Spartans baseball, soccer players earn postseason accolades

Several Mountain Brook High School athletes were recognized for their superb spring seasons, showing up on a number of postseason all-star teams.

Gabe Young, an outfielder for the Spartans baseball team, made an appearance on the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s all-state team, making the second team in Class 6A. Young hit for a .389 average, while getting on base at a remarkable .528 clip. He drew 26 walks and knocked in 23 runs on the season.

Young was also named to the North-South All-Star Game, part of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s All-Star Week in July. Young will play on the North team in a game featuring many of the state’s top rising seniors.

Young was one of the key factors in the Spartans’ strong season, as Mountain Brook posted a 24-10 record and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs, where eventual state champion Hartselle put an end to the season.

The Mountain Brook boys and girls soccer teams had outstanding seasons, with the boys winning the 6A state championship and the girls advancing to the quarterfinals. In order to make that happen, several players had standout seasons, for which they were recognized.

On the girls side, senior midfielder Isabel Smith, freshman defender Langston Lilly and freshman goalkeeper Laine Minnich were named to the 6A all-state team as first-team players. Smith was also on the super all-state first team, which takes the top players from all classifications.

For the boys, four players made an appearance on the super all-state list. Senior midfielder Joe Armstrong, junior midfielder Jack Heaps and junior goalkeeper Reed Harradine all made the first team. Junior forward Vance Phillips was named to the second team.

Naturally, Phillips, Armstrong, Heaps and Harradine were each present on the 6A first team as well. In addition, freshman midfielder Finn Calloway was a first-team 6A selection. Junior midfielder Andrew Thomason made the second team, while Spartans coach Joe Webb was named the state’s large school coach of the year.

A couple Mountain Brook soccer players will also be taking part in the North-South festivities, with midfielder Ellie Keplinger playing for the North team in the girls game, and Heaps playing for the North team in the boys game. Girls head coach Adam Johnson was also selected as one of the North coaches in the girls game.