It had already been a stormy day around Eclectic football, with five-year head coach Kyle Caldwell off the sidelines and placed on administrative leave pending a school board investigation.Â
Every year, in every sport, rivalry games stand out on the schedule. At whatever level of sports, from high school onto professional, rivalry games are pivotal, season-defining encounters. The best ones may even decide a particular team’s fate.Â
The Elmore County volleyball team might have been the most well-traveled team in the state this summer. Bouncing from play date to play date, hosting some in the process, the team is well-versed in the various levels of competition they’ll fa…
Every year, the football season promises something different. Last year for Elmore County it culminated in the Panthers’ first second round playoff appearance since 2011 and their first home playoff game since the same year. Although Williams…
Elmore County’s football program is in the fifth year of the Caldwell era and the Panthers are coming off of their best run since 2011. That means expectations in Eclectic are as high as they’ve been in a long time, but for the Panthers the goals remain the same: win the region, host a playo…
Elmore County’s football team is counting down the days to the start of the 2026 season. Now, it’s only three weeks away. At River Region Media Days, the Panthers — represented by linebacker Sam King and receivers Nathan Smith and Donovan Aldridge as well as assistant coach Torran Smith — co…
In the wake of the newly created Gulf State Independent Athletic Association, GSIAA, the questions surrounding the league have found their way to AHSAA director Heath Harmon and AISA director Roddie Beck.Â
Since Title IX was passed in 1972, it has been mandated that all schools that receive federal funding must give girls sports as much money as boys sports. Title IX effectively opened the door for girls sports at every level, and girls were no longer sidelined or forced to compete against the boys.Â
Elmore County’s volleyball has repeatedly proved its status as one of the most consistent programs in the state. Now, moving into Class 4A and into a new region, the Panthers will find out if 2026 will be the year that their streak of area championships will end. In Area 6, the Panthers will…
With just under a month to go until the start of the 2026 high school football season, coaches and players are spending countless hours in the scorching heat, trying to prepare for what is always a grueling marathon. Now into July, teams have progressed into live reps in organized team activ…
Confidence is vitally important to success in any sport, but especially football. When you’ve got 11 guys on the field at any given time, and each of them has to compete with the confidence that the guy to their left and to their right will b…
On Friday night, Wetumpka hosted its fourth annual Battle for the County 7-on-7 tournament. It was a mid-summer preview of what Friday nights will look like this fall, and the Wetumpka Sports Complex became a place where fans from all five E…
Last week the Alabama Sports Writers Association announced its softball all-state teams as well as its players and coaches of the year for each classification in the AHSAA. Six players from Elmore County earned recognition as the best in thei…
After baseball teams in Elmore County made playoff runs and staged upsets through the postseason, four players’ seasons culminated in recognition from the Alabama Sports Writers Association.Â
Baseball is a game of mistakes and mental toughness. With each set of seven innings, players seek perfection in every facet of the game. They seek perfection knowing that in all likelihood they won’t achieve it. So athletes face each inning, …
Former Elmore County Panther Sean Darnell is poised to play on college baseball’s biggest stage — at Troy’s first-ever Super Regional. Darnell graduated from ECHS back in 2022, after which he continued his baseball career at Wallace-Dothan Co…
There’s a certain type of player that can change a team and its energy as soon as he steps onto the pitch. The ability to exert so much energy and enthusiasm that it spreads throughout the team like a virus. For Elmore County’s boys soccer te…
