Poll shows county’s strength
- Updated: December 11, 2014
UPDATED: 6 County teams ranked in hoops poll, PV’s Davis giving back in D.C.
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Six teams from Calhoun County, including both Anniston teams, are included in this week’s first statewide prep basketball poll.
The Bulldogs pulled down a No. 10 ranking in the Class 5A boys poll, while coach Eddie Bullock’s girls team came in at No. 6.
The boys teams from Sacred Heart and Saks pulled down the highest rankings among county squads, coming in at No. 2 in Class 1A and 4A, respectively.
White Plains is No. 3 in the boys 4A poll. Jacksonville is No. 4 in the girls 4A poll.
Sacred Heart, Saks and White Plains all will be participating in Saturday’s TV24 Holiday Hoops Challenge at Jacksonville State. Alexandria, which received consideration in the 5A poll, also will play in the event.
“It says to me almost every team in the county is up,” said White Plains coach Chris Randall, who remains a bit skeptical about his own team’s lofty ranking. “Oxford’s up, Anniston’s up, Alexandria’s up, Saks is up. We’re up. And I guarantee you anybody in 3A is not going to want to play Weaver and Piedmont at the end of the season.
“(To) people in our area, basketball is a big deal. You’ve got a lot of kids who play multiple sports who are used to winning. I just think the whole county is up. Anniston, you just wait, they’ll be there and will have a lot of say about what happens in 5A.”
From around the area, Cherokee County is ranked No. 1 in the boys 4A poll, Talladega is No. 7 in the boys 5A poll and Spring Garden is No. 5 in the girls 1A poll.
Maybe the reason the printer in Randall’s office doesn’t work is because he coughed his morning coffee into the computer after seeing his team’s top 3 ranking.
The Wildcats may prove worthy eventually, but they’re not quite to that point today, he said. They will get of plenty chances of prove their standing moving forward, though, especially playing No. 2 Saks twice after Christmas.
“For somebody to think that of us, we’re not the third best team in the state,” he said. “I think Saks is very deserving of theirs and Cherokee County, but us, no. We’ve got a ways to go before that.”
The complete poll is listed below.
LENDING HEART & HAND: Pleasant Valley football coach Jeff Davis and his wife Dotty are taking time to honor the nation’s fallen soldiers this holiday season.
They left Thursday for Washington, D.C., where they will join some 25,000 volunteers taking part in Saturday’s wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Davis has never been to the Nation’s Capital before, but was moved to this cause.
“We were messing around one night and found it; we looked at each other and said, ‘We’re going,’” Davis said. “It seems like the right thing to do. I just think it’s a neat thing to do for people who sacrificed their life for me.”
BREAKING THROUGH: The feeling around the JCA basketball team is a little more relaxed these days after the Thunder picked up its first win of the season earlier in the week against Gaylesville. The Thunder goes for two in a row tonight against Georgia School for the Deaf.
“I think (getting that first win) is going to help,” JCA coach Tommy Miller said. “I don’t think they were getting frustrated because you could definitely see we were getting better. Coosa (Christian) was 6-0 Friday and we were ahead with three minutes to go. We’ve been getting better and better then sickness hit us.”
YOU’RE INVITED: Anniston junior receiver Tae Miller and Wellborn sophomore slot/defensive back Jordan Montgomery have been invited to the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio in January. The combine for top underclassmen is held in conjunction with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Montgomery was over the top excited about the opportunity to visit the combine, crediting his faith, family, teammates, teachers and coaches for putting him in a position to excel in a sport “I’ve kind of grown into.”
“My hopes for the combine are to get my techniques better, get my speed up and I hope and pray to God it draws attention to my dream school (Georgetown),” the three-sport athlete said. “I hope to go out there and show the scouts what I can do and perform to the best of my ability.”
TV 24 HOLIDAY HOOPS CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Saturday, at Pete Mathews Coliseum, Jacksonville
No. 6-2A Collinsville vs. No. 2-1A Sacred Heart, noon
Fyffe vs. No. 3-4A White Plains, 1:30 p.m.
Plainview vs. Alexandria, 3 p.m.
No. 5-3A Geraldine vs. No. 2-4A Saks, 4:30 p.m.
Oxford vs. Sparkman, 6 p.m.
Gadsden City vs. No. 7-5A Talladega, 7:30 p.m.
ASWA PREP BASKETBALL POLL
BOYS
CLASS 7A
1. Mountain Brook (10-1)
2. McGill-Toolen (10-1)
3. Lee-Montgomery (9-1)
4. Theodore (9-1)
5. Murphy (7-1)
6. Spain Park (10-1)
7. Baker (8-3)
8. James Clemens (7-3)
9. Grissom (7-4)
10. Hoover (6-2)
Others nominated: Buckhorn (6-3), Central-Phenix City (5-1), Gadsden City (9-2), Sparkman (5-4), Tuscaloosa County (9-3).
CLASS 6A
1. Lee-Huntsville (7-2)
2. Carver-Montgomery (7-1)
3. Austin (6-1)
4. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (7-2)
5. Bessemer City (8-2)
6. Clay-Chalkville (7-1)
7. Pelham (7-2)
8. Woodlawn (7-2)
9. Scottsboro (6-1)
10. Paul Bryant (7-2)
Others nominated: Athens (7-3), Blount (5-3), Cullman (4-2), Homewood (8-2), Selma (8-1).
CLASS 5A
1. Ramsay (9-2)
2. Faith Academy (11-1)
3. J.O. Johnson (8-2)
4. Shelby County (9-2)
5. Parker (6-2)
6. Columbia (5-4)
7. Talladega (7-2)
8. Dallas County (4-0)
9. Boaz (11-1)
10. Anniston (3-2)
Others nominated: Alexandria (4-1), Greenville (3-2), Madison County (4-4), Marbury (8-2).
CLASS 4A
1. Cherokee County (6-0)
2. Saks (4-0)
3. White Plains (7-2)
4. West Limestone (9-1)
5. North Jackson (5-1)
6. Cordova (4-3)
7. Thomasville (4-0)
8. Ashford (11-2)
9. Catholic (6-1)
10. St. James (6-2)
Others nominated: Priceville (8-4).
CLASS 3A
1. Midfield (4-3)
2. Madison Academy (2-5)
3. Holly Pond (8-2)
4. Sand Rock (6-1)
5. Geraldine (7-1)
6. Barbour County (6-2)
7. Hillcrest-Evergreen (5-1)
8. West Morgan (9-2)
9. Daleville (5-0)
10. Sheffield (7-1)
Others nominated: Abbeville (7-2), American Christian (5-2), Excel (6-1), Geneva (9-0), Prattville Christian (6-2), T.R. Miller (2-1), Westbrook Christian (4-3).
CLASS 2A
1. Vincent (8-0)
2. Sumiton Christian (9-1)
3. Cold Springs (8-2)
4. Asbury (8-0)
5. Elba (0-0)
6. Collinsville (3-1)
7. Luverne (4-3)
8. Tanner (3-1)
9. Altamont (5-4)
10. St. Luke’s (9-3)
Others nominated: Central-Hayneville (4-2).
CLASS 1A
1. Sunshine (5-1)
2. Sacred Heart (5-5)
3. Keith (5-4)
4. Georgiana (7-1)
5. Cedar Bluff (4-1)
6. Skyline (6-1)
7. Coosa Christian (7-1)
8. Brantley (1-1)
9. Linden (1-0)
10. Chickasaw (7-1)
AISA
1. Glenwood (8-0)
2. Restoration (5-0)
3. Marengo Academy (5-0)
4. Lee-Scott (8-2)
5. Tuscaloosa Academy (5-1)
6. Edgewood (4-0)
7. Northside Methodist (9-2)
8. Evangel Christian (5-5)
9. Crenshaw Christian (4-2)
10. Escambia Academy (1-1)
GIRLS
CLASS 7A
1. Hoover (11-2)
2. Huntsville (10-1)
3. McGill-Toolen (11-1)
4. Hazel Green (10-1)
5. Sparkman (7-2)
6. Jeff Davis (10-2)
7. Gadsden City (9-2)
8. Murphy (7-2)
9. Fairhope (12-0)
10. Thompson (10-1)
Others nominated: Bob Jones (5-6), Enterprise (8-1), Lee-Montgomery (10-2), Mountain Brook (8-4), Spain Park (4-3).
CLASS 6A
1. Homewood (7-2)
2. Center Point (6-2)
3. Clay-Chalkville (10-2)
4. Austin (6-1)
5. Shades Valley (4-1)
6. Arab (6-4)
7. Lee-Huntsville (9-3)
8. Fort Payne (7-1)
9. Dothan (8-1)
10. Brewer (10-2)
Others nominated: Albertville (9-4), Athens (8-5), Carver-Montgomery (2-1), LeFlore (8-5), Selma (7-4).
CLASS 5A
1. Wenonah (9-0)
2. Faith Academy (7-3)
3. Central-Tuscaloosa (14-1)
4. Pleasant Grove (6-1)
5. Sylacauga (7-1)
6. Anniston (5-1)
7. Charles Henderson (3-2)
8. Brewbaker Tech (7-4)
9. Lawrence County (6-3)
10. Columbia (6-4)
Others nominated: B.C. Rain (5-2), Eufaula (6-2), Madison County (6-3), Ramsay (3-5).
CLASS 4A
1. Straughn (7-0)
2. West Limestone (8-1)
3. Deshler (3-1)
4. Jacksonville (8-1)
5. UMS-Wright (7-7)
6. Ashford (12-1)
7. Locust Fork (9-3)
8. Crossville (7-1)
9. Oneonta (10-4)
10. Clarke County (7-1)
Others nominated: Calera (5-2), Childersburg (3-2), Danville (7-5), Hokes Bluff (5-2), Montgomery Catholic (6-2), Priceville (3-7).
CLASS 3A
1. Lauderdale County (7-0)
2. Winfield (7-0)
3. West Morgan (9-1)
4. Madison Academy (5-4)
5. Sand Rock (6-0)
6. Brindlee Mountain (10-2)
7. Abbeville (6-3)
8. Lexington (6-2)
9. Holly Pond (7-4)
10. Plainview (8-2)
Others nominated: Daleville (6-2), Piedmont (6-1), Pisgah (4-2), Prattville Christian (5-3).
CLASS 2A
1. Red Bay (5-1)
2. Flomaton (5-2)
3. Cold Springs (9-2)
4. Samson (9-1)
5. Tanner (6-1)
6. Falkville (8-4)
7. Section (6-2)
8. Mars Hill (4-1)
9. Washington County (1-0)
10. Mobile Christian (8-2)
Others nominated: Altamont (6-2), Geneva County (6-4), Hatton (4-3), Phil Campbell (6-1), West End (6-4).
CLASS 1A
1. Brantley (4-1)
2. Decatur Heritage (7-1)
3. Woodville (7-3)
4. Loachapoka (3-2)
5. Spring Garden (7-1)
6. Keith (5-3)
7. Winterboro (4-0)
8. Akron (4-1)
9. Berry (3-0)
10. Georgiana (4-1)
Others nominated: Athens Bible (2-3).
AISA
1. Glenwood (6-2)
2. Evangel Christian (9-1)
3. Sparta Academy (8-0)
4. Lee-Scott (6-4)
5. Wilcox Academy (NA)
6. Marengo Academy (5-1)
7. Lakeside (6-4)
8. Edgewood Academy (4-2)
9. Hooper Academy (3-4)
10. Springwood (NA)
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