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Thursday, July 28, 2022 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
THE ONE TO BEAT
Mountain Brook’s Riley Shatters All-Star Week Cross-Country Record
By RuBin E. GRant
Mountain Brook senior Reagan Riley has served notice that she’s the one to beat when the 2022 high school cross-country season commences in the fall.
Last week, Riley blew away the competition during the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star Sports Week North-South cross-country competition.
In the girls 5,000-meter race at Montgomery’s Gateway Park, Riley, the 2021 Class 6A state cross-country champion, set a new all-star event record, winning with a time of 17:59.25. The previous All-Star Week record was set in 2018 by Amaris Tyynismaa of Montgomery Catholic.
Lawrence County’s Savannah Williams, the Class 5A state champion last season, also surpassed Tyynismaa’s mark with a time of
18:54.61 to finish second. Her twin sister, Taylor Williams, was third, clocking 19:20.26.
The North girls won the race against the South, 19-38.
“That was great,” Riley said. “That was my first cross-country race in some time, so it was a good baseline to see what kind of fitness I need to work on. Our first race (for Mountain Brook) isn’t until Sept. 1, so it’s a little over a month.”
Riley didn’t only have to beat the competition in the All-Star race but also the heat.
“It was really hot,” she said. “We were supposed to start at 7:30 a.m. but it got pushed back to 8. It was 84 degrees and all in direct sunlight. The course was just ground and grass, so it wasn’t the best footing.
“I was sweating so much when I finished that my uniform was completely soaked.”
Riley’s record-setting race was among a few notable performances by Over the Mountain athletes during the All-Star week in Montgomery, including MVP efforts from Spain Park’s Emily Breazeale in volleyball and Oak Mountain’s Keirson McDonald in girls soccer.
Journal photos by Marvin Gentry
Breazeale Steps Up
Breazeale helped the North earn a hardfought 3-2 victory in the All-Star volleyball game last Thursday at the Cramton Bowl MultiPlex.
In the final game of the five-game match, Breazeale, a senior outside hitter, stepped up to spark the North – showing the same kind of play she did in the 2021 Class 7A state championship
In the girls 5,000-meter race at Montgomery’s Gateway Park, Reagan Riley, the 2021 Class 6A state cross-country champion, set a new all-star event record.
DON’T MISS AUG. 25 OTMJ
The 2022 OTM High School Football Preview. Team profiles, key players to watch, schedules and more!
Competitive Expectations
Wood Ready for First Season as Hoover’s Volleyball Coach
By RuBin E. GRant
Amanda Wood is ready to embark on the next phase of her volleyball coaching career, although the beginning was somewhat bumpy.
Wood was hired as Hoover’s new coach in February after spending the past 10 years at James Clemens in Madison, but it took her a few months to find a place to live near her new school.
“I am not going to lie to you, from February to May, it was a little rough, driving back and forth,” Wood said, “but once I moved here it’s been smooth sailing.”
The Bucs officially begin preseason practice for the 2022 season Monday and open the season April 18 with a tri-match at Helena that also includes Chelsea.
Wood replaces Chris Camper, who retired after 22 years as a head Amanda Wood coach, including the replaces Chris past 10 at Hoover. He Camper, who retired led the Bucs to the 2020 after 22 years as a Class 7A state champi- head coach, includonship with a 50-1 ing the past 10 at record. Hoover.
Camper and Wood have spoken frequently since Wood took over.
“We’re besties,” Wood said. “We talk all the time. He probably wishes he could delete me from his list of contacts.”
Wood played volleyball at Muscle Shoals, where she won a state title, and in college at the University of Alabama Huntsville. She took over the James Clemens program in 2012 when the school opened. It was her first head coaching job. She compiled a 254-202 record and led James Clemens to five regional appearances. The Jets finished the 2021 season 29-21 and reached the Class 7A regional tournament.
“It was a tough decision to move because of my players, my peers and the support I had from the administration and the Madison community,” Wood said. “But a job like Hoover doesn’t come open very often and I knew Andy Urban (Hoover’s athletics director).
“It’s a step I knew would be beneficial for my career and it came at the right time.”
Hoover has one of the top volleyball programs in the state, a “powerhouse program,” as Wood describes it. The Bucs earned a spot in the state championship tournament eight of the past 10 seasons with three appearances in the state title match.
Wood hopes to continue that success.
She has had a busy summer getting to know her players.
“We’ve looked good,” Wood said. “We finSee HOOVER, page 22
