Photo by Erin Nelson.
Homewood’s Sunny Ferrin (5) kicks the ball past Mountain Brook’s Laine Minich (1) to score for the Patriots in a second-round playoff game at Waldrop Stadium on May 2, 2023. The Patriots defeated the Sparans 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Here's a look back at the last week in Homewood and John Carroll high school sports.
SOFTBALL
The Homewood softball team played in the Class 6A, Area 9 tournament at Mountain Brook last week. The Patriots began the tournament Monday with a 6-4 win over Shades Valley. In the game, Allie Stuman led the way with 2 hits, including a double, and 2 runs batted in. Emma Lawrence also knocked in a pair of runs. Madison Letson piled up 3 hits and drove in a run as well. Grace Pilgrim pitched the complete game, allowing 4 unearned runs on 6 hits, with 4 strikeouts.
Homewood then fell to Mountain Brook 13-0 on Monday in the semifinals.
Homewood earned a berth at the regional tournament Tuesday with an 8-2 win over Shades Valley. Lawrence hit a pair of doubles and drove in a run, while Stuman also hit a double and drove home 3 runs. Letson notched 3 hits and scored 3 runs in the contest, while Pilgrim went the distance once again. She threw all 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits.
Homewood fell to Mountain Brook 8-1 in the area tournament final.
John Carroll hosted and won the Class 5A, Area 8 tournament. The Cavs began with a 17-11 victory over Ramsay on Monday. Gracie Mills had 4 hits to lead the way, driving in a pair of runs. Mallory Ogle went 3-for-4, knocking in 3 runs of her own. Kaylynn Nutter was 3-for-4 with 2 runs batted in, while MC Golab had 3 RBIs. Ele Allarde drove in a pair of runs as well. Ogle also fired 4 innings in relief and allowed only an unearned run.
The Cavs won the tournament with an 11-4 win over Ramsay on Tuesday. Kayla Coley-Drayton, Mills and Nutter all homered in the game, combining to knock in 6 runs. Ogle had a strong game as well, going 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs at the plate, along with 7 innings and 11 strikeouts in the circle. Golab also tallied a couple hits and knocked in a run.
Homewood and John Carroll will compete in the regional tournament this week. Homewood will play in the Class 6A East Regional in Albertville, while John Carroll competes in the Class 5A Central Regional in Montgomery.
SOCCER
The Homewood boys and girls soccer teams advanced past the second round of the Class 6A playoffs last Tuesday with key wins over Mountain Brook. The Homewood boys pulled out a 4-0 shutout win and the girls squeaked by with a 3-2 victory.
John Carroll’s boys and girls won in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs last Tuesday. The girls earned a 4-1 win over Southside-Gadsden and the boys grabbed a 4-0 win over Springville. In the girls win, Mia Mugavero scored twice, with Emma Kirkpatrick and Chapel Dent also adding goals.
Homewood traveled to Gardendale on Thursday for the quarterfinals, with both Patriots squads leaving victorious. Homewood’s girls grabbed a 10-0 victory, while the boys earned a 3-0 shutout win as well.
John Carroll’s girls were defeated by Springville in the quarterfinals on Friday, falling 4-3.
John Carroll’s boys had better fortune, though, beating Southside-Gadsden 3-1 on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
Homewood’s boys and girls and John Carroll’s boys will travel to Huntsville this week for the state finals. Homewood’s girls take on Randolph at 11 a.m. Thursday, Homewood’s boys take on Fort Payne at 1 p.m. and John Carroll’s boys play Guntersville at 7 p.m. Friday.
The winners of those games will play in the state championship games Saturday.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Homewood boys outdoor track and field team won the Class 6A state championship last weekend, the first for the boys since 2019. John Carroll’s boys finished second in Class 5A, while Homewood’s girls were fourth in 6A. Check back with Homewood Star later this week for a recap of the meet.
GOLF
The John Carroll girls golf team finished second in the Class 4A/5A, Section 2 tournament last Monday in Tuscaloosa. The Cavs shot a team score of 268, behind Northside’s 248. Sylacauga was third at 285 and Bibb County was fourth at 290.
John Carroll was led by Melanie Harris, who shot an 81. Hailey Garcia fired an 89 as well. The Cavs will play in the sub-state tournament next week.
Homewood’s boys finished as the runner-up at the Class 6A, Section 3 tournament at Cider Ridge Golf Course in Oxford last Tuesday. The Patriots finished with a team score of 324, with winner Mountain Brook posting a 318. Oxford finished third at 336.
Jonathon Peters finished third individually and led Homewood with a round of 76. Jack Lowery shot a 79, while Alex Wahl shot 82. Brooks Jackson shot 80 to qualify for sub-state as an individual.
Homewood’s girls won the Section 3 tournament at Cider Ridge by shooting a collective 294, beating Mountain Brook by 10 strokes. Shawnise Gregory was the individual low medalist, as her round of 81 was the best of the day. Morgan Maddox was second overall after shooting an 85.
Want to see something else mentioned? Feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.