Swinging for the fences

By Staff
Kim West, Franklin County Times
Local teams enjoyed a successful spring campaign, including three area championships, three sectional titles and two individual state championships.
The Russellville baseball team, which missed the playoffs last season despite winning 29 games, rebounded in 2007 with its best season in school history. The No. 2 Golden Tigers claimed the Class 5A, Area 16 championship, won 42 games and advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs, where they ran into eventual state champion Cullman.
Six starters hit over .400, including senior outfielder Patrick Hines (.470, 39 RBIs, 21 stolen bases), who is expected to sign a junior college scholarship, junior leadoff hitter Caleb Mitchell (.410, 47 stolen bases) and senior third baseman Seth Fergerson (.414, 14 home runs, 65 RBIs), who has signed a football scholarship to Birmingham-Southern.
Coach David Ward loses four seniors, including pitchers Preston Beasley (14 wins, 2.37 ERA, 97 strikeouts) and UNA signee JaCey Wilson (5-1, 4.10 ERA, 40 strikeouts, but returns most of his starting lineup next spring, including freshman Jake Ward, who batted second (.439, 39 RBIs, 23 stolen bases) and also pitched (3-1, 1.85 ERA), junior Corey Flanagan (.405, 39 RBIs, 21 stolen bases), junior Cory Trapp (9-0, 0.97 ERA, 47 strikeouts) and junior Torey Baird (.443, 41 RBIs, 15 stolen bases).
Even though the two-game semifinals series didn't play out the way Russellville envisioned, but the Bearcats and their entourage gave the Golden Tigers plenty of motivation for next season. Muscle Shoals – the team Russellville beat to win the area title – is probably the Golden Tigers' biggest local rival. But, the talent and depth on both Russellville and Cullman's rosters could lead to more playoff showdowns in the next few years.
Phil Campbell also had a season to remember as the softball team won 31 games – a school record – and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. The Lady Bobcats, coached by Greg Winstead, captured the county title and the Class 2A, Area 16 championship, and they won the Hackleburg and Bobcat Invitational tournaments.
Phil Campbell was led by senior co-captains Shelly Cooper, Carrie Fell and Melissa Russell and outfielder Alexis Maggerise, the team's leading hitter (.417). Russell, the team's ace, finished 28-10 with a 1.29 ERA and 342 strikeouts and pitched three no-hitters and one perfect game.
The Russellville boys' tennis squad swept sectionals and finished fourth at the state tournament under coach Jimmy Rea. Junior T.J. Drake won the school's first state championship since 1982 in No. 1 singles and teammates Keifer Rae (second round), Anthony Turner (semifinals), Tyler Malone (semifinals), John Tyler Hardin (semifinals) and Jacob Hill (finals) all advanced past the opening round of the state tournament. The No. 2 doubles team of Keifer Rae and Tyler Malone also made it to the state semis.
The Golden Tigers expects to challenge state powers Walker and UMS-Wright for the state title in 2008 with no seniors on the Golden Tigers' roster.
Phil Campbell baseball team, which played for the state championship in 2005 and 2006, defended its county title and returned to the state playoffs.
In track, the Vina boys won the county and conference meets and sent sectional winners Nash Creekmore, Paul Wilkins and Blake Thorne to state. The Red Devils' Emily Davidson also qualified for state, where she finished second in the 1-mile run and fourth in the 800-meter run.
The Belgreen girls placed third at state, and eighth-grader Katelin Barber won the state championship in the 100-meter run. The Phil Campbell girls won the county meet and sent nine runners to state, including senior Shelly Cooper, who won her second straight championship in the javelin throw. The Red Bay girls and boys teams both competed at state, and the boys' 4 x 100 meter relay team of Josh Coats, Pablo Makepeace, Joe McKinney and Justin Page placed second. The Russellville boys sent Micah McCullough (seventh, high jump) and Terence Smith (400-meter dash) to the 5A state meet.
The Red Bay boys' golf and tennis teams also had banner seasons. The golf team won its second consecutive 1A-2A sectional tournament, held this spring at the Cullman Municipal course. The state tournament team of Grant Fancher, Casey Keeton, Trey Bolding and Chris Frame finished nine strokes behind Houston Academy to finish fifth at the Grand National in Opelika, and Fancher shot rounds of 85 and 78 to place eighth overall.
The tennis team captured its second straight Class 1A-3A, Section 4 title and finished seventh at the state tournament in Jacksonville. Wesley Jarnigan, Matthew Young, Toby Gray and Kirk Armstrong won sectional championships, and Jarnigan (No. 1 singles) and Young (No. 2) each advanced to the state semifinals.