Coach Bill Smith, first-year head football coach at Fayette County High School, earned his first win at his new school with a 21-7 victory over Winfield last Friday night.
On a sandy field that resembled a backyard “sandlot” more than a high school football field, the Fayette Tigers defeated the Winfield Pirates 21-7 to secure Fayette Coach Bill Smith’s first win at his new school. Despite the poor condition of the Pirates’ field, Fayette’s Jason Robinson had a career day running the ball for the Tigers, rushing 23 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
The Berry Wildcats welcomed the Class 2A Cold Springs Eagles to Fred Webster Stadium for its 2019 home opener. Big plays on offense and defense helped the Wildcats control the game. Berry took an early lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 43–15 victory. Berry won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Will Knight returned the kick to the Wildcats’ 35-yard line. Berry ran three plays before punting on fourth and six. Cold Springs returned the punt to the Eagles’ 43-yard line to begin its first offensive possession.
Hubbertville welcomed the Waterloo Cougars to Wiley Hollingsworth Stadium on Friday night to open its regular season play. The Lions won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick. Gage Key fielded the kick at the 18-yard line, advancing the ball to the 40-yard line. Utilizing the running game with Gage Alexander, Blake Anthony and G. Key, the Lions quickly moved the ball across midfield to the Cougars 21-yard line, before the opening possession stalled.
Beginning Aug. 29, the State of Alabama will no longer issue marriage licenses.
A law passed this year by the Alabama legislature abolishes the practice of issuing marriage licenses in Alabama, and replaces the licenses with a “marriage certificate.” The certificate requires the parties wishing to be married to fill out a form, stating that they agree to marry and meet the legal requirements for marriage.
The Fayette County Board of Education accepted several resignations and made additional personnel changes during its Aug. 20 meeting. The following resignations were accepted by the board: Tana Humbers, math teacher at Hubbertville School; Alanna Parker, teacher at Fayette Elementary; Sara Beth Rhudy, teacher at Fayette Elementary; Amber Sanchez, teacher at Fayette Elementary; Kerrie L.
The Fayette County High School Tigers got the 2019 football season underway in the county, hosting the Gordo Greenwave last Thursday night at John Morgan Brown Stadium in Fayette. Berry opened its 2019 season last Friday night with a road game at Sulligent, while the Hubbertville Lions hosted Phil Campbell on Friday night in a non-regular season jamboree game.
A production team from the television show, “Simply Southern” recently filmed a segment on the Fayette-based hot sauce company, “Alabama Sunshine.” The production company traveled to Fayette and used both a traditional camera/tripod and a modern aerial drone to show how the fresh, locally-grown peppers are harvested for production.
The Fayette County Lady Tigers’ volleyball team traveled to Central High School on Saturday, Aug. 24 to compete in the “Falcon Frenzy” volleyball tournament. This was the season opener for Fayette, but the Lady Tigers began its 2019 season in fine fashion, winning 12 consecutive sets against six different opponents to finish the tournament undefeated and claim the championship trophy. Shown at left, from left, front: Mary Grace Wyatt, Samantha Cox, Karli Rushing, Kayley Strickland and Grace Sullivan.
The Gordo Greenwave football team marched into John Morgan Brown Stadium last Friday night, looking to avenge losses to Fayette each of the past two seasons. This time, there would be no last minute heroics for the Tigers as Gordo easily defeated Fayette 34-6. Gordo, ranked number three in the state in the pre-season Class 3A football poll, is a traditional football powerhouse and has won 48 of its last 51 regular season ball games. The Greenwave was determined to defeat Fayette this season, since two of those three regular season losses were to the Tigers.
The Berry Wildcats began its 2019 football campaign by traveling to Sulligent to face the 2A Blue Devils in the hopes of avenging last year’s loss. The Wildcats were bitten by the turnover bug and the Blue Devils took full advantage of to claim a 33–8 victory. Sulligent won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Johnathan Locke returned the opening kick for the Wildcats to the Berry 28-yard line to begin play.
The Lions opened its 2019 season by hosting the Phil Campbell Bobcats in a jamboree game. The varsity teams competed the first three quarters of the game, and the junior varsity closed out the contest playing the fourth quarter. The Bobcats received the opening kick, advancing the ball from the five-yard line to the Lions’ 46-yard line. Hubbertville’s defense held the Bobcats on its opening possession, turning the ball over on downs at the Lions’ 48-yard line. The Lions could not capitalize on the field position and four snaps later, Phil Campbell took possession on its 48-yard line.
Those who appreciate wildlife art now have the ability to purchase new collectible licenses with a variety of flora and fauna from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). Licenses for Alabama’s 2019-2020 seasons and the new hard cards were available for purchase starting Monday, Aug. 26. Eight different cards that depict a variety of outdoors scenes are available for an extra $5 fee. The art scenes include deer, turkey, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, wildlife heritage with an indigo bunting, sandhill crane, or shooting sports.
During its Aug. 13 meeting, the Fayette City Council took the first step toward considering the passage of an ordinance that would allow for Sunday alcohol sales. All council members were present for the meeting. Councilman Jason Cowart said the Alabama legislature passed a law this year that allows municipalities already selling alcohol to pass an ordinance to sell alcohol on Sundays between the hours of noon and 8 p.m.
Fayette Medical Center hosted a reception on Sunday, Aug. 18 for its two new doctors, hospitalist Dr. Dakota Acton Jones and surgeon Dr. David Evans.
The Fayette County Commission held its Aug. 12 meeting in the Fayette County Board of Education chambers due to the large number of visitors to the meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting.
Governor Kay Ivey has awarded a $500,000 grant to upgrade a manufacturing plant in the City of Fayette and preserve 186 jobs. The Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) awarded to the City of Fayette will provide infrastructure needed for the expansion of Showa Best Glove Inc. The company manufactures gloves made of latex and similar materials for use in the medical, industrial, fishing and food industries.
Donald Jones, administrator at Fayette Medical Center, was the featured speaker for the Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce’s “First Tuesday” luncheon on Aug. 6. “What a great year for Fayette Medical Center,” Jones said. He said that the hospital again received a “Five-Star” rating from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. He said the rating places the hospital in the top 6.5 percent of hospitals in the country for quality and patient care.
For the first time since the 1983 football season, the Fayette County High School Tigers’ football team will be coached this year by someone who is not named Tucker. Head football coach Bill Smith comes to Fayette from Munford High School and is well aware of the legacy of winning that Waldon and Lance Tucker brought to the school. He knows this will be a transitional year for the Tigers, but he hopes that the transition does not mean a drop in the quality of play.
Caleb Hynds is starting his third year as the head football coach of the Berry Wildcats. He knows his first two seasons as coach were not up to the standards expected for football at Berry, but he sees a lot of reason for optimism this season. “We have a lot more older guys on the team this year,” Hynds said. “We have eight seniors and 24 players on the team that are in 10th - 12th grade. We have eight returning starters on each side of the ball. Our experience and maturity should make a big difference.
