvin Briggs.
(Second row) Thompson Coach Mark Freeman, James Clemens Coach Wade Waldrop, Clarke County Coach Stacy Luker and Sweet Water Coach Pat Thompson. (AHSAA Photo)
By Lucas Nunn, Special for AHSAA
VESTAVIA HILLS – From the volleyball court to the international mission field, Hannah Vines’ extracurricular life is nothing short of exciting.
Hannah is a rising senior at Vestavia Hills High School and has played on the varsity volleyball team since her sophomore year. She is also a member of the 2018 Alabama High School Athletic Association Student Leadership Group, one of two members chosen to represent the state at a national conference in Indianapolis this month.
On the court, Hannah has had success both in school and club volleyball. Vestavia Hills reached the super regionals last season, and just last month her club team – Southern Performance Volleyball Club – placed second at the national tournament.
While her athletic achievements are impressive, it is Hannah’s desire to serve her community that sets her apart from the rest.
The 17-year-old is one of thousands of AHSAA athletes who give of themselves to their communities during their summer break, as well as spending many hours the rest of the year as they juggle sports, homework, family and volunteer time.
Hannah has been an active member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Vestavia Hills since she was 5 years old, and the church is her favorite place to serve the community. “I really like to work with kids through my church,” she said.
Her service for others also goes well beyond the walls of the church. This past spring, Hannah spent her school break on a mission trip to Guatemala. She worked with children there and assisted in putting on a Bible School for them.
“The trip was amazing. Spanish is one of my passions, I have been taking Spanish since I was in the seventh grade, so going down there was great,” Vines said. “It was just another way to connect with the kids and hear about their lives talking about the differences in culture between the U.S. and Guatemala.”
In March, Hannah was one of 18 student-athletes from around Alabama selected for membership in the AHSAA Student Leadership Conference, and she was thrilled to learn she and Bayside Academy’s Sam Koby were chosen to represent the state at the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis. The NFHS Summit wrapped up this week.
“I was really excited when I heard about it,” Vines said. “The goal is to come back and be better leaders on our teams and in our communities.”
Upon graduation, Hannah plans to continue serving her community through her church, as she continues her volleyball career at Samford University.
Last year, Hannah was also featured in the AHSAA #MoreThanAGame social media campaign. Watch her video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3fayZMkAkY
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The Alabama High School Athletic Association, founded in 1921, is a private agency organized by its member schools to control and promote their athletic programs. The purpose of the AHSAA is to regulate, coordinate and promote the interscholastic athletic programs among its member schools, which include public, private and parochial institutions.
