Five athletes from the Mobile County-Baldwin County area were named South team Most Valuable Player in their respective sports during this year’s Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star Week in Montgomery, capping a week of North-versus-South competition among the state’s top rising seniors. The honors stretched across five sports and five different schools, a reminder of how deeply talent runs through the high school programs of southwest Alabama. From the baseball diamond at Riverwalk Stadium to the soccer fields and the cross country course, area athletes left their fingerprints on nearly every corner of the week’s schedule.
All-Star Week is an annual AHSAA showcase that brings together standout rising seniors from across Alabama for a series of North-South matchups spanning baseball, softball, tennis, golf, cross country, basketball, soccer and volleyball. The event is one of the longest-running traditions on the association’s calendar, and it divides the state along a familiar line: the northern half of Alabama against the southern half, with rosters selected from the class of rising seniors who have just completed their junior seasons.
The event gives college coaches and scouts a chance to see many of the state’s top prospects competing outside their usual high school programs, often alongside players they have only faced as opponents during the regular season. For athletes from Class 7A powers and small-town 1A programs alike, the week compresses a season’s worth of exposure into a few days. Rivals who spent the spring chasing the same region titles suddenly share dugouts and sidelines, and the performances they turn in follow them into the fall signing period.
The South squad’s five MVPs were Fairhope’s Declan King in baseball, St. Paul’s Episcopal’s William Gill in boys’ cross country, St. Paul’s Episcopal’s Ramez Hasan in boys’ soccer, Baldwin County High School’s Brooke McGowin in softball, and McGill-Toolen’s Alice Wood in volleyball. Two of the five came from the same Mobile private school, while the others represented public schools in Fairhope, Bay Minette and midtown Mobile. Together they gave the South half of the state a sweep of individual honors across five of the eight sports contested during the week.
King Delivers on the Mound and at the Plate
King helped lead the South baseball squad with a two-run single in one game and two innings of scoreless relief in another, striking out three batters while allowing just one hit. That kind of two-way contribution is rare at any all-star event, and it made the Fairhope product the obvious choice for MVP honors in a series decided by small margins. His ability to impact the game both with the bat out of the middle of the order and from the bullpen gave the South coaching staff flexibility few players can offer.
St. Michael’s Cam Kerbl also contributed for the South, adding a hit and an RBI. Kerbl’s appearance was part of a strong showing for schools from Baldwin County’s Eastern Shore, which placed athletes on the South roster in baseball, softball, golf and volleyball. For a relatively young athletic program, the chance to put a player on the field in Montgomery represented another step forward on the statewide stage.
McGowin turned in a standout two-game showing at the plate, going 4-for-9 with four RBI, a double and two runs scored across the softball series. The Baldwin County High School senior anchored the middle of the South lineup and delivered in situations that mattered, driving in runs in both games of the series. Her performance stood out even on a roster loaded with some of the best hitters in the southern half of the state.
She was joined in the box score by several other area standouts: Saraland’s Kyla Reed (two hits, three runs, one RBI), Faith Academy’s Mylee Stagner (three hits, four runs, one RBI), Fairhope’s Briley Bolden (two hits, a home run, three RBI, two runs scored), Gulf Shores’ Kayleigh Jacks (two hits, one run), Fairhope’s Mallory Earp (one hit, one walk, one run) and Baker’s Lexie Smith (two hits, two RBI, a triple). The list reads like an all-star team of the Mobile Bay region in its own right, drawing from six different schools across both counties. Bolden’s home run gave the South power it rarely sees in all-star play, while Smith’s triple highlighted a Baker program with a long softball tradition.
The depth of area representation in the softball series reflected the strength of high school softball along the Gulf Coast, where programs in Mobile and Baldwin counties have combined for numerous state titles across all classifications over the past two decades. With three MVPs from the area appearing in baseball and softball alone, the week reinforced the region’s reputation as one of the state’s most productive talent pipelines for college recruiters.
Gill, Ye Lead the Way on the Cross Country Course
Gill placed third overall in the boys’ cross country race, the top finish among South runners, while Saraland’s Teresa Ye finished 10th in the girls’ race. Gill’s podium finish gave St. Paul’s Episcopal its second MVP award of the week and underscored the distance program the Mobile school has built in recent years. Competing against the fastest rising seniors in Alabama, he ran to the front of a field that included state champions from every classification.
Ye’s top-ten finish continued Saraland’s rise as a multi-sport contributor to area all-star rosters, with the Spartans placing athletes in softball, cross country, girls’ soccer, girls’ basketball and volleyball during the week. The cross country course at Montgomery has long been a demanding test, and a top-ten finish in a statewide all-star field is a strong marker heading into a runner’s senior season.
Goals and Shutouts Highlight Soccer Play
In soccer, Hasan recorded a goal and an assist to help lead the South boys’ team, while Fairhope’s Olivia Leathers scored a goal for the South girls’ squad. Hasan’s involvement in both South goals made him the clear pick for boys’ MVP and gave St. Paul’s a third major honor of the week between cross country and soccer. Leathers, meanwhile, provided the spark up front for a South girls’ team that featured players from across the southern half of the state.
St. Luke’s Ashlyn Turner and Daphne’s Olivia Hicks combined for a shutout in net for the South girls. Splitting a shutout between two goalkeepers from two different schools is unusual at any level, and it capped a defensive effort that kept the North off the scoreboard. For Turner, of Mobile’s St. Luke’s Episcopal, and Hicks, of Daphne High School, the clean sheet was a fitting end to a week spent alongside players they had spent the regular season trying to beat.
On the volleyball court, Wood tallied 40 assists, eight digs and four kills in earning MVP honors. The McGill-Toolen setter ran the South offense from start to finish, and her assist total reflected an all-star attack that found rhythm quickly despite the limited practice time all-star rosters typically receive. Wood’s all-around line, contributing as a setter, defender and attacker, made her one of the most complete performers of the week.
Mobile Christian’s Hadley Kelly added 19 kills, two digs and two aces, while Fairhope’s Kenly Nelson (five kills, three digs), Spanish Fort’s Cailyn Boykin (one kill, eight digs, two aces), Faith Academy’s Mikadyn Cauley, McGill-Toolen’s Caitlin Miller (three kills) and Fairhope’s Addy Busby (13 digs, eight assists) also saw action for the South. Seven of the players on the South volleyball roster came from Mobile County or Baldwin County schools, giving the area the largest single bloc on the squad. Kelly’s 19 kills stood out as the top attacking performance of the series, while Busby’s 13 digs and eight assists gave the South steady ball control from the back row.
The volleyball numbers also illustrated the depth of the McGill-Toolen program, a long-running state power that placed two players, Wood and Miller, on the South roster. Contributors from Mobile Christian, Faith Academy, Fairhope and Spanish Fort gave the area a presence spanning public and private schools across the coverage area.
Golfers Bring Home Wins for the South
Area golfers also picked up wins during the week. In boys’ golf, Spanish Fort’s Murray Walker teamed with Enterprise’s Parker Trawick for a South victory, while in girls’ golf, Spanish Fort’s Sarah Carter Hare won her individual match and Daphne’s Sarah Tapley paired with Saraland’s Kaileigh Brannan for a team win. The format in golf, which combines individual matches with team pairings, gave the South’s area contingent multiple paths to the winner’s circle, and local players found success down both of them.
Spanish Fort placed winners in both the boys’ and girls’ events, and the Daphne-Saraland pairing delivered another team victory for the South side. For a region that regularly produces collegiate golfers, the results were another signal that the Gulf Coast’s junior golf pipeline remains strong heading into the fall season.
Basketball and Tennis Round Out the Week
On the hardwood, Fairhope’s Nylah Loukides scored 12 points with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal in girls’ basketball, while McGill-Toolen’s Reagan Burroughs and Kam Wright, along with Saraland’s Aniya Southall, also contributed. Loukides’ near double-double was among the most complete statistical lines of the girls’ game, and her shot-blocking gave the South an interior presence it did not otherwise have. The trio of Burroughs, Wright and Southall rounded out an area presence that touched both of Mobile County’s flagship girls’ programs.
In boys’ basketball, LeFlore’s Ryion Austin scored eight points on perfect shooting to go with two steals, UMS-Wright’s Jake Pilger added eight points, Fairhope’s Trey Garner posted seven points and a team-best seven rebounds, and Robertsdale’s Skyler Washington chipped in two rebounds and two assists. Austin’s flawless shooting night highlighted the group, while Garner’s work on the glass led the South in rebounds. The five boys’ contributors came from five different schools, from inner-city Mobile to Robertsdale in southern Baldwin County.
In tennis, Satsuma’s Brody Fuller teamed with Auburn’s Tony Park for a doubles win in the boys’ competition, while the South girls’ tennis team was shut out, falling 8-1 to the North. Fuller’s doubles victory gave the South its bright spot in a sport where the North’s depth proved difficult to overcome, and Satsuma’s roster spot marked a notable moment for the Mobile County school.
The All-Star Week format has long served as a proving ground for the state’s rising senior class, giving Gulf Coast-area athletes a rare chance to showcase their talent on a statewide stage before their final high school seasons begin this fall. With five MVPs, a series of box-score contributions across every sport and wins in both boys’ and girls’ golf, south Alabama’s contingent left Montgomery with one of the strongest collective showings of any region in the state. For the seniors involved, the week offered both a celebration of what they have already accomplished and a preview of the seasons still ahead.