Good Hands Award

Each week students from Walker High School are chosen to receive the All State Good Hands Award, given by Jonathan Holladay.  This award is granted to students who show outstanding performances in their sport each week. This week ten students received the Good Hands award.  They are (from left to right) Shannie Johnson, Raven Jones, Riley Graham, Brandon Ruble, Jessica Woodley, Joseph Pedraza, Jean Paul Osula, Dalton Robinson, Dustin Campbell, and Jonathan McCants. Congratulations on this achievement!

Pulliam Makes the 2012 Eagle Elite Squad

Walker junior Taylor Pulliam, 132 lbs. weight class

Walker’s Taylor Pulliam emerged as one of the team leaders in the Vikings’ young, but progressing squad. The junior final regular season record stood at 35-9, with 24 wins coming by pinfall and two wins by technical fall.

In the pivotal month of January, Pulliam went 21-4, including a perfect 2-0 and first place finish in the Alabama School of the Blind Tournament.

Pulliam would also be highly touted for his leadership role on the team by coach Martin Blankenship, mentoring several of Walker’s inexperienced squad members in grappling techniques, as well as serving as an example both on and off the mat. He is expected to play a large role at the Class 5A sectional tournament in Tallassee today and in the development of next year’s Viking squad.

by W. Brian Hale
Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Three area wrestlers make up 2012 Eagle Elite squad

Walker Wins Area Opener

by Johnathan Bentley and W. Brian Hale

Walker coach Scotty Ware wanted one more home game.

The Vikings are one win away from reaching that goal after a 63-43 win over Hayden Friday night in the 5A, Area 11 Tournament at Mortimer Jordan.

Walker faces the host team at 7 p.m. Monday for the area championship. The area champion hosts a sub-region playoff game next week.

“I told our guys after Senior Night that I hoped we had one more home game. Hopefully we can take care of business,” Ware said.

Against Hayden, Walker led 12-10 after the opening quarter and 25-19 at the half. The Vikings began pulling away in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 19-14 for a 44-33 lead.

Dashuan Kendrick led Walker (13-16) with 15 points, Austin Stephens and Michael Bridges each had nine points, Shane Donaldson put in eight, Drekas Key added seven, Ryan Dill had five, Riley Graham had four, Brandon Thursby added three, Kenyatta Woods had two and Denzell Daley had a point.

Walker is now 7-4 since losing their second matchup to Mortimer Jordan in January.

“I sat down the guys after that game and they made the commitment to get better on defense. We’ve turned things around since then. I’m proud of our guys. They’ve played hard all year. They deserve to be in the playoffs because they stuck together and kept believing. Good things happened at the end,” Ware said.

Walker is in the playoffs for the seventh straight season and has advanced to the Northwest Regional Tournament each of the last four years

Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Walker Parrish Dora win area openers

Walker Earns Sweep in Reg-Season Finale

by Johnathan Bentley

Walker’s Drekas Key goes over a Corner player on his way to the basket during the Vikings’ 58-35 win over Corner on Senior Night at Songer Gym Monday night. It was the regular-season finale for both teams. Photo by: Johnathan Bentley

Walker turned to its seniors Monday night.

They delivered.

Austin Stephens knocked down a pair of key 3-pointers, Shane Donaldson did the dirty work under the basket and guards DaShuan Kendrick and Ryan Dill brought the defensive pressure as Walker closed out the regular season with a 58-35 victory over Corner on Senior Night at Songer Gym.

Walker’s defense was the key to victory as the Vikings forced 24 turnovers resulting in countless layups on the offensive end.

“I thought our pressure wore them down in the second half,” Walker coach Scotty Ware said. “We’ve played really good defense over the last three weeks or so. We’ve tried to finish the season off strong. We’ve been playing better. Now we turn our attention to the area tournament.”

Walker (12-16) plays Hayden at 6p.m. Friday in the 5A, Area 15 Tournament opener at Mortimer Jordan High School.

On Monday, Corner kept the game close into the second quarter.

The Yellow Jackets got within a point at 15-14 with 6:37 left in the first half.

From there, Walker took control. Drekas Key’s steal resulted in a Stephens basket to start an 18-6 run to close the half.

The Yellow Jackets cut the lead back to four points at the 4:09 mark, but Stephens hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the same spot to push the lead to 10 points at 27-17 with 3:10 left in the quarter.

Stephens followed with a steal and a long outlet pass to Key on the other end for a layup. Michael Bridges knocked added a pair of free throws and Jonathan McCants hit a floater in the lane with five seconds left in the half for a 33-20 lead going into the lockerroom.

Corner (17-12) didn’t get within striking distance the rest of the game. Walker took a 46-30 lead into the final quarter.

For the Vikings, Stephens and Key both finished with 10 points, Shane Donaldson and Brandon Thursby had eight points apiece, Kendrick and McCants each added six points, Bridges had four and both Dill and Denzell Daley had three points. Key led the team with eight steals, Dill added four steals and Daley had three blocks.

Monday’s game was the regular-season finale for Stephens, Donaldson, Dill and Kendrick.

“This is a great group of guys,” Ware said. “These four seniors show up every day and give everything they’ve got. They’ve done everything I’ve asked of them.”

Ware hopes the Vikings can extend their season Friday night.

“I think our confidence is high and that’s where we want it,” Ware said. “Now we turn our focus to Hayden. It comes down to one game and we’ve got to win it. You play all year for this one night. You’ve got to win this one to keep on playing. I’ve seen teams that were almost undefeated lose on the first night of the area tournament. All those wins they had didn’t mean anything.”

The top two teams from each area advance to the sub-region.

Walker swept Hayden during the regular season. The Vikings lost both regular-season meetings with Mortimer Jordan, which opens the area tournament against Curry on Friday.

“I think our guys are a little upset that we didn’t play well in some of our area games. Hopefully we’ll take care of business on the first night,” Ware said.

VARSITY GIRLS

Walker 39, Corner 22

Eleven Walker players scored as the Lady Vikings defeated Corner 39-22 Monday night.

The Lady Vikings took control of the game early. They led 14-6 after the opening quarter and 22-13 at the half. Walker held Corner to just three points in the third quarter as the team built a 27-16 lead going into the final quarter.

For Walker, Jazmine Lake had nine points, Sidney Cooper put in six, Shannie Johnson and Shania Reed each had five, Chloe Sudberry put in four, Tasia Phillips, Jessica Woodley, Miranda Bruce and Madisyn Hood each had two and both Raven Jones and Shannon Pettus had one point.

Corner got seven points from both Andrea DeBorn and Jessica Outlaw.

JV BOYS

Walker 45, Corner 37

Walker’s JV team held Corner to just six points in the fourth quarter as the Vikings pulled away for a 45-37 win.

The Vikings held a slim 33-31 lead going into the final period.

The game was close throughout with Walker leading 17-16 after the first quarter. The game was notched at 24-24 at the half.

For Walker, Trevon Chatman had 15 points and both John Michael Reed and Marlon Oliver had 10 points.

Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Walker earns sweep in regular season finale

WALKER takes Third at STATE Indoor Meet

by Johnathan Bentley

 BIRMINGHAM — Walker had state records in mind when they took to the track Saturday at the State Indoor Track Meet at the Birmingham Crossplex.

The Vikings left the meet with just that.

Walker’s 4×400 relay team set a new Class 5A state record and Hunter Hawkins did the same in the 400-meter run. The Vikings’ 4×800 relay team also took home first place, giving Walker four gold medal finishes in the two-day event.

Despite getting points from just six athletes, Walker placed third in 5A. St. Paul’s won the title with 107 points, Central-Tuscaloosa was second with 84 points and both Walker and Scottsboro tied for third with 81 points.

The other top three squads came to Birmingham with a complete track squad.

“Overall, the kids did extremely well,” Walker coach Mark Aldridge said. “We knew it was a long shot for us to get second, but the fact that we came so close is really a tribute to them. The six kids that scored points got personal records at different times. I’m proud of them.”

Andrew Harris and Hawkins each closed out the meet with three golds and a silver. Harris won the 800m run on Friday, took second in the 1600m run on Saturday and was part of Walker’s gold-medal winning 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams. Hawkins set a state record in the 400m on Saturday, won golds with both relay teams and placed second to Harris in the 800m on Friday.

On Saturday, Hawkins set the tone for Walker early in the day with a blistering time of 49.97 seconds to claim gold in the 400m. He broke a 12-year-old state record of 50.43 set by Blount’s Fernanda Blakeley in 2000. Vigor’s Devonta Nesby was Hawkins’ closest competitor in the event, finishing second in 50.48. Walker’s Jeb Cowen also picked up points, finishing sixth in 53.39.

“This means a lot,” Hawkins said of his record. “It was something I wanted to do. I had to win and I had to get that record. That’s what I’ve been working for. When I saw that 49, I wasn’t even tired. I was just wanting to jump and down. It was great.”

Walker closed Saturday’s competition on a high note as well, beating the state record by less than a second in the 4×400 relay. The combination of Harris, Bradford Lepik, Cowen and Hawkins came in with a time of 3:29.23. The old record of 3:29.83 was set by Scottsboro in 2005. Walker set the state record despite a lack of competition in the event. Second-place Ramsey finished more than seven seconds behind the Vikings.

The same Walker foursome also took gold in the 4×800 relay, finishing .33 seconds off the state mark. Harris, Lepik, Cowen and Hawkins breezed past the competition with a time of 8:19.56. Scottsboro placed second, finishing 12 seconds behind the Vikings.

Walker won both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays despite the same four athletes running in both events.

“There is no other school that had the same team running in both relays. Everybody else has two separate teams running. That goes back to how well conditioned our guys are. They work hard. They only had an hour and 15 minutes between the relays,” Aldridge said. “People are amazed at what these four guys do. Other coaches compliment them all the time. They are a group of four great guys.”

Harris placed second in a hotly-contested 1600m run on Saturday. Harris closed the gap down the stretch and finished with a time of 4:32.37. Scottsboro’s Evan McGee won with a time of 4:31.98. Walker’s Lepik placed sixth with a time of 4:51.64.

Two other Walker athletes placed sixth in separate events. Austin Elliott took sixth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.37 seconds and also finished sixth in the triple jump with a total of 38-9. Davis Hutchinson took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 5 feet, six inches.

Next up for Walker is the outdoor track season.

“Now we will take a week off and get ready for the outdoor season,” Aldridge said.

Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Walker takes 3rd at state indoor meet

Big Wins at State Track Meet

Walker off to fast start at state

by Johnathan Bentley

Walker’s Andrew Harris, right, and Hunter Hawkins, left, compete in the 800-meter run during the State Indoor Track Meet at the Birmingham Crossplex Friday. Harris won the event with Hawkins placing second. The meet concludes today. Photo by: Johnathan Bentley

BIRMINGHAM — One day — one state title.

The Walker Vikings are hoping for a few more today at the State Indoor Track Meet at the Birmingham Crossplex.

Andrew Harris took home first place in the 800-meter run on Friday, finishing just eight tenths of a second off the Class 5A state record with a time of 1:54.71. Harris was followed by teammate Hunter Hawkins, who took second place with a personal-best time of 1:56.11.

After day one of the two-day event, Walker sits in second place in Class 5A with 28 points. St. Paul’s is in first with 38 points.

Harris, who set the Crossplex record last week in the 800m, was hoping to add a state record to his resume.

“I was a little late,” Harris said after the win. “I was off a second the whole time. I missed (the record) by less than a second. The sad thing is that you only have one shot at it, but I will take a win for sure.”

The Walker duo stayed together for the first three laps until Harris pulled away down the stretch to earn the victory.

“Hunter this year at practice has stuck with me at every interval. Tonight I told him to stick with me and he held on for three laps. He did awesome. He has really picked it up this year,” Harris said.

In the last two weeks, Hawkins has dropped his time in the 800m more than four seconds.

“I tried to keep up with Andrew and ran the best race of my life,” Hawkins said. “I ran a 1:57 last week and a 1:56 (Friday). Finishing 1-2 is exactly what we wanted to do before the season started. We worked hard to do that.”

Harris and Hawkins weren’t the only Walker athletes to earn a spot on the podium on Friday.

Austin Elliott took home third in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 6.75 inches. Bradford Lepik also earned points for the Vikings, taking fifth in the 3200m run with a personal-best time of 10:30.81.

“They put forth a valiant effort,” Walker coach Mark Aldridge said of his team. “Several of them had personal-bests, which is great. Bradford ran an extremely good race and had a personal-best in the 3200, Andrew ran well in the 800 and was pushed by Hunter Hawkins, who is getting better and better. (Saturday) could be a big day for a lot of them.

“I didn’t start working with Davis Hutchinson and Austin Elliott in the hurdles until three week ago and they took 9th and 12th in the state. I have to brag on them, too.”

Harris, Hawkins, Lepik and company will be back at it today at the state meet.

Harris and Lepik run in the 1600m, Hawkins and Jeb Cowen compete in the 400m and all four hit the track for both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays. Walker already holds the Crossplex record in both events.

They are aiming for state records today.

“We’ve got the 4×800 and 4×400 back-to-back. We are going to try to get two state records in the relays,” Harris said.

“We’ve got some medals to get (today),” Hawkins added. “We want two new high school records and two state championships. We already have the (Crossplex) records, we just have to do it at state.”

Aldridge likes their chances today.

“These four young men work harder than any I’ve had in my 30 years of coaching. That’s the reason they are successful. They have the goal in mind and they have the team in mind. They want those two relay teams to be the best they can possibly be,” Aldridge said.

Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Walker off to fast start at state

Good Hands Award

Each week students are chosen to receive the All State Good Hands Award. These students are chosen based on outstanding performances in their sport.  This week Johnathan Holladay awarded the following students: Cru Birdyshaw, Tasia Phillips, DaShaun Kendrick, Carlton Dorrough, QuaDrekes Key, Miranda Bruce.