Brooks Childress

Auburn High School’s prom ended earlier than expected Saturday night, leaving some parents with questions about what happened.  wkrg.com/alabama-news/a…

Love to see the Panthers getting the attention of the next level!!

Today, it's a pivotal area battle as the Hornets take on the Valley Rams. Hear all the action on our airwaves and on the FREE Tiger Communications App!! @TheGardVoice @Huskerduckkilla @tompeavy @Gardbaseball @beauregard_hs @VHSBaseball20

Can we truly start our lives over again? Yes! The Lord’s response, so full of love, fills our hearts with hope. No matter how weighed down we are by pain or sin: the crucified One carries all these burdens with us and for us. No matter how discouraged we are by our own weaknesses: it is precisely then that God manifests His strength, the God who has raised Christ from the dead in order to give life to the world. Each one of us can experience the freedom of new life that comes from faith in the Redeemer. #ApostolicJourney #Algeria vatican.va/content/leo-xi…

AHSAA Bryant-Jordan Awards Spotlight presented by Larry Puckett Chevrolet 41st annual Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Banquet Hatton’s Eva Armstead, Montgomery Academy’s Rob Ashworth Capture 2026 Bryant-Jordan State Awards BIRMINGHAM – Hatton High School senior Eva Armstead and Montgomery Academy’s Rob Ashworth were named the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Foundation’s 2026 state Student Achievement and Scholar-Athlete award recipients at Monday night’s 41th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet held at the Sheraton Ballroom. Armstead received the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student-Achievement Award and Ashworth received the Larry Striplin, Jr., Scholar-Athlete Award, and as the overall state recipients. The Achievement award was being presented for the 38th consecutive year. A total of 104 high school regional senior honorees were recognized and awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships through the Bryant-Jordan program annually. The scholarship program, named in honor of the late coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant of Alabama and Ralph "Shug" Jordan of Auburn, recognized 52 regional scholar-athlete winners selected for their excellence in athletics and academics and 52 achievement winners chosen for their ability to compete in athletics while overcoming major obstacles during their high school careers. Eight students in each category were selected as regional winners in Classes 1A through 6A. Four regional winners in each category were selected from school nominations in Class 7A. Each of the 104 regional winners received a $3,000 scholarship. the 14 Class winners received an additional $3,500; and for each overall state winner, the stipend received was an additional $4,000. Armstead, an outstanding basketball and track standout sprinter at Hatton, found herself homeless just a few hours after clinching three individual state titles at the 2025 AHSAA Track and Field Championships in Gulf Shores, winning the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and long jump in Class 4A. As soon as Eva returned to northwest Alabama, she learned she had been kicked out of the residence where she had been living with a family member for a year. Confused and despondent, Eva turned to the only person she knew would pick up the phone in the wee hours of the morning — family friend Destiny Muston, who didn’t hesitate to make room for the teen. “I was at their house two hours later,” Eva said. In her early years, Eva, who was also chosen the Class 4A Student Achievement Award recipient for 2026, endured her parents’ drug abuse, alcoholism and domestic violence, often leaving her responsible for her younger sister and handling household chores. Eva was cooking dinner and changing diapers at an early age when she should have been learning to ride a bike or build Legos. Authorities eventually stepped in and removed the girls from the situation. “We got taken away many times. I don’t why we kept going back,” Eva said. She also bounced among grandparents and other family members for a while. Eva said she always felt like an afterthought, not a priority. “We got the full picture of the worst things you can see at that age, at a really young age,” she said. Eva landed at R.A. Hubbard School in the seventh grade. A natural athlete who loves basketball and dreamed of playing in the WNBA, she joined the track team and immediately won the Class 1A 200-meter state title, a rarity for a seventh grader. Track quickly became a refuge from her chaotic home life. “Being able to go to the track and not have to worry about what was going on at home for a few hours, it made me enjoy it more,” Eva said. “Of course, I was running and dying in the heat, but I didn’t have to be at home. I got to escape for a few more hours.” Eva’s track record of overcoming hardship explains why she is a regional winner in the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program’s Achievement category, which honors seniors who overcome personal obstacles to excel academically and athletically. Today, Eva is known as one of the state’s elite small-school sprinters. She’s won eight individual state titles and could add more at next month’s state meet in Gulf Shores. Along the way, she transferred to Hatton after R.A. Hubbard closed because of school consolidation in Lawrence County and had to make new friends in a new place. “To watch what she overcame, she’s just rare,” said Hatton principal Amy Oliver. “We have a lot of kids with mental health issues or a bad home life, but to see a child like her overcome it is one of the most rewarding things as an educator that I’ve experienced. Eva will go down in history at Hatton High School as an eight-time state champion. That fills my heart with joy.” Once Eva joined the Muston family, her life immediately changed for the better. For the first time, she lives like an average teenager with chores and a curfew. Jonathan and Destiny Muston showed up and walked out with Eva for the basketball team’s Senior Night. Now, she always has someone cheering from the stands. “I’ve gotten into a routine,” Eva said. “I don’t have to worry anymore. I know I can get up, go to school, go to practice and go home. Of course, I have chores – that’s in any household – but it’s not feeling like I have to do everybody’s job and take care of everyone. “I feel I can finally be a normal kid,” she said. “I want to say thank you to the Lord above and thank you to all who helped me along the way.” Montgomery Academy’s Ashworth, the recipient of the Larry R. Striplin Award’s overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the entire state. He was also chosen the Class 3A Scholar Athlete of the Year. He has clearly excelled academically and athletically. He scored 35 on the ACT and carries a 4.9 grade-point average overall. He’s taken 16 Advanced Placement classes and serves as president of MA’s Student Government Association, Heart Club and Mu Alpha Theta chapter. He’s also a member of MA’s state championship Mock Trial Team and said he “cannot wait for nationals” in May. The Alabama Sports Writers Association selected him as the Class 3A All-State place-kicker last season, as the Eagles won 10 games in for the second straight year. He played on back-to-back Class 3A state basketball championship teams and helped the Eagles win the Class 7A soccer championship in 2025. He also found a way to support programs such as Respite for All, a Christian ministry created to help those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia disorders, as part of a partnership involving his school. The cause proved especially powerful for Ashworth, who volunteered with the charity because grandmother suffers from dementia. Ashworth found a unique and innovative way to support Respite for All by creating Kicking for a Cause. The idea was equally simple and powerful: As the Montgomery Academy football team’s place-kicker, Kicking for a Cause asked for donations for every extra point, touchback and field goal Ashworth made throughout the 2025 season, with all proceeds going to the charity. Ashworth approached Montgomery Academy coach Ethan McBride last summer with the idea, who was all for it. That led to a meeting with the athletic director and the school’s administration, which wanted to ensure the fundraising idea wouldn’t run afoul of any AHSAA rules. “He did all that on his own, which I think speaks to his passion for this,” McBride said in an interview with Al.com last year. A website soon launched. Social media posts publicize it. Media members noticed, and coverage amplified the idea and brought in additional donations. Ashworth initially set a goal of raising $10,000. Once all the pledges arrived, Kicking for a Cause raised more than $20,000. “The most rewarding thing was the community aspect,” said Ashworth, who plans to study finance in college. “I had so many people — in the MA community, the Montgomery community, the state community and around the country — who reached out to me and said, ‘My mom suffered from memory loss, my grandfather suffers from memory loss.’ So many people came up and told me how much of encouragement it was that we were doing this. Obviously, the money was great, but the community we got from that from a personal level was so rewarding.” Ashworth’s creation of Kicking for a Cause is a major reason he was selected a regional recipient in the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program’s Scholar-Athlete category. “He is one of the most extraordinary students who has come through Montgomery Academy,” said Katie Lavelle, who serves as Montgomery Academy’s Vaughn Road Campus Director. “Not only playing as many sports as he’s playing at the level he’s playing, the amount of academic achievement he has and continues to have is really extraordinary. We had a hard time making Rob’s schedule for him his senior year because of the number of AP classes he wanted to take. The level of rigor of his schedule is extraordinary, not to mention he’s also president of SGA. He’s just a great kid all around.” Ashworth added, “God has blessed me with these gifts, and it is up to be to use them for His Glory. I am so thankful to the Bryant-Jordan Program for bringing all of us here tonight.” Veteran sportswriter Josh Bean of Direct Communications contributed greatly to the story. AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon (center) congratulate the Bryant-Jordan state winners at Monday night’s banquet: Eva Armstead, Hatton High School (Ken & Betty Joy Blankenship Bryant-Jordan Student Achievement recipient; and Rob Ashworth, Montgomery Academy (Larry D. Striplin Jr. Bryant-Jordan Scholar-Athlete recipient. (AHSAA PHOTO)

Big thanks to our Athlete of the Week/Social Media sponsors for making March an outstanding growth month for Facebook. Those sponsors are Russell Do it Centers, Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, Drive Safe Alabama, Southern Union State Community College, Lee Apparel, Greene & Phillips - Injury Lawyers, Alabama State Games, Frontline Offroad, Lee Marketing Group, Sign Source, Alabama National Guard Recruiting, Alabama Community College System, Chick-fil-A Alexander City, Al, Scout Program Management, Central State Bank, Satterfield Outdoor Living, Central Alabama Community College, J.R.'s Sports Bar and Grill and Glenda Mitchell Law Firm. Thanks to the many local photographers, radio stations, coaches, schools, etc for reaching out to us with information. We know in a lot of cases, there's voids around the state for coverage. We want to help that not be the case. Our kids, coaches, and schools deserve recognition for their efforts! Analytics for March: 252 Posts 1,885,125 Views/Impressions 95,122 Engagements 242 New Followers We love high school sports in Alabama, and it's clear we're not the only ones! If you'd like to discuss ways you can advertise through the AHSAA Radio Network, we'd love to discuss. 256.794.8223 Randy Lee Jr.

O coração de Deus está destroçado pelas guerras, pela violência, pelas injustiças e pelas mentiras. Mas o coração do nosso Pai não está com os malvados, com os prepotentes, com os soberbos: o coração de Deus está com os pequenos e os humildes, e com eles faz avançar o seu Reino de amor e de paz, dia após dia. Onde há amor e serviço, aí está Deus. #ViagemApostólica #Argélia

GAMEDAY! Hawks Baseball is back at Neal Posey Field for a non-conference showdown with MUW! #hawkem

GAMEDAY! #11 Hawks Softball returns to action at Cannon Field with a double-header against LaGrange! Games are set for 4:00 and 6:00 PM #hawkem

Big Thanks to Tuskegee Football Staff @SkegeeFootball for visiting and checking out our athletes. #recruit1701 @keithetheredge1

God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies. But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant, or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones and the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day. Wherever there is love and service, God is there. #ApostolicJourney #Algeria

Hatton’s Eva Armstead, Montgomery Academy’s Rob Ashworth Capture 2026 Bryant-Jordan State Awards ahsaanow.com/2026/04/13/hat…

Didn’t know these existed…was underwhelming…wanted something closer to Sunkist….7.2/10 #BrooksTries

Adding more international talent to the roster 🇸🇪 Excited to welcome Patrik Munkhammer to the Auburn Family! 🦅 #WarEagle

Unter dem Mantel Unserer Lieben Frau von Afrika entsteht Gemeinschaft zwischen Christen und Muslimen. Hier in #Algerien nimmt die mütterliche Liebe von Lalla Meryem alle als Kinder auf, einen jeden in seiner bereichernden Eigenheit und geeint in der gleichen Sehnsucht nach Würde, nach Liebe, nach Gerechtigkeit und nach Frieden. In einer Welt, in der Spaltungen und Kriege Leid und Tod, ist diese Leben in Einheit und Frieden ein bedeutendes Zeichen. #ApostolischeReise

2nd Annual Slinging and Stinging Disc Golf Tournament will be held on May 2nd! discgolfscene.com/tournament/Sli…

It's crawfish time again! The annual North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Crawfish Cook-Off is coming up: wkrg.com/baldwin-county…

Don't forget about Thursday's annual Legends of Broadcast Event from the Alabama Historical Radio Society. Info on the ALHRS website: alhrs.org

Check out former @AuburnBaseball player and coach Mark Fuller’s new book, Dad On The Clock! Fuller will be at J&M Bookstore in Auburn for a signing event on A-Day weekend Friday, April 17 from 1-2 p.m. CT. Books are available for sale for $20, so come out and get it signed!

Leaving no doubt.... Addison Gaines has been named the CCS Pitcher of the Week! #hawkem