PREP UPDATE: Trinity golf teams advance to state tourney; MA, St. James soccer advance to state tournament

The Trinity boys and girls golf teams advanced to the state tournament on Monday at Lagoon Park. (Contributed)

COMBINED REPORTS

The Trinity boys’ and girls’ golf teams qualified for the Alabama High School Athletic Association state golf tournament on Monday, with the girls winning the South 2 sub-state tournament for 4A-5A teams at Lagoon Park while the boys placed second in the South 2 sub-state tournament for 3A teams.

The top two teams and top two individuals not on qualifying teams advance to the state tournament next Monday and Tuesday at the RTJ at Grand National in Auburn. The boys will play the Links course, while the girls will play the Lakes course.

Trinity’s Virginia Anne Holmes set a South sub-state record by shooting a 66 on Monday to run away with low medalist honors.

“She had a great round,” Trinity golf coach Tim Bethea said. “She’s been really close this year of putting a round together and she just put it together today. She was hitting the ball well and putting well. I’m super proud of her.”

Holmes set a school record with the round, the best performance since Trinity started a girls’ golf program in 2015.

Beauregard’s Kylee Lynn finished second with a 70, Orange Beach’s Alley Beth Waldrop was third with a 74, followed by Bayside Academy’s Causey Thompson (78), Trinity’s Eden Pendleton (82) and Northside’s Ashlee Allen (82). Lynn and Waldrop will advance as individuals.

Trinity won the tournament with a team score of 239, with Holmes scoring a 66, Pendleton scoring an 82 and Marley Smith recording a 91.

“Eden Pendleton and Marley Smith both had good days, too,” Bethea said. “It takes all of them playing well to win a sub-state. We lost one of our seniors (Elizabeth Ann Stewart) from last year’s team and these girls worked, worked, worked and just got better. This is just the second year of competitive golf for Marley and she’s just gotten better.”

Northside was second with a team score of 252. Allen shot an 82, followed by Lucy Lunceford (84), Alice Perdue (86) and Anna Perdue (110).

Orange Beach was third with a score of 262, followed by Bayside Academy (267), St. Paul’s Episcopal (281), Bibb County (288), John Carroll (298) and Sylacauga (326).

Trinity’s Thomas Stewart was the low medalist for the 3A boys with a score of 73, followed by Opp’s Clay Kyser (76), Opp’s Caden Machen (76), Northside Methodist’s Tanner Reasly (79), Trinity’s Dawson Criswell (81) and Jackson McIntyre (81), Opp’s Conner Machen (81), St. James’ Eli Sommer (81), Opp’s Will Boyd (82) and Mobile Christian’s Conner Eubanks (82). Reasly and Sommer will advance as individuals.

Opp won the tournament with a team score of 315. Kyser and Caden Machen both shot a 76, followed by Conner Machen (81), Boyd (82) and Brody Ellis (85).

Trinity was second with a team score of 321, led by Stewart’s 73. Criswell and McIntyre both shot an 81, followed by Whit Bixenman (86) and Mac Stewart (90).

“That was just a total team effort,” Bethea said. “I was expecting this out of them. I was just happy they did what I thought they should do.”

Northside Methodist was third with a team score of 336, followed by Montgomery Academy (347), Straughn (380), St. James (399) and Dadeville (450).

Breland Burnham led Montgomery Academy with an 84, followed by William Hall (87), Mac Freeman and Thomas Floyd (88) and McRae Foshee (89). Montgomery Academy’s Joe Drumwright, competing as an individual, actually had the lowest round, shooting an 82.

Sommer led St. James with an 81, followed by Hampton Poplin (92), Carter Miller (112) and Preston Philips (114) as the Trojans competed with just four golfers and had to count every score.

Alabama Christian Academy’s Cooper Waldo and Josh Kreitz competed as individuals, with Waldo shooting an 83 and Kreitz shooting an 84.  

GIRLS SOCCER

St. James 2, Tuscaloosa Academy 0

Katie Brightwell scored both of the goals in the game to give the Trojans a 2-0 win over Tuscaloosa Academy in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A-3A playoffs at Carlisle Field on Saturday afternoon.

Brightwell’s goals boosted her season total to 57 goals in 17 games as St. James (14-1-2) advanced to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.

Brightwell’s goals came on assists by KK Corley and Addison Barber.  

Katie Irving was in goal preserving the shutout win with several key saves throughout the match.

“The team defense today was the best we have played all season long to limit the opportunities in front of goal after a few unnerving moments early in the game,” St. James coach Charlie Brightwell said. “Once we settled in defensively, our back line and holding midfielders led by Hope McCain, Hannah McCain, and Sana Shuford were able to limit the quality chances throughout the remainder of the match.”

The Trojans advanced to the state tournament with two consecutive shutouts in the playoffs and will face Cottage Hill Christian in the 1A-3A semifinals on Friday at 9 a.m. in Huntsville.

Montgomery Academy 2, Spanish Fort 0

SPANISH FORT -- The Eagles scored two goals and shut out the Toros 2-0 to advance to the state tournament.

Montgomery Academy (16-3-1) will face Briarwood Christian (16-4-1) in the semifinals in Huntsville on Thursday at 11 a.m.

It will mark Montgomery Academy’s 11th trip to the state tournament in the past 13 years, missing out in 2020 because of COVID and in 2022 after losing to St. James in the 4A-5A quarterfinals. Overall, it is Montgomery Academy’s 14th trip to the state tournament but their first as a Class 6A team.

BOYS SOCCER

Montgomery Academy 6, Theodore 2

Lucas Rizzo scored four goals to lead the Eagles to their first-ever trip to the state tournament in Class 6A with a 6-2 win over the Bobcats at McLemore Field on Friday night.

Rizzo and Brewer Welch scored the Eagles’ first two goals unassisted before Rizzo scored with an assist from Win Berry and again with an assist from Braxton Welch. The last two goals, one from Rizzo and one from Brewer Welch, were unassisted.

Montgomery Academy (20-2-1) will face Calera (13-3-1), which advanced with a forfeit over McAdory, in the 6A semifinals on Thursday at 1 p.m. in Huntsville.

Thursday’s appearance will mark the fourth consecutive trip to the semifinals for the Eagles and the seventh overall.

Tuscaloosa Academy 5, Prattville Christian 0

TUSCALOOSA -- The Panthers were shut out for the third time this season by their area rivals, falling to the Knights 5-0 in the Class 1A-3A quarterfinals on Friday.

PCA finishes the season with a record of 7-11-1, while Tuscaloosa Academy advances to the state tournament in their first year as an Alabama High School Athletic Association member.