Photo by Erin Nelson
Homewood’s Sara Elliott (8) takes a shot at the goal in a first round playoff game against Jasper at Waldrop Stadium on Thursday, April 28, 2022. The Patriots’ defeated Jasper 10-0 in the first half of the game. 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.
SOFTBALL
The John Carroll softball team won the Class 5A, Area 9 tournament last week to clinch its spot in the regional tournament.
As the regular season winner, the Cavs earned the right to host the area tournament. They won a pair of games Monday, beating Fairfield 20-4 and edging Pleasant Grove 5-3. In the Fairfield win, Emily Williams led the Cavs with 4 runs batted in. Three others drove in 2 RBIs, with Mallory Ogle notching 3 hits and Charlotte Phillips and Avery Seidenfaden knocking in a pair as well. Against Pleasant Grove, Williams homered, Ogle had 3 hits, Seidenfaden had 2 hits and an RBI and MC Golab drove in a run as well. Annie Gregory and Ogle combined for the sharp outing in the circle.
John Carroll routed Pleasant Grove 17-1 Tuesday to win the area tournament Tuesday afternoon. Gregory homered and knocked in a pair, and Phillips racked up 3 hits, 3 RBIs and 3 runs.
John Carroll plays in the 5A North Regional this Wednesday at the Florence Sportsplex.
Homewood saw its season come to an end last week in the Class 6A, Area 9 tournament. The Patriots won their first game before dropping the next two.
On Tuesday, the Patriots toppled Mountain Brook 15-11 in the first game. Mountain Brook led after the first few innings, but the Patriots exploded for 10 runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. Hunter Dunn led the way with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in the game, while Ella Walker and Katelyn Pope each knocked in a couple runs. Zoe Couch threw 5 innings in relief, allowing 5 runs (2 earned). Susanna Sheehan also hit an inside-the-park home run. Later that day, Homewood fell to Chelsea 18-3. Sheehan drove in 2 of the 3 runs for the Patriots.
On Wednesday, Homewood fell to Mountain Brook 14-9. The Patriots notched 5 runs in the first inning but saw the lead slip away, as Mountain Brook scored in every inning the rest of the way. Dunn hit a home run and drove in 4 runs in a 3-hit performance. Emily Dunn had 2 RBIs as well.
SOCCER
The John Carroll boys soccer team beat Pike Road 7-0 last Monday in the second round of the Class 4A/5A playoffs. The impressive offensive effort was highlighted by senior Topher LaRussa's hat trick. Christian Ortiz, Yossef Awad, Sebastian Guerrero and Blake Mize also scored goals for the Cavs.
On Tuesday, both Homewood teams won in the second round of the 6A playoffs. Homewood’s boys beat Shades Valley 8-0 and the girls blew past Pinson Valley 10-0. Also on Tuesday, John Carroll’s girls beat Sylacauga 2-0 in the second round of the 4A/5A playoffs.
Homewood’s boys and girls took on Mountain Brook in the quarterfinals, with the boys losing 3-0 on Thursday and the girls winning 3-1 on Friday.
John Carroll’s boys and girls fell to Indian Springs in the quarterfinals. The girls lost 2-1 and the boys fell 2-0. In the girls game, the game was tied 1-1 after regulation, as Belle Buckner scored the lone goal for John Carroll. Penalty kicks were made by Haley Nguyen, Ruby Thornton and Millie Yerkes. Goalie Emma Hughey had 8 saves on the night. For the boys, goalie Zion Norman played outstanding in goal the entire game. Seniors Blake Mize and Topher contributed to the team's hard-fought effort as well.
The Homewood girls take on Southside-Gadsden on Friday at 9 a.m. in Huntsville in the 6A semifinals. Should they win, they will play in the final Saturday.
GOLF
The John Carroll boys golf team qualified for the state tournament by finishing second in the Class 5A South Sub-State tournament last Monday. The Cavs finished second, scoring a 332. UMS-Wright won the tournament with a 293. Sudishan Varadan led the Cavs with a 72, which tied for the low round of the tournament. Jack Carlisle and Josh Awbrey each shot 84.
The Homewood girls advanced to state by finishing second in the 6A sub-state round, played Monday at Terri Pines Golf Course in Cullman. Hartselle won the tournament with a score of 245, Homewood shot 249 and Cullman finished at 254. Aidan Haithcock led the way for the Patriots with a round of 77. Shawnise Gregory shot an 83 and Morgan Maddox finished at 89.
John Carroll’s girls finished second in the 4A/5A South Sub-State tournament, shooting a 249, finishing behind first-place Pike Road’s 222. Kaitlyn Shields led the Cavs with a round of 80. Melanie Harris shot 84 and Hailey Garcia shot 85.
Homewood’s boys did not advance out of the 6A North Sub-State tournament in Cullman. Harrison Sims, however, did advance to the state tournament as an individual, tying for second with a round of 70. Jack Lowery and Jonathan Peters each shot 79 for the Patriots.
The state tournament is this Monday and Tuesday in Huntsville.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Homewood boys and girls finished fourth in the Class 6A state outdoor track and field meet last weekend in Gulf Shores. John Carroll’s boys finished fifth in 5A as well. Check back with Homewood Star later this week for a full recap of the event.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
