Runners, throwers and jumpers are back on track this season as the 2022-2023 track and field season continues for Marion County teams.
Winfield hosted its 17th annual Ice Breaker Invitational meet on Saturday, Feb. 25, and several teams from the area showed up to compete.
The Hamilton Aggies’ boys claimed first place with 143 points, and the Lady Aggies finished second place with 136.5 points, behind Brooks’ girls who won with 147.5 points.
Winfield pitcher J.D. Ray pitched 5 scoreless innings to pick up the win versus the West Point Warriors.
WEST POINT — After returning from their annual spring trip to play in the Gulf Coast Classic Tournament in Gulf Shores, the Winfield Pirates once again took to the road to take on the West Point Warriors in Cullman on Friday, March 24.
Winfield got out to an early lead by scoring 2 runs in the first on back-to-back singles by Hayden Ballard and Jarrett Hosch followed by a sacrifice fly by Tyler Mays.
West Point responded with 4 runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Ross Hudson takes a swing for the Panthers.
BEAR CREEK — The Hackleburg Panthers proved why they are tops in their region, walloping Phillips 17-1 Thursday, March 23.
Jaxon Fincher and Blaise Vickery shared pitching duties for the Panthers, with Fincher striking out 7 and allowing 4 hits for 1 run. Vickery struck out 5 and allowed no hits.
Phillips’ Hunter Orman and Bo Green shared pitching duties, with Orman striking out 2 and allowing 9 hits for 15 runs. Green struck out 3 and allowed 1 hit for 2 runs.
Catcher Dalton Davis tries to tag a Deshler player out at home.
HAMILTON — Thursday night ended in disappointment for the Aggies at home as they lost to visitors Deshler.
Hamilton started well defensively giving up very little to Deshler for the first four innings of the game.
The Aggies, however, were not able to get going at the plate and went down looking a few times.
The last four innings of the game is where it all seemed to go wrong for the Aggies as several errors led to runs being scored for the visitors.
Four runs in total were let up in the top of the fifth and sixth innings.
Lady Red Raider Jasmine Wilson, Marion County’s #3, looks to pass her defenders.
Marion County High School’s Lady Red Raiders are the only Marion County team remaining in the regional tournament after every other team’s season came to an end this week.
Marion County
The Marion County varsity girls’ team played against the Shoals Christian Flame on Friday, Feb. 17, and won the game 63-42.
Jasmine Wilson led the way for the Lady Raiders with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks.
Lily Robinson scored 11 points along with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
MARION COUNTY
Marion County will be sending their boys and girls to the regional tournament this week after both teams won their respective 1A Area 11 championship games.
The Lady Red Raiders tamed the Hubbertville Lions 63-31, and the Raiders won 69-39 over the Lynn Bears.
Both teams will be advancing to the regional tournament this week.
Winfield’s Slate Gilbert (#12) takes his shot over the Hamilton defense.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Lady Aggies and the Winfield Pirates won their respective games on Friday night, Feb. 3, at Winfield City High School to wrap up the regular season.
Hamilton’s varsity girls defeated the Winfield Lady Pirates 53-39.
The Lady Aggies took off to an early lead, ending the first half with a 24-19 lead. They continued to outscore the Lady Pirates through the second half to secure the win.
Hamilton’s Aubrey Sorrells led her team in scoring with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Parker scored 18 points.
Senior Abby Humphries achieves 1,000 points in her basketball career on Jan. 31. Shown are Coach Sawyer Nelson, Head Coach Ryan Sanderson, Humphries and Coach Heath Sanderson.
By P.J. Gossett
General manager
BRILLIANT — The Brilliant High School’s varsity girls basketball team has a 20-8 record and two milestone achievements this season. Senior Abby Humphries is the most recent of these, when she achieved 1,000 career points at the game against Vina on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The other one was by Macy Moore, another 1,000 points achiever, in December.
Hamilton’s Aubrey Sorrells is shown with her 1,000th rebound basketball milestone.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
Hamilton’s Aubrey Sorrells was honored for getting her 1,000th rebound in her career for the Hamilton Lady Aggies basketball team.
Sorrells was honored with her milestone basketball and was celebrated by her team and fans at the Hamilton gym before their game against Curry on Friday, Jan. 27.
“Aubrey is special. She’s the type of athlete that every coach wants to coach and that some coaches never get the chance to. I have been very blessed to have that opportunity in my first year,” said Sorrells’ coach Shelby Pace.
Brilliant’s Wes Woodard passes the ball.
By P.J. Gossett
General manager
BRILLIANT — The Brilliant Tigers took on the Hackleburg Panthers on Tiger court Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Lady Tigers won 63-35, and the boys’ game went into overtime with Hackleburg the victor 72-67.
Marion County’s Porshia Lipsey (#11) makes a break toward the lane from the corner.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Marion County Red Raiders traveled to Winfield on Friday night, Jan. 27, and won both games.
The Lady Raiders won 61-47, and the Raiders won 69-48.
Marion County’s girls were able to take off to an early lead. They were ahead of the Lady Pirates 35-15 at half time.
Toward the end of the game, the Lady Pirates started to close the gap, but the Lady Raiders held firm until the buzzer sounded on a 61-47 victory for Marion County.
Isabella Cantrell (#33) cheers on Jordan Parker during their win against Curry.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Both Hamilton’s boys and girls basketball teams picked up a win against visitors Curry on Friday night in the Hamilton High School gym.
The night for varsity basketball kicked off with a huge win for the Lady Aggies.
Hamilton started off a bit slow against Curry, making a few mistakes on the transition but were still able to keep ahead 15-9 after the first quarter.
Hamilton was able to start gaining a slow advantage in the second with the score reading 29-16.
Brilliant’s Tennie Easterwood (#2) winds up to take a three-point shot during the game.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — The Marion County High School Red Raiders hosted the Brilliant Tigers on Tuesday night, Jan. 10th.
Above: Hamilton’s Meg Wiginton goes for an uncontested layup. Right: Hamilton’s Joshua Webb beats his defender and lays it up.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HALEYVILLE — The Hamilton Aggies varsity boys basketball team fell to rivals Haleyville on Thursday, Jan. 12, in Haleyville.
Hamilton’s boys came into the game with a 3-9 record, having only beaten a few teams in their regular season.
Hamilton’s struggles on both ends of the court continued in their game against Haleyville as the team lost 68-34.
Hamilton’s record currently stands at 3-11, following last week’s three straight losses against Cordova, Haleyville and Marion County High School.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Winfield Pirates hosted the Gordo Green Wave on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Both Winfield varsity teams were victorious, the boys winning 60-40 and the girls winning 56-42.
The Lady Pirates took an early 10-8 lead in the first quarter but picked up the pace in the second quarter, scoring 14 more points to Gordo’s 5. Gordo came out of half time and outscored the Lady Pirates in the third quarter but slowed down enough in the final quarter that the Lady Pirates were able to maintain their lead and win the game.
Winfield’s Tinsley Franks goes for a lay up. Shown in the background is Anna Lynn.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Winfield Pirates hosted teams from all around the area on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 29-30, 2022, during Winfield’s annual Christmas Classic.
Teams from Marion, Winston, Lamar, Walker and Lauderdale counties competed, and Lawrence County from Tennessee also traveled to play at the Winfield City High School gymnasium.
Brilliant’s girls were the first Marion County team to compete, taking on Lamar County on Thursday. The Lady Tigers lost 52-27.
From left to right, standing: Assistant Coach Brad Cunningham, Coach Derek Trimm, Head Coach Zac Wakefield, Memphis Bowman, Preston Nelson, Hudson Holland, Jarret Hosch, Nick Haney, Drew Cook, Haiden Channell, Dawson Klein, Sean Wyers, J.D. Boman, Thackary Box, Tyler Mays, Miles Miles, Coach Zac Evans, Assistant Coach Jake Elkins and Aaron Rao. Holding trophy: Chris Podmore. Front: Slate Gilbert.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Winfield Pirates are the 2022 West Alabama Conference (WAC) champions after a 65-60 victory over the Sulligent Blue Devils on Monday, Dec. 19.
The Pirates defeated the South Lamar Stallions 65-33 in the first round on Saturday, Dec. 17, and advanced to the final round on Monday.
The game was a close, back and forth battle until the very end.
Top: Hamilton’s Kel Battle shoots from downtown.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Aggies bounced back to winning ways after their win against Sulligent on Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Hamilton.
Hamilton suffered three losses in a row, one of which was to Sulligent, before their rematch against the Blue Devils.
Hamilton and Sulligent were very close in the game, but Hamilton was able to pull away in the later stages of the game with a couple of big three pointers.
Both the Aggie fans and players were pumped up towards the later stages of the game with a rare victory in this season in sight.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
TUSCUMBIA — For the first time in the regular season, it’s back to back losses for the Marion County Red Raiders at Deshler.
Marion County came into the game with a 9-2 record after their loss against Midfield on Saturday, Dec. 17.
Marion County started the game well, scoring 21 points in the first quarter of the game to Deshler’s 16.
Deshler, however, was able to pull away from the Red Raiders quite quickly in the second half, scoring 27 to Marion County’s 15.
Emma Hall is on defense for the She Bears in their win over Hackleburg.
By Shelly Hess
Courtesy of the Northwest Alabamian
BEAR CREEK — The Phillips Bears had a banner week on the court, knocking off two of their area rivals on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
The Bears welcomed Belgreen and came out with a strong 55-41 victory. It was the first time the Bears have defeated Belgreen in seven years, as well as Belgreen’s first area loss in four years.
Hamilton’s Kel Battle tries to shake his defender.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — The Marion County Red Raiders have continued their flying form this past week as they bumped their record up to 9-2 for the season.
After winning their game against Brilliant on Friday by an impressive scoreline of 71-13, the Red Raiders were held to a score below 70 for only the second time this season as they lost 78-62 against Midfield on Saturday.
The Red Raiders will play their next game against Deshler away from home tomorrow night.
Winfield’s Jayci Griffin keeps ahead of Fayette Lady Tigers during the West Alabama Conference.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — Winfield City High School is the host of this year’s West Alabama Conference tournament, which began Friday, Dec. 16, and concluded Monday, Dec. 19.
The Winfield Lady Pirates played against the Fayette County High School Lady Tigers in the first round of the tournament on Friday night.
The Lady Pirates and Lady Tigers fought tooth and nail throughout the entire game. The first quarter ended in a 7-7 tie, and at the end of the second quarter, the Lady Pirates led by one point 16-15.
The 2022 Red Raider boys’ varsity team stands with their trophy. Left to right, back row: Assistant Coach Tyler Markham, Landon Morrow, Tye Madison, Jameson Webb and Kaison Bishop. Front row: Head Coach Casey Fox, Zach Lamoureux, Jake Smith, Brooks Junkin, Reese Harris, Dee Lipsey, Joe Aldridge and Assistant Coach Kyle Williams.
By Luke Brantley
Staff Writer
HUBBERTVILLE — The Marion County Red Raiders boys’ and girls’ basketball teams won the Northwest Alabama Conference (NAC) tournament last week.
Marion County traveled to Berry on Thursday night, Dec. 8 for the first round. The Lady Raiders blew Berry away 87-10. The Raiders also won by a wide margin with a score of 86-29.
The Raiders’ top scorer against Berry was Joe Aldridge with 23 points, 11 assists and two blocks. Landon Morrow scored 18 points and recorded 13 rebounds, six steals and four blocks.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Hamilton Aggies have had a season of ups and downs so far, and this past week was no different.
With a record of 1-2, Hamilton came into their game against Brooks on Monday, Nov. 28, looking to steady their season with a win.
The Aggies were successful in their battle against Brooks, winning the game 57-47.
Following their win, Hamilton faced off against Russellville at home on Friday, Dec. 2.
Hackleburg’s Braiden Godwin lays it up.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
LYNN — The Hackleburg Panthers lost their second matchup of the season against the Lynn Bears on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Lynn.
Hackleburg lost the game 54 to 47 in a game that now brings their season record to 0-2.
Hackleburg started the game well, scoring just one point more than Lynn in the first quarter. Lynn was able to pull away from the Panthers in the second quarter, scoring 20 points to Hackleburg’s 13.
The sides were just one point apart in the third quarter with Hackleburg scoring 10 points to Lynn’s 11.
Brilliant’s Elijah Harding goes up for a shot.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
BEAR CREEK — The Phillips Bears defeated the Brilliant Tigers in a matchup that took place on Thursday night, Dec. 1, in Bear Creek.
The home team was good defensively, stopping Brilliant from putting a good run together.
Following their win against the Tigers, Phillips went up against Vina away from home.
As of press time, this game had not yet been played.
After their home game against Brilliant, the Bears’ record sits at 3-1, which is a good start for the season ahead.
Marion County’s Dee Lipsey runs down the court.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — Marion County beat the Winfield Pirates after taking an early lead and keeping the pressure up the whole game on Thursday, Dec. 1
The score at the end of the game read 66-52, in favor of the home team.
Winfield stayed close but couldn’t put up enough points to overtake the Raiders.
The Pirates’ J.D. Boman was the top scorer for the Pirates with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Marion County’s Alecia Shack scores.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — The Winfield Lady Pirates defeated the Marion County Lady Raiders 60-50 on Thursday, Dec. 1
The Lady Pirates’ first victory of the season brings their record to 1-4.
It was a close game through the first quarter, which ended with both teams tied 10-10. But the Lady Pirates pulled ahead in the second quarter, scoring 18 points to Marion County’s nine and going into the locker room at half time with a 28-19 lead over the Lady Raiders.
Hamilton's Kel Battle dribbles past his defender
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY - The second week of county-wide basketball has come to an end with some teams entering tournaments and even starting their season.
The Winfield Pirates took part in the Phil Campbell Thanksgiving Tournament this past week. Winfield won their first game against Rogers 60-56, but fell to Shoals Christian in the semi-finals 53-46, sending them into one final game in the loser’s bracket. They won their final game against Addison 61-49, ending the tournament on a high with a hard fought win.
Marion County Red Raider Joe Aldridge attempts a quarterback keeper with a squad of Tornadoes on the way. Shown on the far left is Gavin Williams (#65) and Cade Atkins (#4) on the far right.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
REFORM — The Marion County Red Raiders’ season came to an end in the third round of the state playoffs with a 40-14 loss to the Pickens County Tornadoes on Friday night, Nov. 18.
The Raiders received the opening kickoff and made a good return, but a pass on first down was intercepted. The Tornadoes started to pick up yards, and with 8:32 left in the first quarter, a Pickens County receiver caught a contested pass to score. The kick was low but good, and the Tornadoes led 7-0.
Jake Webb, Dwayne Taylor, Braden Bannister, Josh Webb, Coach Scotty Sanderson, Anderson Streetman, Jonathan Flake, Ian Cole and Kaden Whitaker stand with their trophy for the boys’ second place finish in the 4A boys’ race.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
OAKVILLE INDIAN MOUNDS — Hamilton, Marion County and Winfield schools each traveled to Oakville on Saturday, Nov. 5, to run through the rain and mud in the 2022 state cross country meet.
Hamilton’s boys placed second with 106 points as the top public school finisher, behind Providence Christian School in first place with 48 points.
Freshman Joshua Webb finished in tenth place in the 4A boys’ meet with a time of 17:06. Sophomore Maya Jones placed 16th in the girls’ meet with a time of 21:02.
Right, Daniel Cooper races past a Coosa Christian defender.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
Gadsden — The Hackleburg Panthers’ season came to an end on Friday night as they suffered a first round playoff loss to Coosa Christian in Gadsden.
Early in the first quarter, Coosa Christian established a lead with a five-yard touchdown run.
They were able to score again with just two minutes left in the first with a 16 yard run and a successful two point conversion.
Coosa Christian did not let up in the second quarter of the game, scoring three touchdowns through two 4 yard runs and one 16 yard run into the end zone.
Landon Morrow catches a pass and runs to the end zone followed by Ragland players.
By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
RAGLAND — The Marion County Red Raiders succeeded in stopping the Ragland Purple Devils from continuing on to the playoffs Friday, Nov. 4. Marion County played a strong game, ending it with a score of 59-22 and is the only one from the county going to the second round of playoffs. They will take on Valley Head this Friday in Guin.
Winfield’s Austin Gerald breaks through a Geraldine defender.
By Derek Trimm
Winfield Correspondent
WINFIELD — The Winfield Pirates’ season came to an end in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs when the Geraldine Bulldogs came into Estes Hudson Stadium and defeated the Pirates 24-8 on Friday, Nov. 4. The Pirates finished the 2022 season with a 9-2 record.
Geraldine built a 24-0 lead in the fourth quarter and Winfield was not able to put points on the board. Winfield was inside the red zone twice but failed to come up with a score.
Nevin Elkins attempts a pass during their last game.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
VALLEY HEAD — The Phillips Bears suffered a season ending loss against the Valley Head Tigers away from home on Friday night, ending their season after just one round of playoff football.
Valley Head opened the scoring with two touchdowns in the first quarter, leaving Phillips with a mountain to climb early on in the game.
Valley Head scored 28 more points in the second quarter, but Phillips was able to respond with a touchdown of their own before the half.
Hackleburg Panther Austin Gerald makes his way to the end zone.
By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
HACKLEBURG — The Hackleburg Panthers have secured a spot in the Class 1A Region 8 playoffs with their 50-8 win over Cherokee Thursday, Oct. 27. The team will travel Friday, Nov. 2, to take on Coosa Christian in Gadsden.
The first quarter of the game was filled with penalty flags, but Hackleburg was able to come away with 30 points at its end.
Winfield’s Drew Cook readies to throw a pass.
By Derek Trimm
Winfield correspondent
VERNON — The Winfield Pirates overcame struggles in the first half and scored 33 unanswered points in the second half to rout the Lamar County Bulldogs on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Vernon.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
PICKENS COUNTY — Marion County ended their regular season on a bit of a sour note with a loss to Pickens County away from home this past Thursday, Oct. 27.
Pickens County scored early in the game and didn’t let up, scoring a total of 51 points throughout the match up.
Marion County was able to respond with three touchdowns of their own in the game, but it was never enough to threaten Pickens County’s dominance offensively.
The match up ended with a scoreline of 51-21 in favor of the hosts, Pickens County.
Tiger Elijah Harding nears midfield as he heads toward the end zone.
By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
BRILLIANT — The Brilliant Tigers’ season came to an end after a 41-0 loss to the visiting South Lamar Stallions on Friday night, Oct. 28.
South Lamar took the lead early in the first quarter, leading 27-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers started to drive as the second quarter began, but an intercepted pass gave the Stallions another touchdown, putting them ahead 34-0 with 7:25 to go in the first half.
Kevin McBride runs in a touchdown for the Aggies.
By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton ended their season on another loss this past Friday as the Fayette Tigers came to visit Sargent Stadium.
Hamilton came into the game with a 1-8 record and struggled to get things going throughout the season.
In the first quarter of the game, Fayette scored a touchdown just about six minutes in.
Two minutes into the second quarter, Fayette added to their lead with another touchdown.
Winfield’s Keelan Hughes outdistances his number’s counterpart from Oakman.
By Derek Trimm
Winfield correspondent
WINFIELD — The Winfield Pirates dominated the Oakman Wildcats 43-0 to clinch the number two seed in Class 3A, Region 5 on Friday, Oct. 22, and secure a home game in the first round of the state playoffs.
The Pirates used their potent rushing attack to help roll up the yards and points. In the game, senior running back Drew Cook eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark on the season. Cook has 1,063 yards on only 97 attempts, an average of 11 yards per carry.
Panther Davin Dulaney rolls past the goal line in the end zone after being brought down by Vina at the one yard line.
By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
VINA — The Hackleburg Panthers were able to keep the Vina Red Devils to a single digit score Thursday, Oct. 20, when they won 44-6.
Hackleburg kicked off to Vina, with Vina making second down before the ball was recovered by Hackleburg. On first down, Daniel Cooper took the ball into the end zone, but a flag pulled everyone back. Cooper made it a repeat and this time scored the touchdown. With a complete pass to Davin Dulaney, the two point conversion stood with the score of 8-0, Hackleburg.
Phillips’ Josh Mann carries the ball.
By Shelly Hess
Courtesy of the Northwest Alabamian
ADDISON — The Phillips Bears’ regular season ended in disappointing fashion Friday night, Oct. 21, with a 45-12 loss to Addison.
The Bears started out great on defense, forcing a punt, but a fumble by the offense was recovered by Addison’s Bradley Willette, turning the ball back to the Dawgs and giving them great field position at the Bears’ 35 yard line. Jed Wilkins was in for Addison on the next play, and Wilkins hit Briley Hayes for two more to make it 8-0.
The Marion County Red Raiders win over Hubbertville. Some who are shown are Jameson Webb (#51), Gavin Cole (#2), Brooks Junkin (#55), Dee Lipsey (#5), Riley Smith (#57), Landon Morrow (#6) and Dalyce Floyd (#8).
By Allen Dunavant
Special to the JR
Jerry Lothrop carries the ball for Brilliant. He managed the two touchdowns Brilliant received on the night.
By Jeff Banks
Special to the JR
BERRY — The Berry Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they helped the seniors enjoy a 33 point victory over Brilliant 49-16.
Winfield’s Tinsley Franks (#20) jumps up for a spike as a Geraldine Bulldogs player tries to block.
By Luke Brantley
Staff Writer
