Shane McComb takes over as Eagles football coach

By KYLE PARMLEY

It’s safe to say no one had Shane McComb on any short lists predicting the next Oak Mountain High School football coach.

McComb was approved as the Eagles head coach Jan. 26, following seven years as the head coach at Palm Desert High School in California.

How does one get to Alabama from southern California?

“Football, man,” McComb said on Jan. 30, the day he met with the community and his team for the first time at the school.

Football has taken McComb to several different states. He played collegiately at Upper Iowa University and has had coaching stops along the way in Illinois, New Mexico and back in southern California, near where he grew up.

“Football has taken me a lot of places,” he said. “Probably nowhere better than Birmingham, so we’re excited to be here. It’s a place I want to raise my family.”

McComb comes from Palm Desert High, where he coached for seven years, winning district championships each of the last six seasons. Once he got the right people and processes in place, the team took off, posting a 33-2 conference record over the last six years.

“Clear expectations from the whole entire program,” McComb said, when asked what makes a successful football program. “That means parents, administration, myself, coaches and the boys. Everybody needs to know what their role is, what they’ve got to do, what’s expected of them, how it’s expected to be done.”

McComb has already integrated the motto “One Unit All In” into the framework of the Oak Mountain program. Put simply, it means doing everything together and being committed to the process.

“Every team has a phrase, and when you’re living that phrase, that’s when you’re successful,” he said.

McComb said he was sold on the job by Oak Mountain High Principal Andrew Gunn, saying he has turned down a couple jobs in the Southeast in recent years because they didn’t seem like the right fit for him.

“Mr. Gunn sold me, it’s as simple as I could say,” McComb said. “He has a vision, he knows what he wants and I truly believe he’s going to do everything he can with the resources that he will make available to make sure we have what we need to get there.”

McComb described his ideal team as being balanced offensively and able to do different things defensively.

“I just want kids to play hard and know what they’re doing,” he said.

Even being nearly 2,000 miles away, McComb knows about the football programs at Thompson and Hoover, now his Class 7A, Region 3 opponents. But he was quick to note that he has learned already about the likes of Vestavia Hills, Hewitt-Trussville, Spain Park, Chelsea and Tuscaloosa County.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” he said. “The league we’re coming from, every game in the league was tough and that’s the way I’m looking at it.”

Oak Mountain finished with a 3-7 record last year under Tyler Crane, who led the Eagles for two seasons. McComb will arrive at the school full time in April, set to establish his program with a heavy emphasis on the weight room.

“On June 12, summer ball starts and the full staff will be here,” he said. “That will lead right into next year’s schedule, which is going to keep us in football together year-round, the way a program’s got to do.”

BASEBALL CONTINUED from page B1 head coach Michael Stallings said. “Everybody is excited about the upcoming season.”

Chelsea has several players back from last season, including a couple key pitchers. Kaden Heatherly will anchor the pitching staff this spring. He was a starter much of last season, then provided key innings out of the bullpen late in the year. Steven Shelton started several games last spring as well and is back to take on a big role.

Among the position players, senior Chris McNeill is back in center field. He will hit at the top of the order and wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Walker Thomas played a role primarily as a designated hitter last year, but now he will step into a role as the primary catcher. Jackson Morgan is back on the infield as well.

Mississippi State commit Kaleb Hester is back from injury and will be a big factor in the team’s success. Infielder Bryson Mormon could see time at a few infield positions and will likely contribute on the mound as well. Logan Moller and Jason Neal join the varsity team this year expecting to make an impact.

Eagles Leaning On Returning Pitchers

The Oak Mountain High School baseball team has plenty to figure out as the 2023 season gets underway. The Eagles lost several contributors from a team that came up a little shy of the playoffs last season.

Oak Mountain entered the final series of the regular season with a chance to win the area. But the Eagles lost the series and missed the postseason altogether.

“It’s just a reminder to all of us that in our area, how thin the margin for error is,” head coach Derek Irons said. “You could point to 30 different plays over the course of our area games and if one of them changes, we may go from missing the playoffs to area champs.”

Oak Mountain swapped from Class 7A, Area 5, to Area 6 this season. Now, the Eagles will be competing against Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Chelsea. As Irons joked, the area “went from very hard to very hard.”

Matt Heiberger, a University of Alabama commit, is back to anchor the team’s pitching staff. Juniors Nick McCord and Kevin Jasinski pitched some last yea, but will be expected to shoulder a heavy load this year.

When not on the mound, Heiberger plays in the outfield, McCord plays shortstop and Jasinski holds down third base.

Seniors Garrison Kahn and John Romei will be relied upon to bolster the pitching staff, while outfielder Trey Kocks and Carter Kimbrell have a chance to be key players as well. Look for catcher Peyton Parkinson and infielder Matthew Senter to contribute as well.

Jags Looking For Playoff Return

The fine line of missing the state playoffs or making a run to the state championship series is one the Spain Park High School baseball team is all too familiar with.

Such is life in Class 7A baseball in the greater Birmingham area. Last year, the Jags posted a strong season, putting together a record of 25-11. However, the Jags missed the playoffs by losing an area tiebreaker game to Vestavia Hills, which went on to make a run to the semifinals.

“It gives the kids a very good perspective of how close they were and how good those teams were,” Spain Park head coach Will Smith said. “Attention to detail and those small, minute things can be the difference between being in the playoffs or starting your summer.”

Spain Park has reason to believe that another successful season, albeit with a slightly better finish, could be on the horizon. The Jags have a roster with about seven starters back and 12 seniors, three of which will be in their third seasons starting on the varsity team. Cole Edwards, Evan Smallwood and Ryan Cole are experienced and Smith hopes to count on them for big things once again.

Chelsea’s Kaden Heatherly (18) pitches during the area championship game against Mountain Brook at Chelsea High School in April 2022.

Clay Spencer is back as the team’s catcher, while James Battersby, JR Thompson and Jacob Tobias are back as everyday players. Smith is also excited to see the emergence of Lucas Thornton as the pitching staff’s potential ace. As the team’s No. 2 starter last year, Thornton produced a 6-0 record in nearly 50 innings of work. Thompson threw plenty last year as a reliever and is on the way back from a knee injury. The Jags will also be searching for a few more pitchers to provide quality innings as well. Some other players that Smith mentioned as possible key contributors are infielders Aiden Berke, Richard Moon, Chapman Blevins and Jackson Bradley. Matthew Widra and Wes Blackmon have potential to bolster the lineup as well.

Spain Park will be in 7A, Area 6 this season with Chelsea, Hewitt-Trussville and Oak Mountain, all three of which have strong track records in recent years.