The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for May 10, 2021

16 YEARS AGO
MAY 12, 2005

State Record: Sparta’s Erica Palmer set a new state record in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:06.74. She was also third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 29.61. She also placed fourth in the high jump with a jump of four-feet, four inches. She was fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.31.

Hand takes reigns of Warriors: On May 20, 18 years since he last held a coaching position, Don Hand will assume the head coach’s duties at Sparta Academy.
Hand is replacing Gerry Watson as the Warriors head coach. Watson will remain on staff and is helping conduct spring drills with Coach Russ Brown.

Hillcrest High School’s Jaguars will wrap up spring football drills Tuesday in East Brewton when the team takes on the W.S. Neal High School Eagles.
(Players on Hillcrest’s team that year included Derek Paige, Aaron Dees, Frank Likely, John Dees, Antonio Jordan and Teridas Wilson. Arlton Hudson was head coach.)

Sparta Academy’s junior varsity girls track team recently won the state championship.
(Members of the team were Sally Matlock, Grace Matlock, Sarah Nielsen, Morgan Harden, Hayden Armuelles, Susan Ann Cook, Christin Booker, Erica Palmer, Mallory Kendrick, Maddie Black, Camarena Godwin, Pia Cumagun, Savannah Brown, Mary Ryan Nielsen, Kelsey Cope and Shaina Hutcheson. Coaches were Terry Jackson and Russ Brown.)

26 YEARS AGO
MAY 12, 1994

Conecuh County’s Eighth Annual Special Olympics were held recently at Lyeffion Junior High School. Rain forced the games inside, but that didn’t stop our Special Olympians.
(First-place finishers in their age groups included Chris Maxwell, April McCreary, Patrick King and Shanika Portis, high jump; Iris Portis, Kim McCreary, Tony Edwards, Tonya Brown, Sandra Randall, Deneice Stallworth and Tiffany Woods, standing long jump; Anthony Wiggins, Tina Watkins, Michael Howard, Renee Duncan, Youlanda Duncan and Antonia German, 100-meter balloon pop; Elane Bartlett, Sammy Nord, Rodrigus Rudolph, Wayne Feagin, David Jenkins and Walter Roach, basketball toss; Brian Dean, Rhonda Fantroy, Antonio German, Chris Maxwell, Erica Woods and Patrick King, 50-meter balloon pop; LaTosha McCreary, Taurean Green, Renee Duncan, April Perry, Kelly Dees, Leona Gantt and Youland Duncan, ring toss.)

40 YEARS AGO
MAY 14, 1981

Sparta’s Lynn Hyde wins state “jump”: Lynn Hyde, a junior at Sparta Academy in Evergreen, leaped 16 feet, four inches to win the state championship in the Alabama Private Schools Association State Track Meet held in Selma last week. Lynn also finished second in the 440-yard run with a time of 60.43 seconds.
Lynn, daughter of Evergreen Postmaster Gene and Mrs. Judy Hyde of Evergreen, will compete in the Southeast Tri-State Track Meet in Jackson, Miss. this week.

Four Repton High baseball players in all-star tilt: The 38th Annual Lions Club All-Star Baseball Games, co-sponsored by the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Lions of Alabama, has been scheduled for Sun., May 17. A doubleheader will be played at Johnson Park in Andalusia at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The two teams will be comprised of high school seniors from Baldwin, Covington, Conecuh, Butler, Geneva and Escambia counties.
Baseball scouts and coaches from professional, college and junior college teams will be at the games to see the players in action.
Four players from Repton High School will play: Hugh Wilson III, Tommy Watson, James Watson III and Greg Simpson.

The Sparta Quarterback Club’s annual Athletic Banquet honoring athletes in all sports will be held Friday night at 7:30 o’clock in the Sparta Academy Gymnasium.
Tommy Neville, former all SEC lineman at Mississippi State and All pro offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, will be the featured speaker. Neville is a businessman now and lives in his hometown of Montgomery. He was recognized as an outstanding competitor and leader during his playing days.

Sixteen-year-old boys whose 17th birthday is after Aug. 1, 1981 are being made eligible to play baseball this summer in the Evergreen Junior Baseball League. This is essential in rounding out the Major League team rosters.

43 YEARS AGO
MAY 11, 1978

Warriors end season with pair of losses: The Sparta Academy Warriors closed out a disappointing baseball season by dropping a pair of games last week for a record of two wins and 10 losses, according to Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr. The leading hitter was Terry Peacock with a .436 batting average for the season. He is a sophomore.
May 2, Fort Dale downed Sparta, 6-2, in a game played here. Tommy Hutcheson was the losing pitcher. The Warriors were guilty of five fielding errors.
Peacock had a double and Jeff Johnson and Ronny McKenzie a single each to account for Sparta’s only three hits.
Monroe Academy used nine hits and six Sparta errors to win, 13-3, here last Thursday. Peacock was the leading pitcher.
McKenzie had a double and a single and Johnson and Johnny Ralls a single each for Sparta.

Scoutmaster Mabry Stuckey of Evergreen Boy Scout Troop 40 presented awards to these Cub Scouts of Pack 40 at a recent meeting at the Scout Hut: Littlejohn Wade, Scott Salter, Daniel Wright, Marcus Blair and Rob Stuart.

61 YEARS AGO
MAY 12, 1960

Aggies End Season With Win Over Tigers: The Evergreen Aggies won their last game of the season Tuesday by taking T.R. Miller High School by a score of 1-0.
Frank Pugh was on the mound for Evergreen and Billy Melton was behind the plate. This victory gives Pugh five wins and no defeats. The Evergreen club closed the season with a record of 11 wins and two defeats.
James Reeves and Johnny Ivey got two hits apiece in Tuesday’s game.
On being interviewed after the game, Coach Jeff Moorer said, “I think that everyone will agree that my boys played A-1 baseball this year. We only had three seniors playing this past season, but next year we will have a large group of seniors who will be available. I feel sure that Evergreen will be going to the state tournament next year.”

Aggies Trounce Repton: The Evergreen Aggies bombed the Repton nine last week to the tune of 15-4 with the splendid pitching of Billy Bateman. The local squad collected 11 hits, one of which was a circuit blow into the right field stands, but they were not ruled as homers because of the proximity of those bleachers. Repton claimed their share of the long balls with two four-baggers.

Evergreen vs. Castleberry: The Aggies turned back the Blue Devils from Castleberry, 7-1, this past week. The Aggies supported Frank Pugh with seven runs on nine hits. The Castleberry nine scored their long run in the sixth on an error.