(Sports editor’s note: This is the listing of the honors and achievements of the members of the 2019 Marion County Sports Hall of Fame class. New inductees have been listed alphabetically by last name.
Each list of awards and achievements is compiled from information submitted by the inductees. If a photo is not shown, one was not provided. MJP)
HAMILTON - The Hamilton Bassmasters invite all children ages 5-13 to join them for their 35th Annual Youth Fishing Contest on Saturday, June 8, at the Marion County Lake, located between Hamilton and Guin.
The contest will be held from 8 - 11 a.m. and there is no entry fee.
Following the event, the Bassmasters will be serving hot dogs, soft drinks and chips to all the contestants and their families.
Always a special treat are the drawings for door prizes and each contestant will receive a grab-bag filled with fishing accessories and equipment.
CULLMAN - Winfield captured the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A State Track and Field boys championship on Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4.
The Pirates claimed the 3A title with 124.5 points after winning the Class 4A crown in 2018. The runner-up, Bayside Academy, finished with 87 points.
Winfield won the Classes 1A-3A indoor crown for 2019 to mark the third time the Pirates have won both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same year with 2015 and 2016 marking the first and second times the school accomplished the feat.
FLORENCE - Hamilton suffered a 2-0 loss to Sardis in the Class 5A North Regional at Coffee O’Neal Park in Florence on Friday, May 10.
The Lady Lions tallied a run in the first inning and added their second in the third in the 2-0 victory.
The Lady Aggies’ Hannah Hogue suffered the loss in six innings. She allowed two hits, six walks, one earned run and struck out two.
Anna Grace Frost pitched the seventh inning and allowed two walks while striking gout one.
SYLVANIA - Winfield completed a two-game sweep of Sylvania with a 9-4 victory in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A State Baseball Playoffs second round on Friday, April 26.
The Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A’s second-ranked Pirates improved to 33-7 on the season to set the school record for wins, which was previously 31 victories set by the 2016 team (31-14).
FAYETTE - Winfield downed Lamar County 11-0 in the West Alabama Conference Softball Tournament finals on Saturday, April 20.
The Lady Pirates’ Alana Ballard earned the complete-game victory. She allowed two hits, one walk and struck out two.
Andrea Harbin hit a solo home run while Kady Eads had a home run, four RBIs and scored two times.
Tralee Couch added a single and scored a run. Ballard had a triple and a single, along with a RBI.
WINFIELD - Hamilton defeated rival Winfield 5-2 on Monday, April 22.
Both teams scored a run in the first inning before pitching dominated the second, third, fourth and fifth frames.
The Lady Aggies scored three times in the top of the sixth before Winfield scored a run in the bottom of the frame.
GUIN - The Winfield Lady Pirates won the Marion County Softball Tournament after defeating Marion County 15-0 behind Andrea Harbin’s four-hit performance in the if-necessary game on Monday, April 15.
The tournament resumed play after being postponed due to an extended lightning delay on Saturday, April 6.
Winfield scored five runs in the first inning before adding three in the second frame.
The Lady Pirates captured the 15-run victory after scoring seven runs in the fourth to earn the county crown.
BIRMINGHAM - Marion County High School senior Braden Pyron was named the overall winner of the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship on Monday, April 8.
The scholarship has two categories with one being achievement and the other recognizing student-athletes.
Pyron was recognized as the winner of the student-athlete category for Class 1A and overall throughout all seven classifications.
“It’s an honor to be recognized, especially coming from a small school,” Pyron said of winning the award.
WINFIELD - Winfield downed Weaver 19-6 in the Pirates’ second game of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A state playoffs on Saturday, April 20.
The Pirates are ranked No. 2 in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A poll.
Winfield’s Ben Parrish earned the win in 4 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits and five earned runs with four strikeouts.
Jackson Elkins pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed one hit with no earned runs. He struck out two.
WINFIELD - Winfield downed Lamar County 6-3 in Class 3A, Area 10 action on Tuesday, April 16.
The Lady Pirates are the fifth-ranked team in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A poll.
Alana Ballard pitched a complete game and allowed 11 hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out one.
Andrea Harbin collected two doubles, one single, one RBI, one walk and three runs scored.
Tralee Couch added two singles, two stolen bases and two runs scored.
ARLEY - Marion County captured the Class 1A, Area 12 title with a 4-3 victory over Meek on Wednesday, April 10.
The victory gave the Red Raiders the team’s fourth consecutive area title after finishing 5-1 in Area 12 action.
Marion County’s Braden Pyron earned the complete-game victory. He allowed five hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out eight.
Pyron finished with two singles, a double and one RBI. Seth Knight collected three singles.
GUIN - Marion County defeated Lynn 12-2 in Class 1A, Area 9 action.
The Lady Raiders’ Kiki Lipsey picked up the complete-game victory. She allowed just two hits, five walks and two earned runs while striking out five.
Caitlyn Jones collected a single, a double and a home run. She drove in four runs, walked once and scored two times.
Crimson Stanger had two hits, one RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Madison Norris walked twice, collected a RBI and scored a run.
HAMILTON - The Hamilton boys and girls golf teams won the Marion County Golf Tournament at Pikeville Country Club on Tuesday, April 9.
The boys squad saw Blayne Armstrong finish in the top spot with a low score of 75.
Other members of the boys squad are Samuel Sutton, Noah Boyette and Kaiden Williford.
The girls team is made up of Briley Ballard, Mia Hollingsworth and Kalei Mason. The squad saw Ballard finish as the over low medalist for girls with a 89.
Winfield’s Anna Kate Crumpton (47) swings at a pitch against Marion County on Tuesday, March 5. Crumpton hit two home runs in the Bill Collins Classic in the Lady Pirates’ two contests against Northside.
CARBON HILL - Winfield toppled Cordova 7-3 in the finals of the Bill Collins Classic held at Carbon Hill High School on Saturday, March 23.
Cordova led 1-0 through the first three innings after scoring in the first frame. The Lady Devils added to their lead in the fourth with another run.
Winfield responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead into the fifth.
After holding Cordova scoreless in the fifth, Winfield added three runs to its lead to take a 7-2 advantage.
Winfield’s Ben Parrish (15) throws across the diamond to first base to record an out during the Marion County Baseball Tournament on Thursday, March 7. Also shown is Marion County High School head coach William Box.
GULF SHORES - Class 3A Winfield downed Class 6A Minor 11-10 in the Gulf Coast Classic II in Gulf Shores.
Winfield is ranked No. 4 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A poll.
The Pirates’ Jack Williamson claimed the victory in a relief appearance. He pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out three.
Brock Hollingsworth collected two hits and two RBIs. Jackson Elkins added two hits and a RBI.
Marion County won the Northwest Alabama Conference Baseball Tournament with a 19-9 victory over Hackleburg in the finals on Saturday, March 16. Shown for the Red Raiders are (front row, from left) Seth Knight, Grant Beckon, Alex Warren, Cade Atkins, Brayden Smith, Jackson Trimm, Leonardo Imami-Fugihara, (back row, same order) statistician Blaine Pyron, head coach William Box, Hunter Smith, Braden Pyron, Josh Rhudy, Logan Maddox, Mason Ezekiel, Preston Walker, Ryan Jaggers and assistant coaches Zane Miles and Kyle Smith.
GUIN - Marion County defeated rival Hackleburg 19-9 in the Northwest Alabama Conference Baseball Tournament finals on Saturday, March 16.
The Red Raiders scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Hackleburg responded with a run in the top of the second before Marion County added seven runs in the bottom of the frame to hold a 10-1 advantage.
The Panthers scored two in the fourth and six in the fifth to trim Marion County’s lead to 10-9.
Winfield head football coach David McKinney (standing, right) give directions to the lifters during the 2019 Winfield Invitational Powerlifting Meet on Wednesday, March 20. The meet saw 110 total competitors in the 18 different weight classes. More photos can be found on page 7B.
WINFIELD - Winfield hosted the 2019 Winfield Invitational Powerlifting Meet on Wednesday, March 20, at the Winfield City High School Indoor Athletic Facility.
Brilliant, Marion County and Lamar County participated in the meet, along with Winfield. No team winners were named, just individual winners by weight division.
The event started at 8 a.m. with each participant weighing in before the lifting began at 9:30 a.m.
Hamilton’s Ansley Kerr (20) lays down a bunt against Lawrence County on Tuesday, March 19.
VERNON - Winfield cruised to a 12-0 victory over Lamar County in Class 3A, Area 10 play on Tuesday, March 19.
The Lady Pirates’ Alana Ballard earned the win with four hits and one walk allowed in five innings. She struck out four.
Winfield’s offense had 13 hits, two walks and nine stolen bases with Sara Cotton getting hit by pitches twice.
Hamilton receiver Alex Reid (seated, right) signed a scholarship offer to play for Harding University in Searcy, Ark., on Tuesday, March 5, at Hamilton High School. Pictured with the future Bison are (front row, from left) parents Brock and Jennifer Taylor, Reid, (back row, same order) Aggie coaches Rush Holcomb, Rodney Stidham and David Cantrell.
HAMILTON - Hamilton’s Alex Reid will don black-and-gold next season after signing to play for Harding University in Searcy, Ark., on Tuesday, March 5.
Reid was joined by family and friends at Hamilton High School as the 18-year-old made his decision as to where to spend his next four years playing football.
The son of Brock and Jennifer Taylor sat behind a table with his family and two hats and sets of paper in front of him--one from Harding and the other from Auburn University.
Winfield defeated Lamar County 14-2 to improve to 11-4 on the season on Tuesday, March 12.
The Pirates are ranked No. 4 in Class 3A by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
The Pirates’ Brody Cook earned the complete-game victory. He allowed two hits and two earned runs while striking out six.
Winfield shortstop C’era Beck (1) throws over to first base to complete a double play after tagging second. Shown for Marion County is Bretta Taylor (1).
WINFIELD - Winfield defeated Class 3A, Area 10 foe Carbon Hill 7-0 on Wednesday, March 13.
The Lady Pirates are ranked No. 6 in Class 3A by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Winfield’s Alana Ballard earned the complete-game victory. She allowed three hits and three walks while striking out two.
Winfield head coach Joseph Wilson (right) walks toward senior guard Andrea Harbin (10) after the final seconds ticked off the clock in Winfield’s 48-41 loss to Montgomery Academy in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A Basketball State Tournament semifinal at the Legacy Arena in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
BIRMINGHAM - Winfield suffered a heartbreaking 48-41 loss to Montgomery Academy in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Basketball State Tournament Semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Legacy Arena in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
The Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 3A’s fourth-ranked Lady Pirates led a majority of the contest, including a three-point advantage heading into the final period of play, before suffering the seven-point loss to the state’s seventh-ranked Lady Eagles.
Marion County senior Braden Pyron (2) slips through the arms of a Vina defender. Pyron was named as a wide receiver to the North All-Star Football Team.
Marion County will be well represented in the 60th Annual Alabama High School Athletic Association’s North-South All-Star Football Game on Thursday, July 18.
Winfield head football coach David McKinney was named the North’s head coach for the event at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
“I am honored and proud for the opportunity,” McKinney said. “They told me that the North has won four years in a row, so the pressure is on.”
Hamilton second baseman Dawson Morris (10) awaits the throw-down from the catcher as the Muscle Shoals runner attempts to steal second.
HACKLEBURG - Hackleburg scored early en route to an 11-5 victory over Brilliant on Thursday, Feb. 28.
The Panthers scored a run in the bottom of the first inning. Brilliant evened the score in the top of the second before Hackleburg added five runs to make the score 6-1, Panthers.
Hackleburg added three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth while the Tigers crossed home plate twice in the top of the fifth.
Hamilton’s Katelyn Peoples (15) ropes a double into the outfield in the Lady Aggies’ 6-1 win over Haleyville. Peoples had two RBIs in the contest.
GUIN - Hamilton toppled Marion County 17-9 in a county clash on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Hamilton scored five runs in the top of the first before Marion County trimmed the Lady Aggie lead with two runs in the bottom of the frame.
Both teams scored four runs in the second inning. The Lady Raiders tacked on two runs in the bottom of the third.
The Winfield cheerleading squad captured its third-consecutive world championship at the Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 and 10. Shown are (front row, from left) Savannah Williamson, Julia Taylor, Meg Bowen, Kati Rose Hardin, Anna Kate Gruwell, Sara Beth Cotton, Olivia Burleson, Jacie Cummings, (second row, same order) Bailey Dodd, Addie Birmingham, Brooklyn Bozeman, Macy Cummings, Memory Clark, Jaken Terrell, Abi Webb, Halie Lowry, Anna Grace Sims, (back row, same order) cheer coach Sandra Seals, Lexi Welch, MaKenna Tucker, Melody Harrison, Olivia Webster, Preslee Loring and Isabella Taylor.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Winfield cheerleading squad captured its third consecutive world championship at the Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 8, 9 and 10.
The squad, which also won its ninth UCA National Championship at the event, has now claimed the world crown for the large varsity non-tumbling division for three-straight years.
Three Winfield players, along with head coach Joseph Wilson (second from right), answer questions during the postgame media session after the Lady Pirates’ 46-41 overtime victory over Lauderdale County on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Shown are (from left) freshman Emma Kate Tittle, senior Andrea Harbin, Wilson and senior C’era Beck.
HANCEVILLE - Winfield rallied from a double-digit deficit for the second-straight game to advance to Birmingham after defeating Lauderdale County 46-41 in overtime.
The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A Northwest Regional Final was on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Tom Drake Coliseum on the campus of Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.
RED BAY - Hamilton scored five runs in the seventh inning to come back and beat Red Bay 10-6 on Monday, Feb. 18.
The Aggies scored four runs in the first inning before Red Bay responded with two in the bottom of the frame and four runs in the second to hold a 6-4 advantage.
After both teams went scoreless in the third, fourth and fifth innings, Hamilton tacked on a run in the top of the sixth to cut the Tigers’ lead to one run.
