It was an eventful year to say the least in Alabama high school athletics.
Here is a look at AL.com’s Top 10 prep stories of a busy 2021.
Calhoun’s J.D. Davison goes over Red Bay’s Lane Shewbart during a Class 2A AHSAA Basketball Championship semifinal at the BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. (Photo by Vasha Hunt)Vasha Hunt
10. J.D. Davison repeats as Mr. Basketball
The former Calhoun star and current Alabama player became the third straight high school player to repeat as Mr. Basketball in April. He followed John Petty (J.O. Johnson/Mae Jemison) and Trendon Watford (Mountain Brook). Davison was the fifth overall player repeat Mr. Basketball. The two-time Class 2A Player of the Year averaged 32.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists as a senior. He also had 77 steals and 57 blocks.
St. Michael head coach Philip Rivers adjusts his headset during the St. Michael vs Jackson football game, Thursday, September 2, 2021, in Fairhope, Ala. (Scott Donaldson | al.com)Scott Donaldson/al.com
9. NFL Legend Philip Rivers coaches first season
Former Chargers and Colts quarterback Philip Rivers made his high school coaching debut in the state he grew up in. Rivers’ first St. Michael Catholic team went 6-3 and barely missed making the Class 4A playoffs. The six wins were one more than the team had previously won combined in the school’s brief history. He won the first game of his high school coaching career – 49-0 over McIntosh – and his statement after the game about how much he loved high school football trended across the nation on social media.
UMS-Wright’s Maddux Bruns (15) pitches against Saraland in a prep baseball game Monday, March 9, 2021, in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/preps@al.com)
8. Maddux Bruns drafted in Round 1
The UMS-Wright left-handed pitcher and reigning Mr. Baseball in the state of Alabama was selected by the L.A. Dodgers in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the 29th overall pick. Bruns went 7-0 as a senior with a 0.86 ERA. He allowed just 13 hits and six earned runs in 49 innings pitched. He was named the Class 5A Pitcher and Player of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He struck out 102 batters and walked just 19. In 10 starts, he recorded two shutouts, one of which was a perfect game. Bruns was named for MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.
Thompson celebrates the victory over Central-Phenix City during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)
7. Thompson 3-peats in football
Thompson became the first Class 7A football team to three-peat. Mark Freeman’s Warriors defeated Central-Phenix City 38-22 at Birmingham’s new Protective Stadium to cap the school’s third straight state title. The team finished 13-1 with the only loss coming at Hoover in the team’s regular-season finale. Thompson beat the Bucs in the semifinal rematch. The Warriors outscored their opponents 636-99.
Orange Beach coach Shane Alexander celebrates the victory over Pisgah during the AHSAA Class 2A softball state championship at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., Thursday, May 20, 2021. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)
6. Orange Beach shocks Pisgah in softball
First-year program Orange Beach got a walk-off two-run home run from seventh-grader Ava Hodo in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Makos stunned 10-time state champion Pisgah 3-2 to claim the Class 2A state softball championship at Signature Field at Choccolocco Park in Oxford in May. Orange Beach (35-9) breezed through the field with a 7-1 win over 2A defending champion G.W. Long in the winner’s bracket final, then knocked off the Class 3A defending champion Eagles for the title.
Fyffe players take the field before the AHSAA Super 7 Class 3A championship at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com)
5. Fyffe win streak, title reign ends
At one point this fall, Fyffe had the nation’s longest football win streak at 51 games. Paul Benefield’s Red Devils had won three straight state titles entering the 2021 season. However, the streak ended on Oct. 15 when Geraldine upset Fyffe 20-19 becoming the first team to beat the Red Devils since November 2017. Fyffe’s streak was the second-longest in AHSAA history. The AHSAA record for consecutive wins is 55, set by Clay County from 1994-97. Saks beat Fyffe 14-7 in the Class 3A quarterfinals, ending the Red Devils’ three-year title reign. They will return to Class 2A next year.
Bayside Academy players celebrate their 20th consecutive state championship after defeating East Limestone in the AHSAA Class 5A volleyball state championship at the Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com)
4. Bayside Academy wins 20th straight title
Bayside Academy defeated East Limestone in three sets in late October to win the Class 5A volleyball title. It was the 20th straight state title for the Admirals and legendary coach Ann Schilling. Bayside Academy has won a national record 30 state championships and hasn’t lost in state tournament play since 2001. Ranked No. 1 since 2008, the Admirals are 142-3 in state tournament play. They will once again move up next fall due to the AHSAA’s competitive balance rule, meaning Bayside’s attempt at a 21st straight title will come in Class 6A.
Hoover Coach Josh Niblett speaks to the media after retiring from coaching football at Hoover high school in Hoover, Ala., Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Marvin Gentry | preps@al.com)
3. Josh Niblett leaves Hoover
Ultra-successful football coach Josh Niblett announced earlier this month that he was leaving Hoover and retiring from coaching in the state of Alabama. He was announced days later as the new head coach at Gainesville (Ga.) High. Niblett went 171-26 in his time with the Bucs and led the team to six state titles. The Bucs reached at least the semifinals in each of his 14 years, won 6A titles in 2009, 2012 and 2013 and 7A titles in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Hoover won at least 10 games in every year but 2018.
Director of the AHSAA Steve Savarese during a Class 3A AHSAA softball state tournament game at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., Friday, May 21, 2021. (Marvin Gentry | preps@al.com)
2. Steve Savarese retires
After 15 years as the executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, Steve Savarese retired in July. He was replaced by Alvin Briggs. Savarese was just the AHSAA’s fourth full-time director. The 2019 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee led the AHSAA through the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced a milestone revenue-sharing plan to benefit schools, steered all championship events into championship-worthy venues and was a tenacious protector of the AHSAA’s rules.
Faith Academy celebrates a state championship after the third game of the Faith Academy vs Hartselle 6A high school baseball state championship series, Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)Vasha Hunt
1. Faith Academy wins 6A baseball title in controversial fashion
Faith Academy defeated Hartselle in three games to win the Class 6A baseball title in May. It wasn’t that simple. Not by a longshot.
In Game 3 of the series at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium, Hartselle appeared to score the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning, prompting the traditional dogpile after winning a state title.
However, Faith Academy coach Matt Seymour quickly appealed the call at third, saying the runner (Peyton Steele) left too early. The third-base umpire called him out, prompting a Faith Academy celebration and sending the game into extra innings. The Rams scored seven runs in the top of the eighth and won 14-7, claiming the school’s second state title.
The controversial outcome obviously led to a Hartselle uproar and the AHSAA even had to clarify its position the next day following what it called “misinformation” on social media.
The AHSAA statement read:
The AHSAA clarifies in accordance with AHSAA By-laws and NFHS playing rules, the final outcome of the game stands and all decisions of the contest officials are final.
Furthermore, under NFHS Baseball Rules (Rule 10, Art. 5), the use of video or equipment by game officials for the purpose of making calls or rendering decisions is prohibited.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: In a positive turn in this story, Hartselle Hall of Fame coach William Booth – at the time of the championship series battling cancer of the stomach, intestines and liver – told AL.com in November that he had received a clean bill of health.
