Principal Scott Hays said things went as smoothly as they could thanks to a lot of community members.
“It started with (football) Coach (Brian) Clowdis putting together the schedule,” Hays said. “He made the tournament bracket and took in all the things that needed to be done. He knew who all was going to help, and he just made a schedule of all the jobs for all the people who were here.”
Hays said all the school’s coaches, teachers and students did everything from keeping the tournament gates to cleaning up the Gadsden State-Cherokee Arena following each day’s action.
“It was as much a school-wide effort as anything I’ve ever been a part of,” Hays said. “I can’t brag on our coaches, teachers and students enough to how this tournament went. I thought it was fantastic.”
The Gaylesville folks were thrown a curve ball with Thursday’s action being cancelled due to wintry weather, which bumped the scheduled three-day tournament into two days.
“It was tough,” Hays said. “Some of the teams had to play two games in a day. I know there may have been some issues with that, and I hate that ended up being the case. It was a very long day (Saturday), but I’d still rather wrap it up in one day than spread it over an extra day on Monday. I thought it worked out pretty well overall.
The move didn’t seem to affect fan support. The tournament’s final day on Saturday –which had morning and evening sessions – had a solid turnout.
“We had great fan support,” Hays said. “I don’t know how many people came in, but it was reasonably full, and that’s the great thing about being able to have it here. There were a lot of people here who didn’t have a specific team or a child they were coming to see. They just came to support the county and enjoy good basketball.”
Hays also wanted to express his thanks to several other community individuals.
“We certainly appreciate Gadsden State and all they did, and Mrs. Joy Perry and the folks with the chamber (of commerce). They were very cooperative. It’s been a community-wide effort to host this.”
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With their thrilling 60-59 comeback win over Spring Garden, the Cedar Bluff Tigers have won two of the last three Cherokee County boys tournament championships.
Prior to their 2011 title, the Tigers’ last championship was back in 1964. Since 1959, Cedar Bluff has won four county championships. The Tigers’ only other county championship was in 1960.
Cherokee County has the most boys county championships since 1959 with 29. Spring Garden has 12, Sand Rock has eight and Gaylesville has two.
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With their 57-44 victory over Sand Rock on Saturday, the Cherokee County Lady Warriors have won the past three Cherokee County girls tournament championships, but they’re still a long way from eclipsing the run set by the Lady Warrior teams of the 1990s. They hold the record for most consecutive girls titles with seven (1991-97).
Spring Garden’s girls won six straight from 2004-09. The Lady Panthers also won five straight from 1984-88.
The Lady Warriors have won 13 county championships since 1981. Spring Garden has the second most county titles since 1981 with 12.
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Piedmont senior shortstop Cade Bradley is expected to sign a scholarship with Calhoun College of Decatur on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Piedmont High School gym.
Last season, Bradley batted .415 with 13 doubles, six home runs, a triple, 16 stolen bases, nine walks, 41 runs and 27 RBIs. He helped lead Piedmont to a 29-11-1 record and the school’s first Class 3A state runner-up showing.
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The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour has expanded into Alabama to increase national exposure for its participating players.
With over 85 premier events this upcoming season, the elite tour will feature four tournaments in the state. Upcoming events in Alabama for this spring include Auburn University (March 9-10), Limestone Springs in Oneonta (July 1-2), Timbercreek in Mobile (Sept. 28-29) and Montgomery Country Club (Oct. 12-13).
This choice tour has produced over 2,500 collegiate golfers who have signed letters of intent at over 200 universities.
For more information on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, you can visit www.hjgt.org.
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