ALL-STAR SPORTS WEEK: North has big day in soccer, softball

Trinity’s AP Stewart and the South soccer team suffered a shutout to the North on Wednesday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

The Alabama All-Stars Sports Week girls soccer game at the Emory Folmar Soccer Complex on Wednesday followed a familiar theme.

The South girls battled furiously in the first half, gave up a couple of goals, and then wore down a little in the second half as the North ran off with a 5-0 victory, their 17th in the 21-game series.

“It’s frustrating going into it, knowing you’re probably going to lose,” said Kendal Wright of St. James, “but I feel like we put up a really good fight, especially at the beginning of the game, and we didn’t let that (fact) keep us from doing our best.”

Wright, a forward, saw the ball few times as most of the action happened toward the South goal. The junior never took a shot and South forwards managed just eight total shots on goal.

“It was frustrating a little bit,” Wright said. “But I also knew the girls on the other side were doing a good job as well.” 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the field, Trinity’s AP Stewart, a center back, spent much of her afternoon dropping back as goalkeepers Mimi Smith of St. Michael’s and Mackenzie Smith of Marbury combined for 13 saves.  

“It was tough, it was hot,” Stewart said. “But I just think working together on defense, we figured it out toward the end. But it was a lot.”

The South stood its ground for more than half of the first half, finally allowing a goal by North MVP Kierson McDonald of Oak Mountain with 16:55 left in the first half with an assist from Lily Hosmer of East Limestone.

Hosmer scored the first of back-to-back goals with 15:03 left to give the North a 2-0 halftime lead. After another Hosmer goal, McDonald scored for a 4-0 lead with 34:26 remaining. Abigail Laue of St. Paul’s added the fifth goal late in the contest.  

Despite the loss, both Stewart and Wright enjoyed their time as members of the South all-star team. For Wright, whose Trojans earned a trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2003, Wednesday’s game marked a rare appearance in a challenging environment.

“I liked state because I got to be with my own team,” Wright said, “but this was awesome because I got to meet all these new people that I had never played with before.”

For Stewart, her Wildcats won back-to-back 1A-3A championships in 2021 and 2022 and she felt Wednesday’s all-star game was prestigious in a different way.

“It’s different because a state championship is a buildup with your team and you know everybody on your team, which makes it fun,” she said. “But it’s also fun to be on this team, not knowing anybody but growing together as a team.”

North boys top South in soccer

Thompson’s Joshua Owens recorded three goals for a rare hat-trick in the all-star competition as the North beat the South, 6-3, and improved to 14-4-1 in the series Wednesday night at the Emory Folmar Soccer Fields.
Owens, who earned MVP honors for the North, took five shots on goal. Russellville’s Yamilson Velasquez added two goals and Gus Colvin of Indian Springs had one to round out the North scoring. Goalkeepers Andrew Vinson of Homewood and Hoyt Stewart of Hazel Green had three saves between them for the North, coached by Randy Vice of Southside-Gadsden and Michael Farmer of Fort Payne.
The South All-Stars were led by Spanish Fort forward Colin Spuler’s two goals. Spuler, who had three attempts on goal, earned MVP honors for the South.
Dylan Stokes of St. James had one assist. Keeper Blai Cebrian-Claramunt of Bayside had seven saves and keeper Emmett Sanford of Alabama Christian had five.

‘22 ‘Miss Softball’ Cahalan North sweeps South in softball

The ASWA 2022 “Miss Softball” Kenleigh Cahalan led the North All-Stars to a 6-3, 10-5 sweep of the South in the 26th annual North-South softball doubleheader at Lagoon Park on Wednesday.

Cahalan led the North with two hits including a two-run homer in game one. She followed with a run-scoring double in game two as the North continued its dominance in the series, improving to 28-23-3. She earned MVP honors for the North.

Elmore County High School’s Anna Segrest was the South MVP after a key two-run double in the first game that gave her team a brief lead plus a sacrifice fly in the second game.

Brewbaker Tech’s Taniyah Brown started Game 2 and was tagged with the loss after giving up six runs in the second inning, although only three were earned. The South suffered through four errors in the game.

Brown had had two hits and an RBI in the doubleheader.

Cahalan, who has committed to Alabama, finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the two games. She had three putouts at shortstop and two assists. 

Carrie Reasner of Sparkman had two hits in game two and game one and Buckhorn’s Alyssa Hastings finished with her one hit and two RBIs.

Prattville’s Kylie Jarman led the South with two hits and an RBI.

ALABAMA ALL-STARS SPORTS WEEK

Monday

Boys golf -- North 62.5, South 27.5 (North leads series 3-0)

Girls golf -- North 47, South 25 (North leads series 2-1)

Baseball -- South 5-2, North 0-2 (North leads series 23-16-3)                 

Tuesday

Girls’ cross country – North 19, South 38 (North leads series 3-2)

Boys’ cross country –South 22, North 33 (North leads series 3-2)

Girls’ tennis – North 6, South 3 (North leads series 3-0)

Boys’ tennis – South 6, North 3 (North leads series 2-1)

Girls’ basketball – North 75, South 52 (North leads series 22-3)

Boys’ basketball – North 101, South 91 (North leads series 50-29)

Wednesday

Softball – North 6-10, South 3-5 (North leads series 29-23-3)

Girls soccer – North 5, South 0 (North leads series 17-3-1)

Boys soccer – North 6, South 3 (North leads series 14-4-1)

Thursday

Volleyball, Multiplex, 4 p.m.