T he S ports L edger
MARCH 2023
PAGE 8 www.TheSportsLedger.com
SPORTS HALL OF FAME - The 2023 Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame is set to induct ten new members at the summer banquet, which is set for June 3, 2023 at Lake Guntersville State Park. The members of the Class of 2023 include: Bill Aaron, Zeke Bentley, Johnny Pelham, Dr. Josh Wharton, A.C. "Cub Berry" Terrell, Phillip Eubanks, Patrick Harding, Lowell Edmonds, Misty Lang and Jimmy Lee Griffin. Mr. Bentley and Mr. Eubanks are both deceased. Tickets for the event are $50 and they will go on sale in January. For ticket information contact Frank Mastin at frankmastin@mastinsinc.com or Richard "Butch" Ferguson at rferguson35951@gmail.com. 1,200 CAREER WINS - University of Alabama Head Softball Coach Patrick Murphy earned his 1,200th win as the head coach of the Crimson Tide with a 3-2 comeback victory against Samford on Feb. 22 at Rhoads Stadium. Murphy becomes the ninth head coach in NCAA history to earn 1,200 wins at one Division I program and is the only coach with over 1,000 wins entirely at an SEC institution. HUFF RESIGNS - Gadsden City Basketball Head Coach Reginald Huff has retired. Average Joe's Sport Talk said that Gadsden City principal Kevin Young has confirmed Huff’s resignation. During his coaching Career, Huff complied a record of 541-198. As the Titans head boys coach, he guided the program to 11 area championships, and five appearances in the Elite 8. TWO HEADED TO MONTEVALLO - Boaz High School's Reese Cobb recently signed a Letter of Intent to swim for the University of Montevallo. Guntersville's Brandon Fussell is also headed to Montevallo to play basketball. Fussell was recently named a member of the ASWA Class 5A All-State first team. BOAZ ATHLETIC DIRECTOR - Josh Walker has been named the new Boaz City Schools Athletic Director. In addition to overseeing the athletic programs, he will also serve as an assistant principal at Boaz High School. CONTRACT EXTENSION - The University of Georgia and head volleyball coach Tom Black have agreed to a new contract extension through 2027 with an increased compensation package. Black, who was named the 2022 SEC Coach of the Year, guided the Bulldogs to a 23-8 record this past season, culminating in the program’s first appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 27 years. Georgia set a program record with 13 SEC victories, finishing third in the league — the best finish by the Bulldogs since 1995. Georgia was picked ninth by the league’s head coaches in the preseason poll. Georgia also had success in the classroom in the fall, registering a program-best 3.576 team GPA. Four Bulldogs achieved a 4.0 in the fall term. In six seasons at the helm of the Georgia volleyball program, Black has won 100 matches and guided the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, 2022). MARSHALL COUNTY CHAMPS - The Douglas Eagles Varsity Boys Baseball Team won the 2023 Marshall County Tournament. Douglas picked up a 11-0 win over Brindlee Mountain and a 11-6 win over DAR in the tournament. Landon Centers, Carson Walls, Brock Walls and Bentley Smith all earned All-Marshall County Honors. COACH OF THE YEAR - Marshall Christian coach Chance Dendy was named the ACAA Division 2A Varsity Girls Coach of The Year. Catheryn Lynn also earned honors, as she was named to the State All-tournament team. GOLF TOURNAMENT - The fourth annual Marshall Christian Academy Golf Tournament will be held on April 13, 2023 at Gunter's Landing in Guntersville. The event will get underway with a shot gun start at 10 a.m. For more information visit www.marshallchristian.org. TOURNAMENT CHAMPS - The Douglas Varsity Girl softball team recently won the 2023 Mustang Invitational Title at Southeastern High School. The Lady Eagles only gave up two runs in three games. Douglas beat JB Pennington 12-1, Ohatchee 7-0, and Southeastern 13-1. COLLEGE FOOTBALL - Ider High School's Dylan Grant recently made the decision to continue his football career at Oakland City University, in Oakland City, Indiana. SARDIS FOOTBALL COACH - Sardis High School has hired BJ Brooks as the Lions head football coach. He replaces former Sardis Coach Chris Stephenson, who led the Lions to a 4-6 record during the 2022 season. Last fall was Stephenson's only year as coach at Sardis. 7v7 FOOTBALL - Sand Mountain Park in Albertville is hosting a 7v7 Showcase. The is part of the Sand Mountain Park Series and its a partnership with Douglas High School. The All-day event will be held on July 13, 2023 at Sand Mountain Park. Registration is open until Friday, June 2 KICKOFF CLASSIC - Selma and Beauregard will officially open the 2023 high school football season in the 18th annual Kickoff Classic on Thursday August 24 at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl Opelika (5-5) and Thompson (13-1) will play on Friday, August 25 in the second game of the annual classic. Both games will be at 7 p.m. Last fall, Helena defeated Chelsea 28-6 and Auburn downed Hoover 17-14 in the 2022 Kickoff Classic games. Sideline Sports
The Plainview Bears varsity boys basketball team won the program's second straight state title, with a hard fought 40-37 victory over Midfield in the 2023 Class 3A State Finals. Luke Smith was named the tournament's MVP after scoring 18 points in the title game and he was recently named to the ASWA All-State 1st team. Following the championship game Smith that "Forty was Enough" for the Bear's to pull out the victory and indeed it was. In fact, it was only the third time all season that the opposing team held Plainview to under 50 points. The state championship marked Plainview's fourth overall state crown since 2018. The Bears won back to back titles is 2018 and 2019 and again in 2022 and 2023. The members of the 2023 team include: Joseph Hutcheson (#0), Owen Wilborn (#1), Levi Brown (#2), Dylan Haymon (#4), Landon White (#5), Ben Chandler (#10), Caleb Clines (#12), Luke Smith (#14), Ian Martin (#15), Sawyer Fraley (#21), Brody Long (#22), Jonah Williams (#23), Ty Griggs (#24), and Austin Anderson (#30). Plainview is coached by Robi Coker. The Bears' assistant coaches include Stanley Williams, Brett Benefield, Cam Whitt and John Willoughby. Class 3A State Champs Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
AHSAA 2023 Final Four State Basketball Results VARSITY BOYS Class 1A: Covenant Christian 50 - Oakwood Adventist 46 Class 2A: Aliceville 44 - St. Luke's 43 Class 3A: Plainview 40 - Midfield 37 Class 4A: Jacksonville 51 - Westminester Christian 37 Class 5A: Vally 54 - Charles Henderson 50 Class 6A: Buckhorn 65 - Mountain Brook 56 Class 7A: Hoover 84 - Central Phenix City 66 VARSITY GIRLS Class 1A: Spring Garden 62 - Marion County 39 Class 2A: Mars Hill Bible 69 - Cold Springs 47 Class 3A: Trinity Presbyterian 52 - Clements 48 Class 4A: Prattville Christian 76 - Priceville 59 Class 5A: Pleasant Grove 53 - Arab 36 Class 6A: Hazel Green 53 - Huffman 40 Class 7A: Hoover 55 - Sparkman 44
Plainview High School senior Levi Brown attempts to make a jump shot during the 2023 Class 3A State finals. He made a key 3-point basket in the final minutes of the championship game to help lead the Bears to a 3-point 40-37 victory over Midfield. “Luke (Smith) threw it to me and that's what we had practiced,” said Brown about the key 3-pointer.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
The Cornerstone Christian Varsity Girls basketball team has won back-to-back State Titles. Cornerstone earned the honor by defeating Chilton Christian Academy 58-39 in the 2022-23 ACAA Division 2A State Championship. MacKenzie Ely led Cornerstone with a double-double of 25 points and 14 rounds and she was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Teammate Jaelin Monroe joined Ely on this year's All-tournament team. The team members include: No. 12 Makenna Miller, No. 4 Sadie Camp, No. 3 Evie Reed, No. 5 Chloe Bell, No. 50 Caroline Yates, No. 40 Erin Couch, No 14 Mary Preston, No. 2 Tamia Ballard, No. 30 Lily Dupree, No. 24 Lila Laney, No. 54 MacKenzie Ely; No 34 Jailen Monroe, and No. 15 Kendall Coots. The Cornerstone Coaches are Mandi Reed, Robert Reed, and Cristy Ely. Cornerstone Christian Girls Repeat as ACAA State Champs Photo Courtesy of Ann Nelson Photography
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