SPORTS

Breazeale Looking to Lead Spain Park to Another Volleyball Title Page 31 SPORTS

Thursday, October 20, 2022 ❖ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL Vestavia Hills Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive Page 30

Mountain Brook junior setter Hannah Parant combines her fun-loving style with a business-like approach on the court.

Bring on the Fun

Parant’s Style Invigorates Mountain Brook’s Volleyball Team

By RuBin E. GRant

Hannah Parant is a lovable goofball.

It shows when Mountain Brook’s junior setter plays volleyball.

“I like to think I am the goofiest player on the team,” Parant said. “I don’t think you can play volleyball if you don’t love it and have fun playing it.

“I love it so much. It’s the mix of the team part of it and details of the game that I enjoy. You’re always getting better and always growing because no one is perfect.”

Mountain Brook volleyball coach Mattie Gardner doesn’t have any problems with Parant’s goofiness.

“I think the coaches and her teammates adore her,” Gardner said. “She has the goofiest personality and brings a lot of fun into the team.”

Parant combines her fun-loving style with a business-like approach on the court.

“She’s our setter, so she’s like our quarterback out there,” Gardner said. “She’s very intellectual on the court and thinks through things, evaluating where to go with the ball and getting her teammates in the right spot.

“She loves the sport and has a natural curiosity about it and other things. She loves talking about volleyball and she’s always watching games, whether on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or wherever she can.

“I think she’s curious about how good she can be, where her ceiling is and how good she can push herself and her teammates to be.”

This season, the 6-foot-1 Parant has pushed herself and the Spartans into position to make a run at their fourth consecutive state championship.

She led Mountain Brook to the Class 6A, Area

See PARANT, page 31

FOOTBALL RECAP

Homewood Has Fun Time Clinching Its First Region Title in Five Years

By RuBin E. GRant

Homewood football coach Ben Berguson had an enjoyable evening watching his team play last Friday night at Pelham.

The Patriots turned in a virtuoso performance, holding the Panthers to only 132 total yards and coming up with two interceptions while recording its first shutout of the season, 28-0.

See RECAP, page 30

Clay Burdeshaw came up with an interception in Homewood’s 28-0 win over Pelham Friday.

BANDIT BLITZER

Estes Creating Big Plays for Hoover’s Defense

By RuBin E. GRant

D.J. Estes is the bandit. At least that’s the role he plays in Hoover’s defensive scheme.

“I play the nickel safety, what we call the bandit,” Estes said. “I play in the box (near the line of scrimmage) against the run and also man-to-man against the pass. It gives me a good chance to make plays.”

The 5-foot-9,182-pound senior defensive back has made a bunch of plays this football season for the Bucs.

Four weeks ago against Mountain Brook, Estes blitzed off the edge to sack the Spartans’ quarterback, stripping him of the ball and recovering the fumble at the Mountain Brook 27-yard line with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.

“I knew we were going into halftime and I knew they were going to pass,” Estes said. “I saw the way the tackle was playing, the way he had positioned his hips, so I ducked

Journal photo by Jordan Wald See ESTES, page 30