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Bob Jones shines in spring game victory against Hewitt-Trussville |
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  Madison, Alabama -- Any concerns Bob Jones coach Kevin Rose had about how his Patriots would perform in the spring scrimmage against Hewitt-Trussville ended on the first play Thursday night. Wide receiver Jonathan Rice caught a short slant pass from Tyler Whalen and scampered 75-yards for a touchdown. Whalen looked in mid-season form, throwing four touchdown passes and scampering for another as Bob Jones jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead against the Huskies. Reserves for both teams participated in the second half with Hewitt-Trussville winning the second half 21-7. "We lost 35 seniors to graduation, and we are working hard to replace a lot of great players," Rose said. "We've got to find some offensive linemen. We graduated three offensive linemen that were really good players so that is our first and most immediate need." Brandon Ray and Jordan Shelton anchored the right side of the Patriots' offensive line last season. Ray signed with Western Kentucky, and Shelton with Alabama A&M. "Brandon was the best offensive lineman I've ever coached in 20 years of high school football," Rose said. "Even though we lost some very good players, some of the guys have stepped up on the offensive line this spring. Blake Polson, J.D. Sims and Zerrin Moss have had a good spring along with Caige Stapler and Shamario Ross. Jordan Colson transferred from Sparkman and we will see how he looks in the summer. Even though the line looked good tonight, it will be an all summer battle to keep their jobs." After Trey Bates and back-up Seth Parker graduated last season, Rose had an open audition at quarterback this spring. Whalen is the only experienced quarterback returning and he missed the majority of the 2012 season after suffering a shoulder injury in the second game. After an impressive spring scrimmage, Whalen will enter summer camp solidly entrenched as the starter. Whalen threw for more than 200 yards and ran 25 yards for another touchdown in the first half. He was accurate on slant patterns and showed a good command of the offense. "I was pleased with Tyler's performance tonight in the spring game," Rose said. "He threw the ball well and had two good runs. Tyler made some good decisions tonight and that's what we were looking for. Tyler's backed up by Mike Bernier, who punted for us last year. Collins Hess is running third string right now. Jeremy Frye, a sophomore will also be given an opportunity to compete for the job this summer. We wanted to come out of the spring with an idea of who can run the offense and give us a chance to win." Rose used the spring scrimmage to work on the Patriots' passing game since Bob Jones has a known commodity at running back. Jay Rogers will be the workhorse after rushing for 1,091 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Rogers is a north-south runner known for carrying the pile for extra yardage. He caught three screen passes from Whalen in the first half and showed several nifty moves. Ryan Crooks caught several passes and excited the home crowd by returning a punt 45 yards after breaking four tackles, but the dazzling return was nullified by a penalty. Mile Strickland also had several impressive runs in the second half and Adams Malik showed some promise. "We know Jay is one of the best runners in our region and we were looking for some backs to compliment him," Rose commented. "Ryan has done some good things for us. Carlos Davis can give us some help along with Miles." Rose and his offensive staff don't get enough credit for developing playmakers, especially at wide receiver. The Patriots will have to replace one of the most explosive weapons in Class 6A in Kevin Wright. Wright rushed for 787 yards and13 TDs last year, and was just as dangerous as a wide receiver, catching 51 passes for 561 yards and eight scores. Ben Washington (30 receptions for 406 yards) also graduated. If the spring scrimmage is an indication, the Patriots will move the ball successfully this fall. Rice caught three touchdown passes in the first half consistently out jumping Huskie defenders. Roderick Randolph displayed tremendous concentration in catching two 40-yard receptions. Strickland also made a circus catch on a Whalen deep throw coming down in the grasp of two defenders. "Jonathan is going to be our X wide receiver," Rose said. "He really showed his speed on the first touchdown tonight and he had come a long way this spring. Roderick, who caught two touchdown passes in the 14-13 playoff loss to Mountain Brook last season, will be heavily involved in our passing game. He had two good catches tonight in traffic. Hunter Scoggins has the speed and moves to help us too as you could see on his touchdown catch just before the end of the first half." The Patriots defense looked in mid-season form, too, only giving up one first down and 36 total yards. The Patriots' outstanding linebacker corps of Brandon Davis, Nick Holman and Dylan Haraway shut down the Huskies' read option and Julian Lewis pressured Hewitt quarterback Zack Thomas into several errant throws. Bob Jones will have to replace the production and leadership of Huntsville Times Defensive Player of the Year Drew Davis at middle linebacker. The Patriots defense does return nine starters from last year, including Holman, who is ranked by 24sports.com as the No. 5 inside linebacker prospect in Alabama. Defensive coordinator Bryan Styles singled out his defensive line for the most improvement this spring. "I am proud of our defensive front," Styles said. "Dominique Davis, Ken Turney and Julian (Lewis) have worked hard," Styles said. "The secondary is young but Trent Lynch is moving much better this spring and Christian Hess had a good spring. Tyler Brutofsky has improved some too." Brett Beaird | al.com, May 09, 2013 10:26 p.m.
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Jones signs with Martin Methodist |
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  MADISON — Another Patriots athlete is headed to college on a sports scholarship. Senior point guard Jamarcus Jones signed with Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tenn. on May 10. Jones said he is elated to take his precises shooting skills to the college level. His coach Graham Aderholt said he could not agree more. "Jamarcus off the court is an extemley hard worker," Aderholt said. "He did really well in the classroom this year. On the floor we can depend on him in big time situations and a guy who we leaned on this year. Both on the court and off the court he is a great leader and role model." Jones said he see's himself as a scoring point guard at the next level with the Red Hawks. "I'm more of a scorer," he said. "I like both the mid-range and long-range game but I like shooting long range more." Aderholt said Jones was one of the best three-point shooters on the team. "He's a very consistent three-point shooter so that is something I think he's got going for him," he said. "There is always a place on the floor for a shooter and that's what I think [Martin Methodist] saw in him." Of course there are always elements to Jones' game he said he hopes to improve on. "I want to become stronger and faster," Jones said. "It's just about hard work and working at it each and every day." Aderholt said he has not sat down with Jones for a one-on-one discussion about his future, but said he hopes the young college prospect takes the values he learned at Bob Jones with him. "Your faith, your family and school first," he said. "Then he can focus on his game. I know that he has a great family structure and is a guy that has great character. I look forward to seeing what he can do." By Aldo Amato
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Patriots record season ends but will not be forgotten |
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 VESTAVIA HILLS, Alabama -- Jacob Whitehead had gotten 170 outs this season. He'd gone 8-1 on the mound as a starter. The 171st out he recorded on Saturday afternoon was by far his biggest. It meant he nailed down a tight 4-3 victory that saw third-ranked Hoover recover from two runs down to sweep an AHSAA Class 6A state quarterfinal series against No. 4 Bob Jones. Hoover (41-15) led 4-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh in the second game of the series that packed up and moved from Hoover to the turf baseball at Vestavia Hills. That was necessary to finish out the best-of-3 series on a playing surface that did not resemble a shower stall with a drain working overtime. Hoover's facility had a outfield with up to an inch of standing water in some spots, but Whitehead was in deeper water than against Bob Jones. He relieved starter Caleb Gilbert. It made sense. The senior had experience in the closer role from the last two seasons. He struck the No. 9 hole hitter out and immediately got himself into one spectacular mess. "I knew he wasn't going to get nervous," Hoover coach Rick Davis said. "We just came over to him during the previous inning and said "Hey, you're in" and he went and got loose." Bob Jones (35-10) saw its leadoff man drill the first offering from Whitehead over Ian Kirk's head in centerfield for a one-out double. Yet Whitehead recovered for another strikeout to set up the showdown that decided the series. When Patriot Matt Bolger stepped to the plate, his bat that was hotter than it had been all season. The South Alabama signee had smashed two of three home runs he'd hit in all of 2013 off Gilbert. His first gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the third inning. He'd scored the team's other Bob Jones run in the first. He followed that up with another solo shot to right in the fifth that tied the game up after Hoover rallied for three runs in the top of the inning. "It all played out like we wanted it to," Bob Jones coach Jeff Bell said. "A guy that had hit two home runs coming up to the plate with a runner at second. He got under it a little bit. He hit it hard but they were able to run it down. But man what a great effort my guys gave during the series." Whitehead threw a fastball. He said it resulted in the biggest out of his prep career. "He just didn't hit it out," he said. "It was definitely intense today. It had to end this way. This was just the game that needed to have emotion." Hoover breezed through the first game of the series on Friday in an 8-1 win. They out-hit Bob Jones 10-3 behind a complete game from starter Geoffrey Bramblett. The Bucs kept up that pace with another 11-5 edge in hits on Saturday. It was fitting that Whitehead's final out came with Kirk getting a glove on the ball in center. He ran down four fly balls on Saturday, including the final out. The junior first-year starter delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the sixth to put Hoover up 4-3. He went 3-for-4 on Saturday to finish the series with five hits along six at-bats. He also stole two bases on Friday and scored two runs. "I liked the way we kept up our hitting up all series and that our defense was solid all game on Saturday," Kirk said. "Catching that final ball today meant a lot today to do it for our team." Auburn signee Connor Short also had three hits, including an RBI double that scored Michael Powers in the fifth. Gilbert improved to 8-2 this season. Bob Jones started sophomore Grant Chandler started the game and fell to 7-2 this year. Hoover will take a road trip in the state semifinals, facing Hewitt-Trussville, which beat Grissom 4-3 Saturday to clinch its quarterfinal series. Jeff Sentell |
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, May 04, 2013 4:50 p.m.
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Bob Jones wraps up spring with impressive showing |
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 MADISON- Football fans in Madison didn't know what to expect at Thursday night's spring game with Bob Jones hosting Hewitt-Trussville. What they saw was a fast break offense as Bob Jones raced out to a 28-0 first quarter lead. At the half it was 35-0 and the night was over for both teams starting units. New Patriot's quarterback Tyler Whalen looked in mid-season form as he toyed with the Hewitt-Trussville defense. The onslaught started early as Whalen hit Jonathon Rice on a 75-yard catch and run on the team's first offensive series. Moments later he hit Rice again from nine yards out. "Tyler, for the first time out played extremely well," said Bob Jones head coach Kevin Rose. "He made good decisions, he made good throws, and he made a couple of big runs. Offensively, our skill people are really good and once our offensive line catches up to speed we got a chance to be a really good football team." Whalen spread the ball around connecting with six different receivers as the Patriots racked up over 200 yards of offense in the first half. On the third series, Whalen hit tight end Roderick Randolph for a big gainer across the middle. He then kept a read-option and ran ten yards for a touchdown. Whalen's third scoring pass went to Hunter Scoggins on a 12-yard slant pass. "They were letting us throw the inside ball all game," Whalen said. "The safeties were biting on the short routes and the deep routes were open." It was an impressive showing for the rising senior who missed most of last season with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds Whalen has size and deceptive foot speed. He had a 26 yard touchdown run called back on a penalty but two plays later he hit Rice on his third touchdown catch. Rice, who stands 6-foot-3, used his height advantage to go up and over the Huskies defensive backs. "I know if I throw it to him he is going up to get it," Whalen said. "Roderick Randolph also went up to get some balls. We worked on a lot of screens and some short passes. We didn't run the ball much." Leading rusher Jay Rogers only got a couple of carries but took a screen pass for a big gain. Hewitt-Trussville could get nothing going on offense as the Bob Jones defense turned in several negative yardage plays and allowed only 36 yards of offense and one first down. "We have a lot of returning players on defense," Rose said. One of the top returning players is linebacker Nick Holman. Holman is being heavily recruited and is invited to summer camps at Mississippi State and Memphis. "Overall, I thought we practiced really well this spring even though we only got five days in," Rose said. In the second half the backups played and got some good experience. Hewitt-Trussville won the second half 21-7. Off-season workouts start June 4 for Bob Jones. By Lindsay Vaught
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Questions abound as Bob Jones opens spring football practice |
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MADISON- Spring football means the end of the school year is nearly here. But first, Bob Jones will practice two weeks and play a spring game before school lets out for the summer. Spring practice started Monday. "I've been pleased so far. We had a really good first day in pads," said Bob Jones head football coach Kevin Rose. "The kids are working hard, good attitudes, and excited to be back out here." Rose must fill gaps created by the loss of 35 seniors to graduation. "We've got to find some offensive linemen," Rose said. "We graduated three offensive linemen that were really good players so that is our first and most immediate need." All eyes will also be on a wide open quarterback race.  Tyler Whalen is the only quarterback returning with any experience and he missed most of last season with a shoulder injury suffered in the second game. Officially, he threw one pass all season. Joining Whalen in the quarterback race is Mike Bernier who was the punter last season. Sophomore Jeremy Frye is also in the mix. "We've got to find a quarterback. We've got four that are working hard and we're trying to get to where all of them can go in and run the offense and give us a chance to win," Rose said of the quarterbacks. "We've got to make decisions at a number of different positions." Rose returns a strong running game led by Jay Rogers who rushed for 1,091 yards and 10 touchdowns. "It's going to be a big spring for us," Rogers said. "We got a lot of new faces on offense. The defense has a lot of players coming back so I think it is going to be real competitive. I've been working in the off-season to get better. I want to be a leader on the team." Bob Jones will be dependent on Rogers because gone will be the explosive plays provided by Kevin Wright who rushed for over 800 yards and 13 touchdowns. Rose will have to replace the team's two leading receivers. Wright led the team in receiving with 51 catches and seven touchdowns. Ben Washington had 30 catches. "We use spring as an opportunity to look at a lot of different kids and find some that we think can contribute in the regular season," Rose said. "We may give some kids a look that we wouldn't in a regular season game situation." "Offensively we are going to try to go to an even faster pace system of calling plays and getting additional snaps per game," Rose said. Rose said several college coaches have been in this week evaluating some players. "If you want to play college football, we've had a Division 1 coach here every day at spring practice so there is your opportunity." Last season's 8-4 record means Rose has passed Frank Sadler as the school's all time winningest football coach. His four year career record is 41-15 and 28-2 in area games. His four playoff wins are also a school career best. Bob Jones will host a spring game against Hewitt-Trussville at Madison City Schools on May 10, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. By Lindsay Vaught |
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BJHS Alums win on and off the court |
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 The 2013 Alabama A & M University Men's Basketball season has come to a close, but for two former Bob Jones High School athletes Jose Long and Tyler Davis it was more than just competing against some of the nation's leading Division I programs. Some of the teams included Iowa State University, Vanderbilt University, Missouri State University, University of Arkansas and Mississippi State University. The team's win against Mississippi State was historical for Alabama A & M University as it was the first win in the school's history against a major Division I school. Off the court, Long and Davis were winners in the classroom. They are majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, respectively while maintaining a 3.5 GPA. Long was recently awarded the Vann Pettaway Male Scholar Student Athlete award. Their accomplishments are a testament to Bob Jones' ability to prepare students for the academic and sports world.
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April 26-27- Sectional Track Meet Results |
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Bob Jones Girls win the Sectional and the boys finished 4th.
Girls were led by 1st place finished by:
• Tajhane Holme -400m
• 4x400 relay (Milan McGruder, Nameena Bojang, Moriah Lorge, Tajhane Holmes)
• Moriah Lorge-pole vault
• Kayla Krueger- triple jump and javelin
The boys were led by a 1st/2nd and 3rd in the pole vault with Austin Butler, Charlie Catoire and AJHarmon. |
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GSC Softball Player of the Week (Apr 23) |
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 Alabama Huntsville outfielder Brianna Sullivan
(Fr., 5-4, Madison, Ala.)
 Alabama Huntsville won all four of its contests with Sullivan setting the table as she earns her first career Player of the Week honor. The freshman did exactly what a leadoff hitter should do...get on base, steal bases and scored runs. She hit .538, got on base 10 times in 16 plate appearances, stole eight bases and scored seven runs as the Chargers swept doubleheaders from Christian Brothers and Delta State. Sullivan's prowess was on display in a game against CBU, where she made an impact without getting a hit. She walked three times in four plate appearances, proceeded to steal second each time, and scored twice in a 5-2 victory. This season, Sullivan leads the GSC with 30 stolen bases in 34 attempts, is tied for third with 44 runs scored and is ninth with a .448 on-base percentage. She is hitting .328 with 17 runs batted in.
| AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG. |
SB-ATT |
OB % |
| 13 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
.538 |
8-9 |
.625 |
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Bob Jones senior Lindsey Jennings signs with NW Florida State |
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 MADISON- Bob Jones girl's basketball program added another accomplishment to the schools success when Lindsey Jennings signed a basketball scholarship to Northwest Florida State College on April 9. The two-year college in Niceville regularly places graduates in Division 1 programs. Jennings broke into the starting lineup midway through her junior season on a team that started four seniors who are all currently playing college basketball. One of those was her sister Joidan who plays at UNA. "Lindsey had a super season for us," said Bob Jones girl's coach Danny Petty. "She is so athletic and with us she played different positions to help us win. She did a great job of adjusting her game. She is a great post up player; a great on-ball defender that puts pressure on the ball. She's just a great all around player." Jennings led Bob Jones in scoring and rebounding with 14 points and 6 rebounds per game as the Patriots went 28-6 and won three tournaments including the Huntsville Times Lady Classic. Among team honors she won the Most Improved Award as a junior and the Productivity Award and Defensive Award as a senior. Surrounded by her parents and her future college coach she first thanked for mother. "You pushed me and encouraged me to accomplish everything I have achieved in basketball," Jennings said. "You sacrificed by sending me to camps and buying me anything I needed for basketball." Jennings is not the only basketball player from this area to sign with NW Florida State. Takesha Jordan of Austin also signed with the Raiders. The two are close friends and have been AAU teammates for three years. "It's nice to know someone when you go off to college," Jennings said. "Playing together will be good because we have that chemistry. She will play point guard and Coach Harrington told me I will play shooting guard." Jennings said that she wants to ultimately play basketball in Division 1 and that was a major reason she choose NW Florida State. Jennings was the only returning starter last season which put her in a position of leadership. "Lindsey was in a tough position as the only remaining player after we graduated five strong seniors last year and she took this team and led them to a great season," said Bob Jones principal Robby Parker. Jennings is the last link to Bob Jones' state championship team in 2010-2011. "Winning state was a dream come true," Jennings said. "It was one of the best feelings ever. I always wanted to get back there. Even though we didn't get back I still enjoyed this year." By Lindsay Vaught
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Bob Jones beats Smith's Station in Gulf Coast Classic II finals |
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 GULF SHORES, Alabama - The Bob Jones Patriots defeated Class 6A No. 1 Smith's Station 8-7 to win the Gulf Coast Classic II baseball championship on Thursday at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.
PHOTOS: Gulf Coast Classic II baseball tournament
Grant Chandler's two-run single in the top of the seventh gave the Patriots an 8-6 lead and Brandon Leach closed out the win in two innings of relief for starter Nathan Burch. Matthew Sanders had a two-run homer over the left field scoreboard in the third and Christopher Flowers added an RBI on a sacrifice bunt to tie the game at 6 in the sixth inning.
 Ulysses Fluellen had a two-run homer for the Panthers in the first inning and Nicklaus Watford's two-run single tied the game at 5 in the fifth. Tyrus Galliher added Smith's Station RBIs in the fifth and seventh innings.
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Bob Jones High School General Athletic Forms
Athletic Physicals for the 2013-2014 school season will be held on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 at the Bob Jones High School beginning at 3:30 p.m for all student athletes who attend Bob Jones, Discovery, and elementary students who will be attending Discovery next year. Make sure to list the School you will attend next school year and the Grade you will be in next school year. Also, it will be helpful to list the primary sport you will be participating in.
1. Students will enter the small gym at the rear entrance. Each student will pay $5 to get a ticket.
2. Once a ticket has been issued, students will enter the gym and wait until their ticket is called.
3. When your ticket number is called, leave the main gym and go to the lobby area toward the auditorium to the front of the concession stand for station 1.
4. After completing station 1, students will proceed down the auditorium hallway going towards the main building of Bob Jones to complete the remaining stations.
5. Students will complete the physical process by turning in their physical form in the central lobby leading into the courtyard.
6. Students will exit into the courtyard and then into one of the gyms to exit to the parking lot.
Each athlete MUST complete the top portion of the "2013 AHSAA Physical Form for Athletics" listed below AND bring it with you on the day of the physicals.
Alabama STAR Sportsmanship Instructions
Here are the steps for students that need to go through the Alabama STAR Sportsmanship process:
1. Go to the Alabama High School Athletic Association website: http://www.ahsaa.com/ and click on STAR Sportsmanship bar at the bottom of the page or go directly to www.starsportsmanship.com.
2. Click on “Student Sign In” link.
3. Enter the STAR code for Bob Jones High School, which is: STAR01303
4. Follow the instructions.
5. Print the certificate and turn it in to your coach.
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Bob Jones student honored as Athlete of the Year |
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 HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Lydia Eubanks of Ardmore and David Hergenroeder of Bob Jones were honored as "the best of the best" on Tuesday night, winning scholarships as the Athletes of the Year in the Huntsville area. The award is presented by Huntsville Hospital Sports Center, The Orthopaedic Center and D1 Sports, chosen from schools service by those organizations... Hergenroeder was team captain for the cross-country team and played soccer. He's on target to graduate in the top five in his class and is a National AP scholar, National Merit semifinalist, a U.S. Presidential scholar and Eagle scout. Tony McGinnis, a former prep basketball star at Butler, a college player at Texas A&M and now head coach at Oakwood College as well as a community leader, was the featured speaker at the event at the Huntsville Art Museum. Perhaps appropriately for an honor sponsored by a sports-medicine group, two of the recipients of the Athlete of the Week awards were on crutches.To be considered for an Athlete of the Week award, the student is nominated by his or her school and must be a senior, maintain at least a 3.5 GPA and exhibit leadership and excellence on and off the playing field. By Mark McCarter |
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AHSAA State Track Meet Results |
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May 3-4 AHSAA State Meet @ Gulf Sores, Alabama
Led by Moriah Lorge's 2nd place finish in the pole vault. She lost in a jump-off that lasted through 22 competition jumps.
Other scorers were:
• Kortney Lacey 4th in long jump
• Kayla Krueger 5th in the triple jump
• Ben Washington, 7th in the long jump
• Girls 4x400 relay- 8th: (Milan McGruder, Nameena Bojang, Moriah Lorge, Tajhane Holmes) |
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Sydney Booker AL.com state Hitter of the Week |
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 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Bob Jones's Sydney Booker earned the AL.com state Hitter of the Week with three home runs in consecutive at-bats. The three homers in a game ties a state record held by 14 other players with Athens' Whitney Jordan also belting three this season in a game against Russellville. There is no state category for home runs in consecutive at-bats, but the national record is five. Booker blasted three solo home runs in the 9-0 win over Colbert County during the Florence tournament on April 19. Since the contest was played under a time limit, the game ended with Booker on deck for her fourth at-bat. The junior has a .438 batting average on the season with .528 on base and .884 slugging percentage with only four strikeouts in 121 at-bats. Booker has 53 hits, 18 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and four stolen bases. Playing shortstop the first half of the season before moving to third base, Booker has a .922 fielding percentage. Dad David played under Paul "Bear" Bryant on the 1978 Alabama National Championship football team.
Samantha Weir, Bob Jones: Batted .714 (10 for 14) in six games played in the Florence tournament.
Dennis Victory |
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, April 24, 2013 7:43 a.m. |
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Patriots Sweep Red Raiders |
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 MADISON, Alabama -- Grant Chandler knocked in five RBI's and Matt Bowen pitched a complete game to highlight No. 4-ranked Bob Jones' doubleheader sweep over Decatur in the first round of the Class 6A North high school playoffs. Aggressive hitting, eight stolen bases and strong pitching extended Bob Jones (33-7) winning streak to 20 games. The Patriots are one win away from tying their all-time single season win record of 34 wins. Bob Jones coach Jeff Bell credited an all-around effort of pitching, clutch hitting and defense in advancing the Patriots to the second round. "Both pitchers pitched well for us tonight," Bell explained. "Matt (Bowen) only gave up one hit in the first game. Austin won his eighth game on the season. He gave up some runs at the end, but both guys pitched extremely well against a good hitting team." The Patriots shut down the Red Raiders leading hitter first baseman Jackson Fite. Coming into the postseason, Fite was hitting a blistering .510 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs. Bob Jones held him to only one hit in the doubleheader. "We had a good scouting report for Fite. He is their best hitter and our pitchers would not let him get anything to hit. I can't say enough good things about how well Trey Ward and Grant (Chandler) played tonight. They hit in the fifth and sixth hole and really came through for us. Their pitchers were smart to pitch around our three and four hitters and Trey and Grant had some key hits for us tonight." In the nightcap, Matt Sanders RBI double scored Nathan Burch to give Bob Jones a quick 1-0 run in the top of the first inning. Chandler then doubled in two runs scoring Matt Bolger and Matt Sanders increasing the Patriots lead to 3-0. Collin Dupree bunt hit scored Burch to increase the Patriots lead to 4-0. Chandler continued his RBI assault with another RBI single in the top of the third inning. Dupree's sacrifice fly increased the Patriots lead to 7-0. Sanders picked up an RBI in the top of the sixth inning with a bloop single scoring Bolger to push the Patriots lead to 8-0. Dupree's double scored Nathan Burch and Elijah Stewart to increase the Patriots lead to 11-0. Matt Bolger then walked with the bases loaded to push the Patriots lead to 12-0. Decatur (21-12) rallied in the bottom of the sixth scoring five runs on three hits. Matthew Papich and Quintin Dupper had RBI singles for the Red Raiders. Two pass balls and a bases loaded walked scored three additional runs for Decatur. Patriots starting pitcher Austin May (8-0) picked up the win going six innings giving up five runs (three earned), six hits and five strikeouts. Decatur starting pitcher Will Gann took the loss. In the first game, Bowen threw a complete game only allowing two runs on one hit and Chandler had two RBIs as Bob Jones won 6-2. Bowen improved his record on the season to 7-1 allowing two runs (none earned) on only one hit and seven strikeouts. Decatur's only hit of the game Mitch Davidson's double knocked in two RBI's as Decatur took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Bob Jones tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Chandler's ground out to the shortstop was booted scoring Ward. Elijah Stewart then hit a sacrifice fly tying the game 2-2. Playing "small ball" paid off for Bob Jones in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Patriots scored four runs to take a 6-2 lead. Ward singled in Dupree. Then after a double steal, Chandler's single plated Sanders and Bowen. Decatur starting pitcher Drake Whitten (6-1) picked up his first loss of the season. Whitten went four innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits with five strike outs. Link Burns and John Michael Harbin pitched in relief for the Red Raiders. Brett Beaird | al.com, April 19, 2013 10:16 p.m.
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Bob Jones clinches Area 15 with perfect mark, again |
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MADISON- Just like last year, the Bob Jones baseball team went undefeated in Area 15 games and will host a first round playoff series against Decatur starting Friday night April 19 with a doubleheader. The Patriots had already clinched first place in the area when they met Sparkman Saturday afternoon. But that wasn't good enough for the players who wanted to finish with an undefeated mark. They did just that with a 2-1 win over Sparkman and finished 6-0 in area games. "Last year we were expected to win and this year we came out and surprised everybody and ourselves," said senior Matt Bolger who was among the nine seniors honored after the clinching win. "We didn't expect to be here. We play hard never and give up." Last season,  Bob Jones graduated 10 seniors who went on to play baseball at the next level. Expectations this season were tempered when the team started out with a 1-5 record. Since then, the team has been almost impossible to beat. They have now won 15 games in a row. Matt Sanders (.510 avg. with 49 RBI's) and Bolger (.390 avg. with 40 runs scored) have led the team with timely hits all season. Newcomers like speedy Reid Vershoore and first-year corner infielders Trey Ward and Grant Chandler have had big seasons. "A lot of these other guys have stepped up too. We're all contributing," said Bolger who will play for South Alabama next year. Pitcher Matt Bowen has seven wins including a 10-1 win over Sparkman on Friday night. Austin May leads the team with eight wins and will get the call against Decatur. "We're confident, we're playing really good baseball right now," said Bob Jones coach Jeff Bell. "When you get in the state playoffs at the 6A level ever team is really good. We just have to keep doing the things it takes to win." The team wants to atone for last season when they were upset by Sparkman in the first round of the state playoffs. Going into the playoffs, Bell has found extra depth at pitcher. Jessie Wheeler came on strong with performances against James Clemens and then pitched seven innings to win the clinching game against Sparkman. "Jessie broke his hand and has been out for six weeks," Bell said. "He pitched great today and that will make us five deep on the mound. He filled up the strike zone today." The team has developed a knack for winning close games by moving runners along and laying down sacrifice bunts. Against Sparkman, Bolger and Matt Sanders had RBI hits. "We seem to get a big hit when we need it," Bell said. "It's a credit to those guys stepping up and driving in runs when we need them." "Last year we were really talented, this year we're not nearly as talented but this team does the small things right and it's the little things that win big baseball games," Bell said. Sparkman finished second in the area and will open the playoffs at James Clemens who won Area 16. Buckhorn and Hazel Green did not make the playoffs. By Lindsay Vaught |
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2013 BJHS Softball Invitational |
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Bob Jones to play Enterprise in Champions Challenge |
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 MADISON, Alabama -- When it came to getting a chance to play in the Champions Challenge, the third try turned out to be a charm for Bob Jones. The Patriots were invited to play in the Montgomery-based preseason game the past two seasons, but had to decline due to a contract with the Madison Bowl. Those obligations are now fulfilled, and Bob Jones will take on Enterprise at the Cramton Bowl the week before the start of the regular season. "It's a great opportunity for our program," Patriots coach Kevin Rose said. "I think anytime you can play on a statewide stage like that against a quality opponent like Enterprise it will do nothing but make us better down the road. And I think (Enterprise coach) David Faulkner is one of the best football coaches in the state." The Champions Challenge typically consists of three games over a two-day period (a Friday and Saturday). Last year's Class 6A matchup between McGill-Toolen and Northridge was held on a Saturday night. The Alabama High School Athletic Association has not officially announced times or matchups for this year's event. Bob Jones is coming off an 8-4 season that ended with a 14-13 loss to Mountain Brook in the second round of the 6A playoffs. Enterprise went 7-4 and lost to McGill in the first round in Faulkner's first season leading the Wildcats. That Champions Challenge won't be the first time that Rose and Faulkner have met in a preseason game. In 2010, Faulkner's Fairhope team beat the Patriots 26-22 in the Madison Bowl. "We get to play a quality football program that has proven itself to be a playoff sound prepared football team," Faulkner told the Dothan Eagle. "It is not an every day, every year opponent, so it kind of has a newness to it and that brings a little excitement to the game." Bob Jones is the first team from the Huntsville region to participate in the Champions Challenge, while Enterprise is the first representative from the Wiregrass region. Daniel Boyette covers Huntsville high school sports for The Alabama Media Group and The Huntsville Times. Write to him at
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The 2013 Dunagan, Yates, and Alison / Bob Jones High School Softball Invitational will be held on April 4th through 6th, 2013. The pools, game times, tally sheet, brackets and field map are contained in the attachments below.
