Views From The Sidelines
The fall is fun. Football returns to this state, which loves the game so much. The weather cools down and provides that aura and atmosphere that makes Friday nights so special.
Buddy Anderson has been winning high school football games at a rapid pace for quite some time and he has given no indication that he’s going to take off his whistle any time soon.
There are also volleyball and cross-country seasons to provide something fun to cover during the weeks. It’s a pretty busy season, but it’s not too bad.
The winter brings everyone inside for basketball season, along with wrestling and indoor track and field. The sound of squeaking sneakers and Patrick Davis yelling at his offense to push the pace indicate that the holiday season is near. It’s a pretty busy season, but it’s not too bad.
Then there is the spring. Where do you even begin? Baseball, softball, soccer, and on and on. The word busy doesn’t begin to describe that period.
The final month of the school year, beginning with the tennis state tournament in late April and ending with the baseball and softball finals in late April, is like looking at a tidal wave coming at you and having it crash over you.
But it passes too quickly, and all that’s left afterwards is another year gone by and another group of student-athletes graduating and moving on with their lives.
No longer will I go to a Vestavia Hills High School basketball or soccer game and hear soon-to-be Ole Miss football player Jonathan Hess yelling at me, the opponents, or the officials (sometimes all three at the same time).
Scott Morrison, Rian Shields and the rest of the basketball seniors went from a group with no expectations to finishing their last two seasons with a Final Four appearance and a second straight regional tournament berth in 2017.
Watching that unfold was pretty cool.
Somehow, Merritt Cahoon and Sarah Cain have wrapped up their days as Rebels. It wasn’t long ago Cahoon was a sophomore, helping her team to a third place finish at the 2016 state softball tournament. Fast forward to this past season, where she was the senior leader. She will make her mark on the Samford softball program in much the same way, more than likely.
Cain was an all-state softball player as a junior and put together another solid senior season on the dirt, while also competing on the hardwood for the Lady Rebels basketball team.
It would take far too long to list every other senior student-athlete that walked the halls of the high school this past year. Getting to see them compete is great, but getting to know the kids, figuring out what makes them tick, writing about them and watching them mature in a few short years is easily the best part of this job.
So as another school year has passed, another group of kids has moved on. And another group is ready to take its place.
Because before you know it, the fall will be here again. And Buddy Anderson will be winning games again.
– Kyle Parmley is the Sports Editor for Vestavia Voice.