Area Sports

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD PHENIX CITY, Ala. — Cody Flournoy won’t necessarily feel more weight on his shoulders to succeed at Central Phenix City than he did in Jackson, where he won the last two Class 4A state football championships with some of the best talent the state has ever seen. It’s true that…

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD Cody Flournoy, who coached Jackson to two straight dominant seasons as the Class 4A state champion, has accepted the Central Phenix City job. Flournoy — who is 80-31 overall in nine years as a head coach, including 69-21 in seven seasons with the Aggies — confirmed the hire Tuesday night…

_________________ “People tell me all the time, ‘Well, this is a new era.’ I’m tired of hearing it. It’s not a new era. The rules have been there for years and some are not going by them.” Central Clay County’s Danny Horn _________________     LINEVILLE, Ala. — Danny Horn is the quintessential high school…

  __________________ Most coaches don’t seem to want a split but major change seems inevitable in an increasingly rancorous environment marked by transfers and recruiting __________________ By JIMMY WIGFIELD It seems unlikely that the status quo will survive when the Alabama High School Athletic Association officially announces its reclassification on Jan. 23 and possibly renders…

          AUBURN, Ala. — If you are an Auburn fan, put a bag over your head and plugged your ears since September, then suddenly had your senses restored Saturday night, it’s likely you would have thought Bruce Pearl was still coaching the Tigers and they were heading back to the Final…

        TUSCALOOSA — The local Dominos offered 50% off on pizzas Saturday if Alabama made 10 three-pointers against Kentucky. The Crimson Tide had that many by halftime, when it led by 16 points and had its boots pressed against the Wildcats’ windpipe. Let’s say Alabama fans were rolling in dough. All the…

  ______________________________ A simmering feud between public and private school athletics in Alabama has come to a boil and a landmark decision could soon settle it. At the heart of the issue is recruiting — each says the other does it. A split is the worst possible answer but can it be avoided? ______________________________   Terry…

      BIRMINGHAM — With the exception of the last three Super 7s, Saraland usually makes good teams look bad and bad teams look forward to next year. But now it’s the Spartans who must again look ahead. Does Friday night’s 38-21 loss to Clay-Chalkville in the Class 6A state championship game make them…

      By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — Jamison Roberts kept getting off the turf and launching pocket rockets after getting knocked down. Deshawn Spencer kept catching them. But they and Saraland were still no match for the latest Clay-Chalkville quarterback to torment the Spartans. Cougars quarterback Aaron Frye stretched Saraland’s defense so thin that…

      By LOGAN GATLIN BIRMINGHAM — Game MVP E.J. Crowell ran for 304 yards on 25 carries and five touchdowns and Jackson’s defense swarmed Anniston all game long as the No. 2-ranked Aggies ripped the No. 4 Bulldogs 52-0 for their second straight Class 4A state championship Friday at Protective Stadium. “When I…