North All Stars control the mid summer games in Montgomery:
GDW Analysis:
MONTGOMERY: Alabama High School Athletic Association's (AHSAA) 28th All Star Sports Week is now stored in the memory bank.
Competition was held for four days in the sports of golf, baseball, cross country, basketball, tennis, softball, soccer and volleyball.
The North all stars continued their control of winning the event. Team North was 9-2-1 in 2024, sweeping cross country, basketball, golf and soccer and getting victory in the finale, volleyball.
The South managed to win baseball and softball with Game 2 of baseball rained out and Game 2 of softball ending in a tie.
Local athletes made their mark in being on winning teams:
Golf: Will Drake and Jazmin Conn of Cullman
Cross Country: Sage Nelson, Drew Dykes and Hayla Watson of Cold Springs
Basketball: Ava McSwain of Good Hope, Jake Dorough of Cullman.
Cold Springs' Casey Howell coached the North cross country while Jonathan Hayes of Cullman directed the North golf.
All time all star records:
Baseball: North 24/17/4
Girls Basketball: North 24/3
Basketball: North 51/30
Girls Golf: North 4/1
Golf: North 5/0
Girls Tennis: North 4/0
Tennis: North 3/1
Softball: North 29/25/2
Volleyball: North 16/10
Local coaches honored for winning state titles:
The championship banquet was held Thursday evening in
honoring all coaches that led their team in their respective sport to being the best.
Two received recognition. Casey Howell of Cold Springs took the Eagles to two titles in cross country, one in indoor track and one in outdoor track. That is the most state titles won by a Cullman County school in one athletic season.
Justin Aby of the Good Hope Lady Raiders in seeing this ball club win a basketball crown. The 2023/24 Lady Raiders earned 31 wins out of 33 games and the 4A state championship on March 1 at Legacy Arena inside the BJCC.
All Star Sports Week has been a regular operation by the AHSAA since 1997. The event held in the Capitol City, consists of all star game competition, plus coaching clinics per sport and award banquets.
The banquet closed out the festivities with fall sports right around the corner. Teams that play football, volleyball, cross country and swimming/diving can officially begin fall workouts on August 5. The first week of regular season play is scheduled for August 22.
Photo of Good Hope coach Justin Aby with Ava McSwain. McSwain was named MVP in the North/South all star game Tuesday in Montgomery.
Photo courtesy of Good Hope Lady Raider basketball.
