Photo by Erin Nelson.
John Carroll’s Emily Williams (18) makes contact during an at-bat in a game against Homewood during the Kick-Off Classic at the West Homewood Athletic Complex on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Here's a look back at the last week in Homewood and John Carroll high school sports.
BASEBALL
The John Carroll baseball team opened last week with an 18-6 loss to Briarwood on Monday. Will Clark led the offensive explosion for the Lions, going 3-for-4 with a double, homerun and 6 runs batted in. Casen Heaps also homered for Briarwood, driving in a pair of runs. Jake Souders doubled and knocked in a pair, while Sam Hoff scored 3 runs and stole a pair of bases. Brady Waugh and Jackson Barnes each knocked in runs. Houston Hartsfield was solid on the mound for Briarwood, going 3 scoreless innings and allowing a single hit with 4 strikeouts. For John Carroll, Seth Seidenfaden homered and drove in 3, while William Gignilliat knocked in a run also.
Homewood beat Oneonta 4-1 on Monday. Jack Ross threw 5 strong innings, striking out 8 hitters. JB Sain had a key run-scoring triple, Jackson Warren knocked in a run with a hit and Brennan Wheat had an RBI double. Levi Nickoli earned the save, striking out 5 hitters in 2 innings of work.
Hewitt-Trussville took down John Carroll 5-1 on Tuesday. Brett Moseley led the charge for the Huskies, going 3-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Drew Ollis knocked in a pair, while Carson Zeitvogel drove home a run as well on a pair of hits. Jack Ollis scored 3 runs. Ryan Davis threw 7 hitless and scoreless innings for the Huskies as well, striking out 6. For John Carroll, Jackson Miller knocked in a run. Braxton Williams threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts.
Homewood defeated Ramsay 10-1 on Wednesday. After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning, Tripp Gann tied the score with a solo homer to right. Homewood added run-scoring hits by James Lard and Nickoli to push across six runs in that inning. The Patriots added three more in the fourth, capped off with a two-out, two-strike single by Jack Ross. Sain earned the win on the hill, punching out 8 in 4 innings of work. Gann, Lard and Nickoli each had a pair of hits.
Briarwood picked up another win over John Carroll on Thursday, winning 8-2. Clark hit a double for the Lions’ lone extra base hit in the game. Parker Daniels and Souders each knocked in a pair of runs, while Heaps, Barnes, Seth Staggs and Andrew McAdams all knocked in a run. Jonathan Stevens got the win, going 4 innings and allowing a run on 3 hits, striking out 7 batters along the way. Jackson Adams allowed a run in the final 3 innings as well. For John Carroll, Gabe Wilbur had a double and a triple, while Luke Wammack and Noah Smith knocked in a run each. Aden Malpass went 2-for-3, while Max Plaia and Jackson Miller each allowed a run in 2 innings of work.
John Carroll fell to Cordova 2-0 on Friday. Tyler Black threw 5 solid innings for the Cavs, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits with 6 strikeouts.
Homewood swept a doubleheader Saturday, beating Pleasant Grove 15-0 and knocking off Minor 11-6. Against Pleasant Grove, Ross allowed just a hit over 4 scoreless innings, with 7 strikeouts. He also drove in 3 runs in the game. Gann had a pair of hits and 3 RBIs, while Jackson Warren tallied 3 hits as well. In the Minor win, Wheat had a 3-run double and knocked in 4 runs for the game. Nickoli got the win, throwing 2 strong innings. Witt Brown threw 3 1/3 innings, striking out 5. Gann and Parker Sansing each tallied a pair of hits as well.
SOFTBALL
The Homewood softball team began last week with a wild 12-11 loss to Clay-Chalkville on Tuesday. For the Cougars, Kaidyn Williams tallied a pair of hits and 3 runs batted in to lead the way. Anna Campbell and Ladonna Scott each knocked in a pair of runs as well. Jerica Tyree was also 2-for-4 with an RBI, 3 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. For Homewood, Madison Letson was 3-for-5 with a double and 3 RBIs. Abigail Box and Allie Stuman each registered a pair of hits and 2 RBIs. Kate Jourdan tripled and drove in a run, while Grace Pilgrim pitched 5 solid innings, allowing 3 runs and striking out 4.
Homewood fell to Pelham 6-5 on Thursday. Jourdan hit a double and had 3 hits in the game, while Stuman led the offense with 3 RBIs. Kloeanne Smith knocked in a pair of runs as well. Letson had a pair of hits and scored 3 runs as well.
John Carroll hosted its annual Kick-Off Classic over the weekend at West Homewood Park, with the Cavs and Homewood both among the participating teams.
On Friday, John Carroll beat Homewood 10-6. Emily Williams led the Cavs offensively, going 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and 5 RBIs in the game. Mallory Ogle was 2-for-2 with a double and 3 runs scored as well. Kaylynn Nutter drove in a pair of runs, while Homewood’s Kate Jourdan knocked in a pair for her team as well. The Cavs also took down Jemison 12-7. Kayla Coley-Drayton went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and an RBI, while Maggie Mackin had a triple and 2 RBIs as well. Homewood fell to Springville 12-1.
John Carroll grabbed a pair of wins Saturday, beating Pleasant Grove 8-5 and beating Shades Valley 11-2. In the Pleasant Grove win, Williams was 2-for-2 with an RBI to lead the offense. In the Shades Valley win, Ogle led the way at the plate and in the circle. She had a double, a triple and 3 RBIs, while allowing 2 unearned runs in 4 innings. Bre Terrell was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. Mackin had a pair of hits and drove in a run as well.
Homewood dropped both its games, falling to Jemison 11-7 and 5-1 to Pleasant Grove. Against Jemison, Stuman drove in a pair of runs, while Lauren Smith was 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs.
SOCCER
The Homewood and Oak Mountain boys and girls soccer teams squared off last Tuesday, with Oak Mountain winning both games by an identical 2-0 score.
John Carroll’s boys earned a 4-2 win over Vestavia Hills on Tuesday as well. Vestavia’s girls defeated John Carroll 10-0.
Homewood’s girls edged Chelsea 2-1 on Thursday.
On Friday, John Carroll’s boys fell to Oak Mountain 3-0, while the girls fell to the Eagles 6-0.
OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
The Homewood outdoor track and field team began the season last Thursday at Mountain Brook’s five-team Battle Royale.
Maris Owen won the 500-meter dash in 1 minute, 16 seconds, and the girls 4x300-meter relay team won in 2:51. In the field, Chandler Binkley won the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 1 inch. Madeline Alford won triple jump with a distance of 33-7. Brooke Walden won pole vault at 12-2 as well.
Colvin Bussey won the boys 500-meter dash in 1:05. Ben Murray won the 1,000 in 2:32, while Grayton Murray won the 2,000 in 5:54.
Also reaching the podium for the girls were Olivia Burczyk (third in 300), Sarah Derriso (third in 500 and thrd in 200-meter hurdles), 4x100 relay (second), Julia Mitchell (second in high jump) and Neily Stephens (second in javelin).
For the boys, Grayton Murray (second in 1,000), Slate Rohrer (second in 80 hurdles and third in 200 hurdles), 4x300 relay (third), Hunter Drake (second in long jump and second in triple jump) and Elliott Allen (second in pole vault) reached the podium.
John Carroll competed in the Oak Mountain Eagle Relays on Thursday as well. Carson McFadden won the high jump event, clearing 6 feet. Caleb Wyatt took the top prize in discus as well, going 109-1. The boys won also won the sprint medley relay. The boys 4x100-meter relay team finished second and the 4x400 team was third. Isaac Ford finished third in the triple jump as well.
For the girls, Kaitlin Gilchrist was second in high jump and third in triple jump. Lacy Jackson was third in high jump. The sprint medley relay team was second.
Want to see something else mentioned? Feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
