Photo by Erin Nelson
John Carroll’s Topher LaRussa (10) passes the ball away from Mountain Brook’s Jude Smith (33) in a match at Spartan Stadium on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Over the course of the year, The Homewood Star will keep you up to date on the various Homewood and John Carroll high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
BASEBALL
The John Carroll baseball team began last week with a dominant 11-4 win over Shades Valley on Monday. Campbell McFadden led the Cavaliers offense, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and 3 runs batted in. Max Plaia drove in a pair of runs as well. Aden Malpass and William Gignilliat each drove in a run and scored 3 times. Hayden Dupre and Carson McFadden each knocked in a run and pitched a scoreless inning on the mound in relief. Grant Wilbur went 3 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on no hits.
Homewood continued its strong start to the season with an impressive 6-2 win over Vestavia Hills on Tuesday. Four Homewood pitchers combined to keep the Vestavia lineup under wraps. Brian Condon began things with 2 scoreless innings, followed by Tripp Gann, who threw 2 innings. Rigdon Gibbons threw a hitless inning and Charlie Teel earned his third straight save with 2 scoreless innings. Taylor Patterson had 2 hits, including a homer and 2 RBIs. Jack Couch drove in a pair as well. For Vestavia, Jackson Harris and Pierce Hanna each knocked in a run. Ethan McGriff pitched well in relief, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Homewood split a doubleheader with Brookwood on Thursday, losing the first game 5-3 but winning the second one 12-2 in six innings. The Patriots stole 12 bases in the first game, but were unable to fully capitalize on that. Witt Brown got the loss, working around multiple infield hits in 3 relief innings. Jack Freeman got the start and pitched 2 innings. In the second game, JB Sain worked 5 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits to earn his second win. Homewood scored 5 runs in the second on an Aron Marsch hit by pitch, infield single by Teel, two-run single by Griffin Fuller and a sacrifice fly by Patterson. Jackson Parris added a solo home run in the fifth and the Patriots poured it on with six runs in the sixth with RBI hits by Fuller, Parris and Jack Couch.
Spain Park took down Homewood 17-7 on Friday. Michael Glick and JR Thompson each drove in 3 runs for the Jags, while Jacob Tobias knocked in a pair of runs. Evan Smallwood and Cole Edwards each racked up 3 hits and drove in a run, while Clay Spencer and Ward Hunter also drove in runs. Fuller led Homewood with a double and 2 RBIs.
SOFTBALL
The Homewood softball team suffered a 14-6 loss to McAdory last Tuesday. Hunter Dunn led the Homewood attack with a home run and 2 RBIs, while Eva White drove in a pair of runs as well. Emily Dunn was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Zoe Couch also knocked in a run.
John Carroll was taken down by Pell City 8-5 on Tuesday as well. For John Carroll, Kayla Coley-Drayton led the offense with 3 hits, including 2 doubles and an RBI. Annie Gregory and Charlotte Phillips each finished with a double and an RBI in the game.
John Carroll fell to Holy Spirit 11-0 on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Homewood broke out the bats in a big way with a 23-8 win over Shades Valley. Susanna Sheehan led the offense with a huge game, as she went 4-for-6 with two home runs and 5 RBIs. Hunter Dunn and White slugged homers as well, with the pair combining to drive in 6 runs for the Patriots. Livy Dunn notched 3 hits and 4 RBIs, while Katherine Howell had 3 more hits and drove in 3. Couch picked up 3 hits and pitched 2 scoreless innings in the game as well.
John Carroll played in the Alabama Sports Officials Foundation tournament in Oxford over the weekend, beginning things with a trifecta of victories on Friday. The Cavs took a 16-3 victory over Sidney Lanier in the first game, with Phillips leading the way with a home run and 4 RBIs. Gregory knocked in 3, while Mallory Ogle, Gracie Mills, Coley-Drayton, Maggie Mackin, Mary Catherine Golab and Ele Allarde all driving in a run each.
The Cavs then beat Arab 11-0, with Mills hitting a home run and knocking in a pair, while Phillips and Mackin each tallied 2 hits and 3 RBIs in the game. Allarde drove in 2, while Gregory knocked in a run and pitched 5 hitless and scoreless innings, with 7 strikeouts. John Carroll finished the night with a 7-5 win over Handley. Ogle finished with 2 hits and an RBI, while Mills drove in a run as well.
John Carroll reached the semifinals of the tournament Saturday. The Cavs finished pool play with a 3-3 tie against American Christian. Phillips and Golab each knocked in a run, while Gregory went 6 innings, allowing 3 unearned runs. The Cavs then beat Arab again, this time 9-0. Gregory homered and drove in 2 runs, and pitched 3 scoreless innings. Mills racked up 4 hits and knocked un a run, while Ogle had 2 hits, an RBI and pitched 3 scoreless innings of her own. Phillips, Coley-Drayton, Mackin and Emily Williams all knocked in a run as well.
In the quarterfinals, John Carroll beat Cedar Bluff 6-4. Mills hit another homer and scored 3 runs, while Coley-Drayton and Ogle posted 3 hits and an RBI. Gregory pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits. Hartselle beat John Carroll 4-0 in the semis.
SOCCER
The John Carroll soccer teams fell to Mountain Brook last Tuesday, the girls falling 6-0 and the boys dropping a 2-0 decision. The Homewood boys beat Helena 3-1 on Tuesday as well.
Homewood’s girls picked up a 10-0 victory over Shades Valley on Wednesday.
On Friday, John Carroll suffered losses to Vestavia Hills, the boys losing 2-1 and the girls falling 5-0.
GOLF
The John Carroll golf teams competed against Briarwood last Thursday. The boys fell by two strokes, 175-177. Sudishan Varadan led the Cavaliers with a score of 41, while captain Jack Carlisle shot a 42. The girls remained unbeaten with a 150-161 win. Melanie Harris, captain Kaitlyn Shields, Caroline Bonamy and Hailey Garcia led the team.
John Carroll senior Kaitlyn Shields has signed to play collegiate golf at Belmont Abbey College. Shields is the 2022 team captain and led the girls to AHSAA state competition in 2021.
TENNIS
The Homewood boys and girls tennis teams picked up dominant wins in both singles and doubles over Shades Valley. The boys tennis team defeated Shades Valley 9-0, while the girls team won 8-1.
For the boys, Gray Johnson, Ben Kovakas, Jack Farrell, Sam Housman, Foster Laird and Colton Cox won in singles, while the doubles pairs of Johnson and Farrell, Kovakas and Cox, Winson Jones and Sam Stone, Russell Dearing and Austin Meredith, and Pearson Hart and Luke Binet all won.
On the girls side, Linlee Dunn, Olivia Milstead, Paige Philips, Ava Dillard and Becca Cate Hubrich won in singles, with Dunn and Phillips, Milstead and Lauren, Dillard and Harper Sheils, Ella Keen and and Lolo Theos, and Mary Ryan Hughes and Mary Case Tanner winning in doubles.
Homewood split with Hoover on Wednesday, the boys winning 7-2 and the girls falling 8-1. Kovakas, Farrell, Laird and Cox won in boys singles, with the duos of Johnson and Farrell, Kovakas and Cox, and Laird and Henry Erickson winning in doubles. Milstead won in girls singles.
TRACK AND FIELD
The John Carroll track and field team had a strong showing at the Oxford Track Meet over the weekend. Here are the Cavaliers’ medalists:
- KJ Beck: gold in 400-meter dash and silver in high jump
- Arthur Langley: silver in 3,200
- Quad Harrison: silver in 110-meter hurdles and gold in high jump
- Nic Pharner: sIlver in 300 hurdles
- Kennedy Bonner: silver in discus
- Boys team of Arthur Langley, Sebastian Guerrero, KJ Beck and Aaron Mason took gold in 4x400-meter relay
- Claire Humphery: silver in 800
- Maddie Lanaux: bronze in 3,200
- Genesis Turner: silver in 100 hurdles
- Sophia Sevier: silver in 300 hurdles
- Girls team of Lydia Hamilton, Abby Grey, Isabella Raia and Sevier took bronze in 4x100
- Girls team of Lilly Langley, Turner, Isabella Corsini and Emily Rhodes took Silver in 4x400m.
Homewood competed in the Husky March Classic last Saturday. Olivia Burczyk won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.89.
Other podium finishers for the Patriots included the girls 4x400-meter relay team (third), Jordan Reaves (second in pole vault), Neily Stephens (third in javelin) and Naeemah Gamble (third in shot put), Spenser Lamb (third in 110-meter hurdles), Slate Rohrer (third in 300 hurdles) and JC Daniel (third in high jump).
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
