Area Sports

By ARTHUR L. MACK MOBILE — Three late touchdowns set up by turnovers lifted the North to a 45-24 win in the North-South All-Star Game at Hancock-Whitney Stadium Friday. Pleasant Grove’s Tremell Washington broke a 24-24 tie late in the fourth quarter when he scored on a 64-yard touchdown pass from Fort Payne’s Dax Varadore…

        You can’t see the smokestacks from Interstate 65 going through Saraland. They must be there, right? Because some say Jeff Kelly has built a football factory that manufactures championships. But that insinuates that he slaps and sews and bolts the parts together dispassionately. If Kelly were supervising an assembly line, he’d…

  By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — Saraland fell short of winning the state championship for the second straight year. K.J. Lacey fell short of becoming the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s all-time leading passer. The Spartans fell underneath nearly a half-ton of major college defensive linemen and could never extricate themselves. But No. 1-ranked Saraland’s…

By ARTHUR L. MACK BIRMINGHAM — Offense wins championships but defense sets the tone. While Jackson’s offense was receiving all the attention and love in its 69-6 thrashing of Cherokee County Friday in the Class 4A state championship game, the defense made it possible, reducing the Warriors’ running game to a non-factor. Cherokee County managed…

    BIRMINGHAM — Annihilation doesn’t capture it. Neither does incineration or obliteration. It’s best to say the state record book had no equal for No. 1-ranked Jackson’s 69-6 victory over Cherokee County Friday, which was the worst beating in the annals of the Super 7. At times, you were tempted to avert your eyes…

    By ARTHUR L. MACK THEODORE — Theodore offensive tackle Micah DeBose, one of the nation’s top offensive line prospects in the 2025 class, signed with Alabama Wednesday and called it a dream come true. DeBose (6-5, 315), who played for Vigor before transferring to Theodore for his senior year, joins a loaded Crimson…

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — Antonio Coleman is looking forward to being a part of making Auburn a national contender again. And one other thing. “I’m just excited to see how he does without being doubled and triple teamed all the time,” Saraland defensive coordinator Brett West said after Coleman signed with the…

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD SARALAND — The influence of Saraland quarterback K.J. Lacey is not only going to be felt for years to come in the state of Alabama but well outside of it, Spartans coach Jeff Kelly said Wednesday after Lacey signed with Texas. “K.J.’s got an extremely bright future ahead of him,”…

            TUSCALOOSA — The Iron Bowl wasn’t played Saturday. It was the Missed Opportunity Bowl. It was the Non-Coup de Grace Bowl. Alabama defeated Auburn 28-14 and 100,000 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium roared in delight afterward in a familiar refrain that has been heard the last seven times the Tigers…

    By ARTHUR L. MACK MONTGOMERY — Vigor’s hopes of making a return to the Super 7 were dashed as No. 1-ranked Montgomery Catholic used three Jamarion Williams touchdowns to roll to a 21-7 win over the No. 5-ranked Wolves Friday night in the Class 5A semifinals. The Knights (13-0), who have won 28…