BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@
OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
LEE COUNTY —
The sports calendar is flipping to 2023 and it’s time for reflection. In 2022, numerous local high school teams and individuals achieved great success in their respective sports. The story of East Alabama’s 2022 prep sports unfolded right before our eyes, and it’s a museum of memorable feats. The following are just some of the best moments.
JANUARY: Opelika basketball’s Haley Sanders scored her 1,000th career point.
– Opelika senior girls basketball player Haley Sanders scored her 1,000th career point as a Bulldog in a game against Eufaula on Jan. 7, 2022.
FEBRUARY: Glenwood girls basketball wins state championship.
– On Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2022, the Glenwood Gator girls basketball team won its second of back-to-back AISA 3A State Championships with a 58-56 win over Tuscaloosa Academy at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery. The Gators trailed by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter before Tuscaloosa’s Alex Brownlee missed a full-court heave at the buzzer that fell short of the basket.
MARCH: Beauregard softball honors Maddie McClendon.
– The Beauregard varsity softball team March 16 faced off against Dadeville and honored the life of Maddie McClendon, a former Lee-Scott Academy student from Dadeville who lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2021. Before the action on the diamond began, the two teams met in the center in a show of solidarity and in an effort to raise awareness of the disease. Both teams had their own special jerseys designed specifically for the game.
APRIL/MAY: Beulah softball, Auburn and Glenwood baseball make deep playoff runs.
– Beulah varsity softball finished its 2022 regular season 36-6, securing both the regular season and postseason area tournament championship. The Bobcats went on to advance to the state semifinals before losing to Mobile Christian.
– The varsity Auburn High School baseball team started the 2022 season hoping to secure back-to-back AHSAA 7A state titles. The Tigers won their region in the regular season and advanced all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Central Phenix City.
– The varsity Glenwood Gator baseball team raced out to a 34-4 AISA 3A regular season record in 2022 and advanced to the state championship before ultimately losing to Pike.
JUNE: Local athletes named to North-South All-Star game.
– As the school year ended and the 2021-22 sports calendar wrapped up, several local athletes were named to the AHSAA North-South All-Star teams. The athletes selected include Connor Cosby (Auburn baseball); Chapman Marlow (Auburn boys soccer); Hannah Arnal (Auburn girls’ soccer); Claire Bosman (Auburn girls soccer); Lanier Bankson, Luis Jeong and Kaleb Kirkland (Auburn boys tennis); Jackson Williams (Smiths Station golf); Brandy Phillips (Beulah softball); McKay Yountz (Opelika softball); and Amiya Brown (Opelika girls soccer).
JULY: High School media days.
– The Observer shared coverage of 23 local high school football teams at the fifth annual East Alabama High School Media Days at the Bottling Plant Event Center in Opelika during the final week of July.
AUGUST: Tim Hudson named Lee-Scott baseball coach; Smiths Station introduces new head basketball coach; Lanett’s Clifford Story breaks program all-time win record; Auburn’s Keith Etheredge named head coach at AL-MS All-Star game.
– Lee-Scott kicked off August by naming 17-year MLB veteran pitcher and former Auburn University volunteer assistant and pitching coach Tim Hudson as its new head baseball coach.
– Smiths Station High School announced the hiring of Armon Ingersoll as its new varsity boys basketball coach. Ingersoll took over for former coach Steven Davis, who led the Panthers to the quarterfinals of the 2021-22 state tournament.
– In the first ever high school football Kickoff Classic between Lanett, LaFayette, Loachapoka and Notasulga, Lanett varsity head football coach Clifford Story became the program’s all-time leader in wins with a 27-0 victory over Notasulga. With the win — Story’s 110th — he surpassed former Lanett coach Dan Washburn, who had held the record for 40 years.
– Auburn High varsity head football coach Keith Etheredge was selected as the Alabama coach for the 36th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.
September: Opelika upsets Central; Smiths Station hires Shana Johnson as AD; Opelika’s Speakman named All-Star coach.
– The AHSAA 7A No. 1-ranked Central Phenix City Red Devils lost to Opelika, 17-14, in overtime on their home field on Sept. 9. Opelika kicker Johnni Cesena kicked the game-winning field goal in the extra period, snapping Opelika’s six-game losing streak to Central and handing the Red Devils their first region loss in two years.
– Smiths Station hired Shana Johnson as athletic director after 17 years of working with the schools and within the Panthers’ athletics.
– Opelika varsity head football coach Erik Speakman was selected to coach in the 64th annual North-South All-Star game. Speakman was slated to head the South squad on Dec. 16 at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium.
OCTOBER: Beauregard, Auburn High volleyball win area tournaments.
– The varsity Beauregard Hornets and Auburn High School volleyball teams won the 5A and 7A postseason area tournaments, respectively. The Hornets swept the Eufaula Tigers 3-0 on their way to the school’s first ever postseason area championship. The Auburn Tigers defeated Opelika 3-0 in round one, and Central Phenix City, 3-0, in round two to win the tournament.
NOVEMBER: Lee-Scott football and Auburn High girls flag football win state; Auburn High football finishes as state runner up.
– The Lee-Scott Academy varsity football team won its first state championship since 1994 when it defeated rival Glenwood 35-21 in the AISA 3A State Championship at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl on Nov. 17. The Warriors finished the 2022 season with a perfect 12-0 record.
– The Auburn High School varsity girls flag football team Nov. 30 defeated Oxford High School 26-6 to win the second ever AHSAA flag football state championship.
– The Auburn High School varsity football team finished as the runner-up in the AHSAA 7A class. The Tigers defeated Fairhope 35-17, Dothan 48-20 and Central Phenix City 14-13 before losing the championship game to Thompson, 49-24, on Nov. 30.
DECEMBER: Smiths Station head football coach Mike Glisson resigns; Air Force donates mat to Beauregard High School; early National Signing Day.
– Following five seasons as the head football coach of the Smiths Station Panthers, Mike Glisson resigned from the position. Glisson amassed a 15-35 record during his time with the Panthers.
– The Beauregard High School wrestling team received the donation of a new wrestling mat for its program, courtesy of Air Force recruiters Staff Sgt. Joseph Glasgow and Tech Sgt. Greg Deachan.
– A number of local football players inked commitments to continue their athletics career at a college or university on early National Signing Day Dec. 21. Most notably, Auburn’s Bradyn Joiner, Opelika’s Brenton Williams and Loachapoka’s J.C. Hart committed to Auburn University.