THURSDAY PREPS: Montgomery Academy volleyball rolls into Super Regionals; Russell County tops Park Crossing for first win
Montgomery Academy’s Addi Vinson sets up a shot during the Eagles’ area championship win on Thursday, advancing to the Super Regionals next week. (Tim Gayle)
COMBINED REPORTS
Anyone that’s played Montgomery Academy over the last three years knows about the volleyball team’s pair of outside hitters, Caroline McDaniel and Elle McBride, along with setter Addi Vinson. The trio of juniors are the backbone of a team that has the talent to reach the state tournament for the seventh consecutive year.
The Eagles lost in the 5A semifinals last year to Arab, snapping a streak of five consecutive trips to the state finals, which include three state championships in that stretch.
“I think we’re in a really good position,” Vinson said. “I feel very confident going into super regionals. I feel very confident that we will be in that last game because of how hard we work. We know it’s not going to come easy. Last year, we got knocked out in the semifinals. The year before, we lost in state (finals to Westminster Christian). Some of us know how it feels to take those things for granted and we’re not going to this year.”
Montgomery Academy (46-6) rolled to its 21st consecutive area tournament championship on Thursday with a sweep of Demopolis, beating the Tigers 25-8, 25-5 and 25-18. The Eagles will face Jemison in the first round of the 5A South Super Regional on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
In Thursday’s finals, Vinson had 36 assists, seven digs and two aces, McBride had nine kills and four aces, McDaniel had seven kills and one ace, Amelia Hughes had six kills and Emmy Sorrell had 11 digs and three assists.
While the juniors are the heart and soul of the team, a pair of talented freshmen who cracked the starting lineup, defensive specialist Kaci Armistead and middle blocker Morgan Springer, give the Eagles an elite lineup.
“For them to be so good, they’re very humble,” Vinson said. “Kaci is really good at learning. We needed her to play outside (hitter) earlier this year because one of our players was hurt and she showed out. She did fantastic at that position.
“And Morgan is very humble, very calm on the court. For a ninth grader, very mature. They’re very different ninth graders, but they’re very, very good.”
Hall of Fame coach Julie Gordon knows the burden that freshmen face in becoming instant impact players at the varsity level. She witnessed the same thing two years ago with Vinson, McDaniel and McBride.
“(Springer) is very mature for her age and her skill level is very high for a ninth grader,” Gordon said. “And her work ethic is very high for a ninth grader. But it’s the same for Kaci. They both want to play at the next level -- and they were great last year on the junior varsity -- but they’ve made the commitment and have the mindset that every time they go to practice or have a match, they’re going to give their best.
“The (juniors) relate so well because Addi, Elle and Caroline were starters when they were freshmen and now for these two to come in -- I’ve always gone by the adage that I’m going to put the best players on the court -- so we’re used to having young players play ‘up,’ but only if they’re mentally ready and physically ready and those two are.”
As the setter, Vinson sees both the good and the bad in most positions, taking the shots from Armistead and sophomore libero Emmy Sorrell and converting them into potential kills for McDaniel, McBride and Springer. Armistead, she noted, is constantly moving on the court.
“She hustles so much,” Vinson said. “A lot of our scramble plays that we barely get up come from her. She brings a spice to our defense. She adds something extra, something that we needed.”
She has a similar appreciation for the job Springer does on the court.
“Being a middle is very hard,” Vinson said. “For Morgan to come in and work hard every day -- she asks for reps after practice -- she doesn’t let a practice go by without working hard. And she’s focused, too.”
If the Eagles advance past their super regional matchup on Wednesday with Jemison, they will likely face Faith Academy later in the afternoon with a berth in the state tournament on the line. The Eagles have won the South Super Regional in each of the past five years -- in 2018 and 2019 as a 3A team, in 2020 and 2021 as a 4A team and in 2022 as a 5A team -- but last year’s loss in the semifinals of the state tournament keeps this Montgomery Academy squad grounded and focusing on one game at a time.
“Our next games, we’re really focusing on playing together as a team,” Vinson said. “As long as we play together as a team, those next two games should get us to state, which is the big picture. But in our next two games, we’re really trying to push and work hard because we know our season could end next week and we don’t want that to happen.”
FOOTBALL
Russell County 25, Park Crossing 10
The Thunderbirds jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first quarter only to see the Warriors score 25 unanswered points for their first victory of the season Thursday night at Cramton Bowl.
Park Crossing scored on the first play from scrimmage when Justin Billups raced 64 yards untouched for a touchdown just 15 seconds into the game. Park Crossing converted a two-point conversion for the quick 8-0 lead.
The T’Birds added to their lead with a safety on a Anicolis Hardy tackle of Davin Brown in the end zone to extend the lead to 10-0 with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
But Park Crossing would be stymied the rest of the way as the Warriors scored twice in the second quarter to lead 12-10 at the break. Quarterback Bryson Riggins threw two touchdown passes including an 80-yard strike to Markevious Yancy to give Russell County the lead.
Riggins struck two more times with touchdown passes including the final one in the closing seconds.
Billups led the Park Crossing offense with 76 yards rushing but was injured early in the third quarter and did not return. Riggins passed for 200 yards and all four RCHS (1-7, 1-5 Class 6A, Region 2) touchdowns.
Park Crossing (3-6, 0-5) closes out the 2023 season next week at Stanhope Elmore.
Edgewood Academy 7, Lakeside 6
ELMORE -- Brock Whitt scored the Wildcats’ only touchdown on a 7-yard run, but the touchdown and extra point was enough as Edgewood pulled off its third consecutive win in a defensive struggle with the Chiefs on Thursday night.
Gabe LeMaster rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries and added an eight-yard reception, but his best work came on the defensive side of the ball where he recorded two interceptions, a pass breakup and made five tackles.
Parker Shaw led the Edgewood defense with 11 tackles. He also had 30 rushing yards on seven carries.
Edgewood (3-5) will play host to Lee-Scott Academy next week before hosting the first round of the AA state playoffs in two weeks against the loser of Friday night’s Clarke Prep-Patrician game.