Schools Trussville music program recognized during BOE meeting

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1 December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Page 9 Schools Trussville music program recognized during BOE meeting TRUSSVILLE At the Oct. 24 Trussville City Schools Board of Education meeting, the music education teachers of Trussville City Schools were honored with a proclamation from Governor Robert Bentley recognizing the City of Trussville as one of the Best Communities for Music Education. The Award is from the NAMM Foundation. The proclamation further commended the music educators as "truly committed to educating and helping our young people". Four hundred seventy six school districts in the nation were recognized for the honor with only four of the those recognized in Alabama: Albertville City Schools, Homewood City Schools, Hoover City Schools and Trussville City Schools. Trussville City Schools is proud of the commitment of our music educators in Trussville and thank them for their dedication and service to the students of Trussville. TCS Music Educators are: Chris Byars (Magnolia Music), Kay Carter (HTMS Choir), Brian Cocke (Paine Music), Stephanie Ezell (HTHS Band), Tina Fortenberry (Cahaba Music), Allen Gillespie (HTHS Choir), Corinth Lewis (HTMS Photo submitted by TCBOE Band), Natalie Owens (Paine Music), Brandon Peters (HTMS Band), and Scott Waid (HTHS Band) Additionally HTMS Assistant Band Director Corinth Lewis had an article published in the October edition of teaching Music Teaching Music is a magazine/journal distributed to music teachers nationwide from the National Association for Music Education. Cahaba Elementary School to celebrate U.S. Military Special to The Tribune TRUSSVILLE Cahaba Elementary School is honored to announce its first annual Veteran s Day Celebration. Past and present military members are invited as special guests on Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 8:30 until 9:30 a.m. Military guests are asked to enter through the historic front porch doors, as the majority of the morning s activities will take place in the lobby area in front of the school s gorgeous library. Veterans will be honored with a special performance by the talented CES Show Choir at 8:30. Students, faculty, and staff are submitting photos of their military family members to be acknowledged on a patriotic wall display. A QR code will be placed next to selected photos, and when activated by a smartphone, guests will be able to hear the student tell about his or her military family member. Military guests are invited to take a tour of the historic school, guided by a PTO volunteer, as well as have a photo taken with their student family member in front of the fire place in the beautiful art room. Finally, military guests will receive a small token of appreciation for their service, dedication and sacrifice. Cahaba Elementary School sincerely appreciates members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is privileged to honor them on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Trussville native nominated for prestigious Rhodes Scholarship By Wade Berry Special to The Tribune TRUSSVILLE Trussville native Trey Field is a Rhodes Scholarship nominee at Auburn University. Students awarded these scholarships will pursue their individual fields of study at prestigious universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. "These students evoke the core values of Auburn University," Melissa Baumann, assistant provost for undergraduate studies and director of the Honors College, said. "They have succeeded through hard work in their courses and extracurricular activities and they are men and women of character. These scholarships are some of the most prestigious international awards, and we are pleased to nominate them." Five Auburn University seniors and one recent graduate are nominees for the Rhodes Scholarship, which gives 32 of the most outstanding young scholars in the country an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The scholarship, one of the oldest in the world, is awarded to students with proven intellectual and academic achievement, integrity of character, qualities of leadership and proven respect for their fellow humankind. Fields, a Trussville native, is an Honors College senior majoring in political science with a minor in community and civic engagement, all in the College of Liberal Arts. He serves as assistant vice president of student interests and executive vice president of initiatives for the Student Government Association. He has participated in an alternative spring break to Appalachia, joining Mark Wilson's community and civic engagement class; he is an active member of the College Democrats; served as a Camp War Eagle counselor, the freshman orientation program for incoming students; and volunteered in the fall of 2015 as a tutor at the Lee County Youth Development Center. Fields' major professor is Steven Brown in the Department of Political Science. Submitted photo Magnolia ES presented with U.S. flag Congressman Gary Palmer presented the U.S. Flag to Dr. Autumm Jeter and the students of Magnolia Elementary School last week. Representative Danny Garrett, Trussville City Councilman Perry Cook, Mayor Elect Buddy Choat, Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Poole and all the students of Magnolia Elementary were also in attendance. KEEP JUDGE ELISABETH FRENCH Vote NOVEMBER 8 JEFFERSON COUNTY CIRCUIT JUDGE FAIR FAMILY VALUES FAITH Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Judge Elisabeth French P.O. Box 59016, Birmingham, AL 35259

2 Page 10 December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Calendar Georgiana Davis Masonic Lodge meetings Georgiana Davis Masonic Lodge No. 338 in Trussville meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday each month. Practice nights are on the first and third Monday. Family nights are on the fifth Monday of the month. The lodge is at 190 Beechnut St. in Trussville. For more information, call Bruce Phillips at Center Point Masonic Lodge meetings Center Point Masonic Lodge No. 872 located off Old Springville Road meets every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. For more information call Mike Lann at Springville Military Order of the Purple Heart meetings The Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 2213, Springville, meets at the Smokin Grill at 85 Purple Heart Boulevard on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Republican Women of Trussville meetings Republic Women of Trussville meetings are at Three-Earred Rabbit on Main Street in Trussville the first Thursday of each month. Meet and greet is at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting follows at 6 p.m. For more information, visit net or cherylamathews@gmail. com. Sons of Confederate Veterans meeting The Sons of Confederate Veterans meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at First Baptist Church Trussville at 7 p.m. Cahawba Art Association meetings The Cahawba Art Association meets monthly on the second Monday at 6 p.m. at the Trussville Public Library. Speakers present interesting programs and demonstrations at each meeting. Visitors are always welcome and membership is open to anyone with an interest in art. For more information call Jazzercise at Trussville Civic Center Jazzercise is Mondays at 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m. at the Trussville Civic Center. For more information, contact Beth Gilbert at Grayson Valley Prayer Connection The Grayson Valley Community Church prayer connection is the 4th Wednesday of every month at 11 a.m. Natural Healing Support Group The group provides life-giving information on natural, non-toxic strategies to heal strong and stay strong. The group meets the third Monday of each month at Slurp Smoothie Café. Food and fellowship start at 5:30, and the lesson and discussion begin at 6 p.m. RSVPS should be called in to or ed to hopefaithheal@gmail.com. Yoga at Trussville Civic Center and Trussville Senior Center Yoga classes 6:30 p.m. (Tues) Noon & 6:30 p.m. (Thur) Nov No class Nov. 24. Fees: Drop-ins $12 per class. $45 a month (Unlimited classes within month) Senior Yoga (ages 55 and over) Tuesday, 10 a.m. from Nov Call for rates and information. Free trial class for newcomers. For information contact Laura Thornton, E-RYT, yogabylaura@att. net, Blow Away 5K Saturday The 7th annual Blow Away 5K is set for November 6 at the Trussville Mall Pavilion. Registration is $25 and the race will begin at 8 a.m. The Blow Away 5K helps raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. Women s Connection East holiday fashion show and luncheon Featuring guest speaker Kay Harper. The event will take place Wednesday, November 9 at 11:30 a.m. at the Grayson Valley Country Club. Walk ins are welcome but reservations are requested, and are $17 each. Call Cathryn at or Sarah at sf.hardy@charter.net to reserve your spot. HTMS Veteran's Day Program The PTA of Hewitt-Trussville Middle School would like to invite you to join us in honoring our veterans. The program is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 10. God is Bigger Movement Thankful Run The event will take place November 19 at 8 a.m. at the Trussville tennis court on the Mall. Registration is $35 for the 5k and $20 for the one mile fun run. There will be door prizes for participants. Registration is open online at Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week Through colorfully wrapped, giftfilled shoeboxes, children in need in more than 100 countries can experience hope this year. Simply pack a shoebox with toys, hygiene items, school supplies and notes of encouragement, and you can make a tangible difference in the life of a child overseas. Drop-off locations for Operation Christmas Child are open Nov To find a location near you, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Adult Faith Art Event New Hieghts Christian Church is hosting an art event on December 3 from 10 a.m.-noon. Registration is $25 per person and includes workbook and supplies. Warblers performing at Odenville Middle School The Kurly Q s Square Dance Club will be hosting The Warblers on Friday, Dec 9 at Purser-Ray Hall, Odenville Middle School, Odenville. Time is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., tickets $12. Per person. This is a fund raiser for the school. The Warblers are a male choral group organized in 1929 at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. They will be performing traditional songs of long ago and also Christmas music. For additional information/tickets please call or or Have events you want to share? them to news@trussvilletribune. com no later than Monday at 5 p.m. privilege. We checked [the knowing your customer Drive to School in Style Over 9 Acres of Inventory to Choose From Largest Selection of Buicks, GMC Trucks and SUVs, & GM Certified Pre Owned vehicles in Alabama. What our Customers are saying: Perfect. You can t beat the level or service and accommodations that Courtesy provides. It s just not possible! - Joel, Leeds I love this place...i feel like family here. - Jaclyn, Trussville 1857 Edwards Lake Road Birmingham Sales (205) Service (205) Like us on Facebook Visit Us Online at CourtesyBirmingham.com

3 December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Page 11 Sports Indians get defensive Defense holds Spartans to 7 points, scores TD PINSON I was excited! I saw the ball on the ground and I said, Oh, the ball s on the ground! So I had to fall on it. Nico Simmons, a junior defensive lineman, knows those opportunities don t come very often. But the Pinson Valley junior took Win or go home TRUSSVILLE The Hewitt- Trussville Huskies have a chance to make history. The Huskies (10-0) completed their first perfect regular season in football. They ve surpassed the 11-win mark just one other time, in 1992 when they won 12 games but fell short of the state championship. To get win No. 11, they ll have to beat Oak Mountain, their first-round opponent in Indians 24, Spartans 7 advantage of the one that did and lived the lineman s dream, scoring a touchdown. That put the finishing touches on a solid job by the Indians defense in a 24-7 win over Pleasant Grove at Willie Adams Stadium Friday night. Defense played great, got a lot of stops, Simmons said. the 2016 Class 7A state playoffs. Kickoff is at 7 pm. Friday at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium. The Eagles (3-7) went 3-4 in Region 3, which seemed top-heavy this season. Hoover, Spain Park and Mountain Brook dominated the region, but three teams tied for the final spot, and Oak Mountain beat out Vestavia Hills and Thompson, each 5-5 overall, for the honor Cris Bell s team has won just one ballgame since mid- September.when they beat hapless Tuscaloosa County The Indians defense gave up one big play, a 34-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Caleb Jackson to John Chism with 11:39 left in the game to cut the margin to Played good, coach Matt Glover said. They made a good play, we had a guy got beat. Hopefully, we ll correct that by next week and move on. The That sounds pretty good for the Eagles, but when you realize Tuscaloosa County, once a powerhouse, scored just 14 points in its last five games otherwise, you begin to see how pitiful that program has become. The Eagles defense was porous as paper, allowing a school-record 307 points. Give Bell credit, though, for holding his team together after an 0-3 start. They knocked off Vestavia Hills, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County over the next four games, and that was enough to lock up a playoff spot. Hewitt, meanwhile, was good thing about it, we ve got another week to play football. That s because the Indians (7-3) were already locked into the Class 6A playoffs before facing Pleasant Grove, a Class 5A team, in a non-region game to close the regular season. Pinson Valley will travel to See INDIANS, pg. 14 Huskies with a chance at history blasting through 10 quality opponents, setting a school record for points with 461, racing up a 46 point-per-game average, and beating Manatee of Bradenton, Fla., That s the highest point total in a single game in HTHS history. Manatee, by the way, is 6-3 and headed to the playoffs in Florida. No team has come within five touchdowns of scoring on the Hurricanes what the Huskies did in August. Hewitt-Trussville will look to Connor Adair to continue throwing the football as he has See HISTORY, pg. 15 Cougars take on Rams at Legion Field in round one of playoffs CLAY The Clay- Chalkville Cougars always set lofty goals. That s what you get when you ve won a couple of state championships and finished runner-up in a relatively short football history. So even though the Cougars had to replace a lot of impressive parts, the Cougars always believed if they could get to the playoffs in 2016, despite the losses and relative youth, they d have a chance at the ultimate goal another state crown. The chance to achieve that goal starts Friday night on the turf of historic Legion Field. The opponent is Ramsay High School of Birmingham, 8-2 and the champions of Class 6A, Region 5. The Rams of Rueben Nelson have been a rags-toriches story in Birmingham City Schools football over the past few seasons. Ramsay, on the city s Southside, opened in 1930 as Southside High School. It was later renamed in honor of industrialist, philanthropist and civic leader Erskine Ramsay. Ramsay, a magnet school and one of just three International Baccalaureate schools in the metro area, dropped football after 1976, when the Rams went 2-7 and was last in Class 4A, Region 9 when4a was the state s biggest class. Ramsay claimed state titles in 1934, 1946 and Thompson Mutt Reynolds coached the Rams from , when he moved to become Vestavia Hill s first coach, and its stadium is named for him. Ramsay revived its program after the urging of See COUGARS, pg. 15 Pinson Valley WR Orion Morris tries to shake a Pleasant Grove defender Friday night. Noah and Nico take official visits to Power 5 schools Noah Igbinoghene and Nico Collins, two of the most heavily recruited high school players in our area, have been guests on college campuses the past few weeks and it isn t slowing down. Hewitt- Trussville s Igbinoghene, the senior receiver/running back, finally made an official visit to South Bend, Ind., to watch Notre Dame play Miami. Igbinoghene received an Former Hewitt-Trussville basketball star Jarvis Calhoun has signed to play at Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. Calhoun wrapped up a solid twoseason stint at John A. Logan Community College after a redshirt year at UAB. Lenoir-Rhyne is an NCAA Division II program that plays in the South Atlantic Conference. Calhoun will have two years of eligibility remaining. Calhoun, a 6-foot, 165-pound guard, was an offer from Notre Dame in May. I had a great time on my official visit to Notre Dame, he posted on Twitter. It was a great experience. Thanks thanks to the coaches form having me and my family!! The four-star prospect also received an offer from Ole Miss last weekend. Clay-Chalkville s Nico Collins, a five-star prospect, took an unofficial visit to Ole Miss last weekend as well to watch Auburn and the Rebels play. He s finally set to take his official visit to Michigan, one of his longtime leaders. He will be on the Ann Arbor campus for the Wolverines game against Maryland, so he will get to visit his former passing-game partner Tyrrell Pigrome. D i a - m o n d Huskies commit: T h r e e Hewitt- Trussville seniors have made commit- Nico Collins ments to play college baseball at Snead State Community College in Boaz. C a m - eron Furr, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed pitcher;. Josh Morgan, 6-0, Noah Igbinoghene 195, catcherinfielder-outfielder; and right-fielder Dylan Cook, 6-0, 195, all announced their intentions to suit up for the Parsons. Pitcher Cameron Moore has committed to play for Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa. Moore, a righty, will rejoin outfielder Keegan Morrow and catcher Cyle Moore for the 2017 spring season. Former Husky pitcher Austin Brewster is on this year s team. Earlier, junior shortstop Ed Johnson committed to Auburn. Former Husky star signs with Lenior Rhyne after JuCo Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State pick after his senior year at Hewitt-Trussville, where he scored more than 2,000 points in his career. He signed with UAB but saw limited action in his freshman year as the Blazers won the Conference USA tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore at Logan, Calhoun averaged 10.2 points a game on a balanced team that posted a 25-8 record. He made 38 percent of his 3-point attempts.

4 Page 12 Huskies hit the trail to Madison for sectionals By Jon Benton For The Tribune TRUSSVILLE Hewitt-Trussville s boys and girls cross country teams head to Madison on Thursday with their sights set on qualifying for the state championships. Bob Jones High School is the host for the Class 7A, Section 4 state qualifier Thursday. The girls 5K race goes off at 10:20 a.m. while the boys race is set for 11 a.m. The top three teams in each section qualify for the state championship meet. Other schools in Section 4 are Bob Jones, Buckhorn, Gadsden City, Grissom, Huntsville, James Clemens and Sparkman. The top three teams in each section qualify for the state championships, as do The top six individual finishers not on one of the qualifying teams. Hewitt-Trussville s John Ngaruriya has the best time among all of the boys runners in the section, the 15:35.20 time he ran at the James John Ngaruriya Clemens Last Chance Invitational. The Huskies Austin Atkinson, and juniors Josh Jenkins and Carson Spruiell are also top contenders to finish in the to 15, as is classmate Thomas Wolfe. Sophomore Micah Smith and senior Damon Purdy aren t far behind, and Hewitt will need one of those to step up to make sure the team qualifies for state. Huntsville s Andrew Dodson and Cameron Cox, Grissom s Allan Anderson, Tristan Hamer and Jackson Thomas and Sparkman s Jacob Russell and Harrison Miller and Bob Jones Jean Pierre Leroux, a freshman, could make the race competitive for Ngaruiya. Ngaruiya, has the best time for any boys Class 7A runner this season. Grissom s Katie Snodgrass is the likely favorite heading into the girls 5K, holding the best finish this year, but Hewitt- Trussville eighth-grader Amelia Brady is hitting her stride as the season comes to a climax. Brady won the James Clemens invitational and is steadily improving. She has shaved more than 90 seconds off her 16th-place finish at sectionals last year and has a legitimate shot at stunning Snodgrass or any of the veteran Huntsville High runners looking to keep her out Abbey Weitenbeck, Abbey Zane and Hannah Bloom. Hewitt s Sydney Hall, a sophomore, is another top Husky runner hoping to break through. She finished 15th in sectionals last season. Senior Brooke Atkinson will lead a pack of Lady Huskies that includes Ellie Kate Jones, Sydney Hall, Helena Steen, Hannah Brien, Emily McMahon, Olivia Braswell and Olivia Bland who will need to step up to get Hewitt-Trussville into the state finals at Oakville next week. December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Indians race to win at Hueytown Pinson Valley continued to impress in cross country as the boys captured the Hueytown Invitational on Oct. 18. The Indians scored 70 points, topping Pell City (84). Clay-Chalkville participated as well, but did not have a full team to score points. Vondrecus Miller led the way by winning the boys race with a time of 18: Teammate freshman Seth Lord was fifth and seventh-grader Nick Martinez and eighth-grader Caleb Phillips were ninth and 10th, respectively. Seventh-grader Hunter Siddle was 45th. Clay-Chalkville was paced by ninth-grader Zachary Jones, who posted a 22:18.00 for 28th place. Hunter Rowan was 58th Like our Facebook page & Follow us on HERE S HOW TO KEEP IN YOUR NEWS FEED and Devan Cook was 80th. They are also freshmen. In the girls race, Pell City was the winner. Pinson Valley had three girls compete. Charlotte Phillips was third with a time of 23: Ashlee Gaston was 24th and Reina Laviano was 25th. Pinson Valley boys win Center Point Invitational CENTER POINT Paced by Vondrecus Miller, the Pinson Valley boys cross country team coached by Cedric Lane won the Center Point Invitational meet on Oct. 11. Miller and teammate Seth Lord finished 1-2 to lead the Indians to a big win over Gardendale. Miller ran a 17:37 and Lord followed with a 17:45 as the Indians scored 36 points to Gardendale s 78. Shades Valley (83) was third, Corner (90) fourth, Oakman (124) fifth and Fultondale (239) sixth. Huffman and Clay-Chalkville runners competed but did not have a complete team. Other Indians in the top 10 were George Vasquez (9th) and Caleb Phillips (10th). Tim Moneyham was 14th to round out the winning Indians. Center Point s Jaylen Submitted photo Stephens was eighth. Marcus Goldsmith was 17th, Jackson Johnson was 28th and Steven Soles was 39th. Alex Rowan led Clay- Chalkville s entries with a 35th-place finish. Troy Hoffman was 52nd and Devan Cook was 60th. In the girls race, Gardendale took first place with 34 points, followed by Shades Valley (77), Corner (78) and Pinson Valley (102). Center Point, Fultondale, Huffman and Oakman had runners compete but not enough to score as a team. Payton McCaleb of Corner won the race with a 21:22. Pinson Valley s Charlotte Phillips was second with a 21:32. Other Lady Indians who fared well were Getsemani Matangil (14th), Ashley Gaston (26th) and Adrianna Holloway (33rd). Center Point s Aiyana Bishop was 31st and Mahogany Reynolds were 36th. Mason is freshman of year in GSC, Knox also all-gsc pick Two former Hewitt-Trussville High runners were honored by the Gulf South Conference recently. UAH cross country runner Marlee Mason finished eighth in the conference s meet, taking All-Gulf South Conference honors and was named the GSC Freshman of the Year for women s cross country. Mason covered the 5K course in 19: UAH s Benjamin Knox, took All-GSC honors with an eighth-place finish. Knox, also a freshman, ran the 8K in 25: The event was held Oct. 22 at Sharon Johnston Park in New Market and hosted by UAH. 183 Main Street, Suite D // Trussville, AL // Independence Drive, Suite 300B // Birmingham, AL // Hiring CDL Drivers w/ Hazmat in Birmingham, AL Dedicated routes allowing drivers to be home most nights & weekends Benefits & Incentives Competitive Mileage Pay Driver Referral Bonus Excellent Benefits w/ 401k Stop Pay Safety Incentives Increase Western International Gas & Cylinders, Inc. 13 Sayreton Rd. Birmingham, AL NOW HIRING! $5,000 Sign-On Bonus Equal Opportunity Employer Apply Online Corporate Recruiters:

5 Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham, a redshirt junior from Pinson Valley, has made it to the short list for two of college football biggest honors a defensive player can receive. On Monday, the former Indians star was selected as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award as the nation s best linebacker and the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation s outstanding defensive player overall. Cunningham, who played for coach Matt Glover at Pinson Valley, is among 12 semifinalists for the 32nd annual Butkus Award, which honors legendary defender Dick Butkus. Cunningham is one of 18 semifinalists for the 22nd annual Chuck Bednarik Award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club. Cunningham is one of just four linebackers included among the Bednarik semifinalists. Cunningham enters November as the Southeastern Conference leader with 85 total tackles, averaging 10.6 stops per game. He also ranks second in the league with 13.5 tackles for loss. The 6-4, 234-pound Cunningham was the consensus national defensive player of the week after a mid-october performance at Georgia, when he contributed a careerhigh 19 tackles, including a December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Page 13 Cunningham named semifinalist for Bednarik, Butkus awards NCAA FOOTBALL TV SCHEDULE Saturday Georgia Southern at Ole Miss, 11 a.m., ESPNU Texas A&M at Mississippi State, 11 a. m., SECN Vanderbilt at Auburn, 11 a.m., ESPN BYU at Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., CBSSN Charlotte at Southern Miss, 2:30 p.m., MY 68 Florida at Arkansas, 2:30 p.m., CBS Maryland at Michigan, 2:30 p.m., ESPN Memphis at SMU, 3 p.m., ESPN News Missouri at South Carolina, 3 p.m., SECN Tennessee Tech at Tennessee, 3 p.m., SECN2 Georgia at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., SECN Alabama at LSU, 7 p.m., CBS Nebraska at Ohio State, 7 p.m., ABC final stop on fourth-and-1 that clinched Vanderbilt's road victory over the Bulldogs. Nationally, Cunningham ranks eighth in tackles per game and sixth in tackles for loss. Cunningham has contributed 255 tackles and 36.5 tackles for loss during his Commodore career. In 2015, he was a unanimous First Team All-SEC performer after contributed 103 tackles. Joining Cunningham as Butkus Award semifinalists are Ryan Anderson and Reuben Foster, both of Alabama; Jerome Baker and Raekwon McMillan, both of Ohio State; Kendall Beckwith, LSU; Jack Cichy, Wisconsin; Jarrad Davis, Florida; Malik Jefferson, Texas; Josey Jewell, Iowa; Micah Kiser, Virginia; and Azeem Victor, Washington. In addition to Foster and Davis, others joining Cunningham as Bednarik Award semifinalists are Jonathan Allen (DE), Alabama; Carl Lawson (DE), Auburn; Cordrea Tankersley (CB) and Christian Wilkins (DE) both of Clemson; Desmond King (CB), Iowa; Arden Key (DE) and Tre'Davious White (CB), both of LSU; Jabrill Peppers (LB), Michigan; Nate Gerry (safety), Nebraska; Ejuan Price (DE), Pittsburgh; Solomon Thomas (DE), Stanford; Derek Barnett (DE), Tennessee; Myles Garrett (DE), Texas A&M; Hunter Dimick (DE), Utah; and Budda Baker (safety), Washington. Cunningham and the Commodores return to action Saturday after a bye week, traveling to face the No. 11 Auburn Tigers. Kickoff is 11 a.m. CDT., and it will be carried by ESPN. Pinson Valley opens playoffs at Jackson-Olin PINSON The Pinson Valley Indians finished as the thirdplace team in Class 6A, Region 6. But the Indians (7-3, 4-2) are sitting where every playoff team sits 0-0. It s the second season for 32 teams in Class 6A, and the Indians open with a visit to Jackson-Olin (8-2), the runner-up in Region 5. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at 4,500-capacity J-O Field, which is on the school campus on off Avenue F in the Birmingham neighborhood of Ensley. The Mustangs, coached by Tim Vakakes, were 4-2 in region play, tied with Hueytown behind champion Ramsay. But J-O beat the Golden Gophers to earn the No. 2 spot. Hueytown travels to Gardendale to open the playoffs. The Indians seem to be playing their best football of the season at the right time. They ve won six of their past seven games since suffering back-to-back losses to Ramsay and Minor. The only other blemish was a last-play loss to Gardendale. Included in those wins were first-time wins over Clay- Chalkville, a stirring doubleovertime win, and a first-time win over Walker in Jasper, a second defeat of McAdory in as many years and a thumping of Pleasant Grove last Friday to close the regular season. Glover will quickly tell you that time has long passed for Pinson Valley to be relegated to pulling occasional upsets and to be happy just to make the playoffs. It s time for us to beat people we re not supposed to beat on a regular basis, Glover said. We need to host playoffs games and we need to get past the second round. The Indians were one-and-done the past two postseasons. They made it to the second round in 2011, 2012 and The Indians have never made it beyond that point, however. This is the seventh consecutive playoff trip in Glover s eighth season as head coach. The Indians have split two games with J-O, back in 1992 and 93 when they were both in Class 5A, Region 10. Earl Cheatham was the Mustangs coach and Lynne Elkins was the Indians chief. J-O won the region in 1993 under the legendary coach, its first region title, but after he retired things slowly disintegrated. Michael Clisby kept it going for a while, winning region titles in 1996 and But from , things weren t very good on the football field for J-O. The school merged with Ensley High in 2006 and was bumped up in class with new students at a new facility. The Mustangs couldn t keep up with the teams in Class 6A, Region 5. The low point came in 2012, a 1-9 season. The lone win was by forfeit over Northridge. The final game of the season was a J-O forfeit, a game called in the third quarter because the Mustangs and their opponent, Huffman, had so many players ejected for fighting that there weren t enough players left to field a team. J-O had posted a record in 6A, Region 5 when then- 34-year-old Tim Vakakes, son and a longtime assistant to his father, Jim, at Fairfield, took on the challenge. The first year Hoover and Bessemer City were in Region 5 by now the Mustangs were 1-9. In 2014, however, with a season under Vakakes and his assistant coach-father, plus the shuffle down to the new 6A, the Mustangs began the transformation. They went 4-6 and 3-7 over the next two seasons, just missing the playoffs. This year came the breakthrough 8-2 season and their first playoff berth since When the Mustangs beat Fairfield last week 20-9, their first win over the Tigers since 2000, it was a far cry from the ugly 2012 season. Coach Vakakes does a great job, Glover said. We know they ll be tough. Look for Pinson Valley to test the Mustangs defensive line with the running of Khymel Chaverst, who topped 1,000 yards this year. But J-O has improved tremendously on defense. A team that gave up 42 points per game in 2013 is allowing under 16 ppg this year. Auburn commitment TaDarian Moultry, a 6-foot- 2, 225-pounder rated at fourstars, is the top outside linebacker in the state. Offensive coordinator Jon Clements won t be afraid to turn Jackie Matthews loose, either, as the junior quarterback has been accurate and effective while staying in the pocket and throwing to Dilan Henderson, Liallen Dailey and Orion Morris. The key has been an excellent offensive line. Matthews will have to keep an eye on Moultry, who had 13 tackles and forced a fumble against Fairfield. "We've got a bellcow we can really rally around," Vakakes said. "Having him on defense raises the level of play of everyone around him." Offensively, J-O is quarterbacked by Bralan Johnson, a 5-11, 205 junior, and features Tr yveon Hutchins at wide receiver/slotback and senior Johnathan McIntosh at running back. Hutchins is 5-6, 140, and McIntosh is 5-8, 153. Pinson Valley will have to contain the quarterback and make sure they wrap up the athletic Mustangs skill players in space. J-O s schedule wasn t the toughest. The Mustangs easily beat four Class 5A teams (Woodlawn, Tuscaloosa-Central, Calera and Fairfield). Both teams played Ramsay. PV lost in a game that was closer than the score; J-O lost The Mustangs other loss was to Homewood. Both teams beat Shades Valley. PV won while J-O won

6 Page 14 December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune INDIANS, From pg. 11 Jackson-Olin (8-2), the Region 5 runner-up. The Spartans (4-6) are also ion the playoffs. They ll travel to Mortimer Jordan next week. The Indians shut down the Spartans running game all night. They allowed just 30 yards rushing in the first half and minus-6 on eight carries in the second half, the biggest loss coming when Desmond Scott and Simmons chased Jackson into his end zone where he was stripped pf the ball by Scott and Simmons plopped on the ball for the TD. The Indians offense was effective enough and stepped off the gas with the lead. But it was a defensive struggle early. The Indians turned it over twice on downs, the second time at the Pleasant Grove 14. But Pinson took the ensuing punt and moved 69 yards in five plays to take the lead. Jackie Matthews connected with Liallen Dailey for 16 yards and Khymel Chaverst blasted for another 15 yards. Matthews then hit Orion Morris on a slant for 28 yards down to the 7 and Chaverst needed just one try to finish it off. Saul Rios extra point made it 7-0 with 3:48 left in the half. Chaverst rushed for 79 yards on 15 carries. The Indians stopped Pleasant Grove on three plays and were eager to get more. But Ty Woods, trying to make something happen on the punt, bobbled it and the Spartans found themselves on the Indians Zeke Lawrence recovered it at the Pinson 35 with 1:13 to play. Two plays later, Matthews found Dailey open behind the defense for a 66- yard TD. Rios kick gave Pinson a 14-0 halftime lead. Jackie threw the ball well, Glover said. Main thing, he threw it to the right guys. Matthews finished 16- of-26 for 233 yards and the TD with no interceptions. There were several drops that could have been catches as well. Dailey had three catches for 80 yards, Morris had four for 70 and Dilan Henderson had five for 58. The Indians scored the only points of the third quarter on Rios 37-yard field goal. Damarkis Adams and Woods each recovered fumbled punts as the Spartans return men had troubles with Rios tumbling punts, and C.J. Rudolph and Demarco Harris each intercepted a pass as the Indians grabbed five turnovers to their one giveaway. Andrew McKinney, Zapheth Cunningham, Rhassam Christian and Jaylun Gulley were also all over the field in addition to those defenders mentioned earlier. AHSAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKETS CLASS 6A CLASS 7A Round 1(Nov. 4) Round 2 (Nov. 11) Quarterfinals (Nov. 18) Semi-Finals (Nov. 25) Finals (Dec. 2) Champion Round 1 (Nov. 4) Quarterfinals (Nov. 11) Semi-Finals (Nov. 18) Finals (Nov. 30) Champion R2-1 Park Crossing (Montgomery) (1 R1-4 Saraland (17 R1-1 McGill-Toolen Catholic (Mobile) R3-2 Chelsea (2 (1 R4-3 Bessemer City (25 R2-4 Jeff Davis (Montgomery) R1-1 Blount (Eight Mile) (3 (9 R2-4 Dothan (18 R2-2 Enterprise R4-2 McAdory (McCalla) (2 (4 R3-3 Wetumpka (29 R1-3 Baker (Mobile) R4-1 Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (13 (5 R3-4 Benjamin Russell (Alexander City) R1-2 Spanish Fort (19 R2-1 Central-Phenix City (3 (6 R2-3 Carver, G. W. (Montgomery) R3-1 Opelika (26 R1-4 Murphy (Mobile) (10 (7 R4-4 Paul Bryant (Cottondale) R1-2 Davidson (Mobile) R2-2 Sidney Lanier (Montgomery) (20 (4 (8 R1-3 Daphne R2-3 Auburn R6-1 Minor (Adamsville) (31 (15 (9 R5-4 Homewood R3-1 Hoover R7-2 Albertville (21 (5 (10 R8-3 Hartselle R4-4 Bob Jones (Madison) R5-1 Ramsay (Birmingham) (27 (11 (11 R6-4 Clay-Chalkville (Pinson) R4-2 James Clemens (Madison ) (22 (6 R8-2 Decatur R7-3 Cullman (12 R3-3 Spain Park (Hoover) (30 (14 R8-1 Austin (Decatur) R7-4 Pell City (13 R4-1 Hewitt-Trussville (23 (7 R5-2 Jackson-Olin (Birmingham) R6-3 Pinson Valley (14 (28 R3-4 Oak Mountain (Birmingham) (12 R7-1 Oxford R8-4 Muscle Shoals (15 (24 R3-2 Mountain Brook (Birmingham) (8 R6-2 Gardendale (16 R4-3 Gadsden City R5-3 Hueytown - Brackets powered by C2C Schools Brackets powered by C2C Schools -

7 December 16 22, 2015 The Trussville Tribune Page 15 HISTORY, From pg. 11 this year. The senior poke the school record for touchdown passes when he hit Grayson Cash with 24 seconds left to beat James Clemons on Oct. 21. Number 28 put the Huskies in the playoffs and kept the perfect season alive. Adair, who transferred from Mountain Brook, still has just one solid college offer from Gardner-Webb. UAB commit Cash has been a threat all season running and catching the ball, and Noah Igbinoghene, who s weighing many offers, has been a threat at receiver and at running back. Elliott McElwain has also been a dualthreat running back, and the line led by Chipper Lartigue has been everything that was asked of them. Defensively, Christian Smith in the line and Simon Miskelley at backer have been excellent and cornerback David Acfalle has led a secondary that s been burned only upon occasion. They won t be tested much through the air this week by the Eagles. Kicker Parker Colburn has been solid as well. The Eagles will no doubt attempt to keep the Huskies offense off the field by controlling the clock. They average about 24 points a game, and they do it with a running game led by quarterbacks Wyuatt Legas and Jackson Kimbrell. Running back Daniel Salchert has rushed for 617 yards and nine scores and added another one catching the football. Jaylin Gaines has added another 304 yards and six TDs rushing. Oak Mountain doesn t appear to have the fire-power to stay with the Huskies. At this point, only the Huskies can stop the Huskies. Tickets are $8 and available Bryant Bank, Carroll Pharmacy or Nelms Pharmacy. The winner will face the Gadsden City at Mountain Brook winner. If the Huskies win, they will host that game. Bob Jones at Hoover and Spain Park at James Clemens are on the other side of the North bracket in Class 7A. COUGARS, From pg. 11 parents. There was no place to build a stadium, so the Rams have mostly called Lawson Field on Oporto-Madrid Boulevard home. Since the revival of the program under Nelson, the Rams have gone 28-25, but this is the first region championship for the Rams. They went 10-2 in 2014, ranked as high as No. 5 in Class 5A and losing only to Parker and Guntersville in round two of the playoffs. And even though they knocked off Pinson Valley and lost only to Class 7A Mountain Brook and Grayson, Ga. which beat Hoover as well there is still some sentiment that Ramsay isn t for real. The Rams have never faced Clay-Chalkville. Readers should be reminded that the 16 points Ramsay beat Pinson by is the closest win the Rams have had. They beat Homewood and Shades Valley Quarterback Baniko Harley is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. Heading into Friday s loss to Mountain Brook, he d thrown for almost 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns and added about 400 yards and three touchdowns rushing. But defense is what the Rams hang their hat on. They are giving up just 15.6 points a game, 8.4 in region games. The Cougars wish they could say that. But they ve allowed 54 and 56 points in their past two games, one topping the next for most points allowed in a game in school history. The 33.2 ppg allowed is also a dubious record. The Cougars have to do better than that from here on or expect to watch someone else play in the 6A title game for the first time in three years. The Cougars have turned to Tyrese Sewell at quarterback after an injury to Willie Miller. Running backs Nic Jones and Tony Gurley have replaced injured RB Quentin Young, and Nico Collins, a five-star receiver, is a threat if the quarterbacks can get the ball to him. Miller is 123-for-204 for 1,684 yards and 18 TDs. Sewell is 17-for-31 for 324 yards and three scores. Young has 833 yards rushing on a 7.4 per carry average, but a high-ankle sprain has kept him out since the loss to Gardendale. Jones has added 599 yards rushing. Collins has 43 catches for 865 yards and nine touchdowns. Terrill Cole has 31 catches for 488 yards and six TDs and Rod McCloud has 25 for 319 and three scores. The defense has played well at times but has been exposed too often, giving up 30 or more points five times. The offense simply isn t good enough to overcome that as it was in 2014 and The Cougar and Rams have never met in football. Clay-Chalkville has played one game at Legion Field, the 1999 Class 6A state championship game, where current offensive coordinator Stuart Floyd quarterbacked the Cougars to a win over Robert E. Lee. Kickoff is 7 p.m. John Carroll forfeits two football wins for ineligible player John Carroll Catholic High School has been fined, placed on one year s probation and ordered to forfeit two varsity football wins for violating the Alabama High School Athletic Association s eligibility rules. The school self-reported the violation. John Carroll played an ineligible student in violation of the AHSAA Overlapping School Zones Rule, which states a student that transfers from a school within overlapping school zones is ineligible for one year at the new school. The school must forfeit all contests its team won in which the student participated. Forfeits include victories over Moody and Springville high schools. John Carroll thus went 0-10 for the second straight year. Logan Colafrancesco just completed his first season as head coach of the Class 6A private school. The probationary period is a warning that other violations of this nature could bring further sanctions against the school. John Carroll was originally banned from the 2016 playoffs for a 2015 recruiting violation when the school was placed on oneyear restrictive probation, but that ban and ones on three other schools were lifted in August. However, the schools did retain their oneyear probations at the time. The AHSAA did not say if John Carroll would face any further sanctions due to this second violation. Photos by Ron Burkett

8 Page 16 December 16 22, 2015 Class 7A Region Class 6A Region 6 Minor Gardendale Pinson Valley Clay-Chalkville Carver-Bham Walker Center Point The Trussville Tribune ASWA Prep Poll Week Region Standings Hewitt-Trussville James Clemens Bob Jones Gadsden City Sparkman Buckhorn Huntsville Grissom Stay updated! with our Friday night scoreboard on Facebook & Twitter! Class 7A 2016 record: 20-7 HTHS vs. Oak Mountain Class 6A 1. McGill-Toolen (30) 2. Hoover 3. Hewitt-Trussville 4. Central-Phenix City 5. Davidson 6. Enterprise 7. Spain Park 8. James Clemens 9. Mountain Brook 10. Bob Jones (9-0) (10-0) (9-1) (7-2) (6-3) (7-2) (7-3) Hillcrest-Tusc. (27) 2. Oxford 3. Minor (2) 4. Opelika 5. Blount (1) 6. Spanish Fort 7. Park Crossing 8. Ramsay 9. Daphne 10. Decatur (9-0) (9-0) (9-0) (9-1) (8-2) (7-2) (10-0) (7-2) Others receiving votes: Lee-Mont- Others receiving votes: Austin (7-2) gomery (0-9) 15-*; Auburn (6-3) 12, 11, Wetumpka (8-2) 9, Clay-Chalkville Gadsden City (5-5) 2. (6-4) 3, Chelsea (7-2) 2. The Alabama Sports Writers Association prep committee members are: Paul Beaudry (Chairman), Alabama Media Group; Josh Dutton, Andalusia Star-News; Will Gaines, Anniston Star; Jonathan Deal, Athens News Courier; Andrew Garner, Atmore Advance; Gary Estwick, Birmingham News; Rob Rice, Blount Countian; Shannon Fagan, Cherokee Herald; Tommy Hicks, Citronelle Call-News; Ross Wood, Clarke Co. Democrat; Rob Ketcham, Cullman Times; Johnathan Bentley, Daily Mountain Eagle; Justin Graves, Decatur Daily; David Mundee, Dothan Eagle; Lee Peacock, Evergreen Courant; John McWilliams, Florence TimesDaily; Jeremy Smith, Freelance (Demopolis); Chris McCarthy, Gadsden Messenger; J.J. Hicks, Gadsden Times; Daniel Boyette, Huntsville Times; Ben Thomas, Mobile Press-Register; Stacy Long, Montgomery Advertiser; Eric Bacharach, OpelikaAuburn News; Shannon Allen, Sand Mountain Reporter; Jason Bowen, Scottsboro Daily Sentinel; Daniel Evans, Selma Times-Journal; Baker Ellis, Shelby County Reporter; Lavonte Young, Talladega Daily Home; Joey Chandler, Tuscaloosa News; Cory Diaz, Wetumpka Herald. Last time they played... HTHS won (2015) Series history: Oak Mtn leads 3-2 Tribune prediction: HTHS 49, Oak Mtn 14 Ramsay Last time they played... First meeting Series history: First meeting Tribune prediction: Ramsay 42, CCHS 30 PVHS vs. Jackson-Olin Watch Tribune Sports Live each week for highlights and insight on every game each week during the season! FOLLOW ALONG ALL SEASON FOR LIVE GAME UPDATES: Like our FACEBOOK page on Twitter Last time they played... J-O won (1993) Series history: Series tied 1-1 Tribune prediction: PVHS 20, Jackson-Olin 12 FOOTBALL SATURDAY SPECIAL MARGARITAS (ALL FLAVORS) $2.99 NOW OPEN! DAILY SPECIALS ON MEALS AND DRINKS! Located in the Pinnacle Shopping Center (On the corner behind Home Depot) BEST FAJITAS AND MARGARITAS THIS SIDE OF BIRMINGHAM! We take great pride in our fresh/authentic Mexican entrees, our warm & friendly staff, and excellent customer service. Also, enjoy our patio on the side of the mountain with a g great view! SAME OWNERS AS FULTONDALE AND CULLMAN LOCATIONS!