42 Spring high school athletes to watch around Etowah county, Gadsden area
With most Gadsden area teams taking a spring break, its the unofficial half-way point of the spring sport season.
That means the clock is winding down to see some of the best athletes in the area. In just under three weeks, the first playoffs of the spring season, tennis sectionals, start up before baseball area tournaments start that weekend. Tennis states start that next week kicking off a month of state tournaments and playoffs around the state.
Here's 42 athletes you should check out before its too late in Etowah County and in the Gadsden area this spring:
Stats current through Tuesday, March 26
Baseball
Carson Gillilan, Sardis baseball
Why: Gillilan is hitting .463 this season with seven doubles and two home runs. He has recorded 22 RBIs with 14 runs scored and has been walked 13 times.
Cash Hayes, Etowah
Why: Hayes has shown excellence at the plate and on the mound, coming off of a perfect game earlier this month, where he struck out eight batters.
Luke Hollingsworth, Gaston baseball
Why: Hollingsworth has been hitting .444 on the year with seven RBIs for the Bulldogs.
Kutter Johnson, Southside
Why: Johnson has gone 4-1 with an ERA of 2.15 with 45 strikeouts on the year. He has also hit .405 with 18 RBIs.
Braden Kay, Westbrook Christian
Why: Kay has gone 2-1 this year with the starts coming against 6A and 5A opponents, he has thrown 30 strikeouts and maintained a 3.63 ERA in 27 innings.
Brody Kitchens, Glencoe
Why: Kitchens is the lead pitcher for the Yellow Jackets, coming off a nine inning outing in a win over Westbrook Christian earlier this month.
Glavine Lamberth, Hokes Bluff
Why: Lamberth has been one of the standouts for the Eagles so far this season. He has hit .532 with four home runs and 11 doubles. He has scored 30 times with 17 RBIs.
Cody McCormick, Boaz
Why: McCormick is one the better two-way players for the Pirates. He is hitting .413 with 11 RBIs and has a 1.91 ERA with 25 strikeouts on the mound.
Tyler Pierce, Boaz baseball
Why: Pierce has a perfect game under his belt and is on his way to becoming a certified ace for a Class 5A favorite. Pierce has gone 5-1 on the mound with 58 strikeouts and an ERA of .212. At the plate, he's hitting .380 with 17 RBIs and eight doubles.
Dylan Rainey, Westbrook Christian
Why: Rainey is one of the top players in the area, hitting .343 and holding a 2.19 ERA on the mound.
Trey Thornton, Sardis baseball
Why: Thornton has been hitting .436 this year for the Lions with 10 doubles and two homeruns. He has brought in 17 RBIs with 15 runs scored.
Boys soccer
Bladimir Cervantes, Gadsden City
Why: Cervantes is the top scorer for the Titans with 25 goals and 15 assists.
Aiden Cornutt, Glencoe
Why: Cornutt is already one of the most prolific goal scorers in not only the area but the state. He's continued that this year with 18 goals in 17 games. He has added five assists and has 120 takeaways on the season.
Hayes Cosby, Southside
Why: Cosby has been a stonewall at times for the Panthers, with three shutouts on the year. He has 45 saves and 13 goals allowed in 11 games played.
Dimitri Guerrero, Gadsden City
Why: Guerrero is second on the team with 15 goals and 10 assists.
Aaron Herrea, Collinsville
Why: Herrea has come into his own recently, breaking the Panthers school record with eight goals in a game after scoring five goals the game before. For the season, he has 26 goals.
Conner Montgomery, Glencoe
Why: Montgomery has 17 goals in 17 games with five assists and 40 takeaways.
Camren Thompson, Southside
Why: One of the top soccer players in the area, Thompson has scored 39 goals — almost half of the teams total. But he's also been able to share the ball with seven assists for the top-ranked Panthers.
Golf
Eli Edge, Westbrook Christian
Why: Edge has been dominant this year in defense of his individual state title and the Warriors team title. Recently, he's been averaging under par for his rounds in match and tournament play.
Girls soccer
Anna Klaire Ashley, Gadsden City
Why: One of the top defenders for the Titans, Ashley has continued to make a name for herself.
Kinsey Carter, Southside
Why: Carter has been the star for the Panthers, with 18 goals and 14 assists on the year, leading the team in both stats.
Ella Jennings, Gadsden City
Why: Jennings has 50 saves on the year, including 15 in one game to clinch the win over Fort Payne.
Hannah Maddox, Southside
Why: Maddox has been one of the leaders for the Panthers, with 43 saves on the year.
Softball
Jalyn Allen, Southside
Why: Allen is the lead pitcher for the Panthers and has gone 14-2 so far this season.
Josie Bunch, West End
Why: At the plate, Bunch is hitting .487 with four doubles and three home runs. Bunch has notched 20 RBIs and scored 12 times. Bunch has thrown more than 24 innings this year, going 2-1, she's allowed 21 hits and six runs while striking out 28 batters.
Abi Bunt, Glencoe
Why: Bunt is one the leading hitters for the Yellow Jackets, consistently leading the team at the plate each game, usually with multiple hits in each outing.
Lacey Grace Hall, Hokes Bluff
Why: Hall has gone 9-6 in the circle this year with a 2.3 ERA and 103 strikeouts. She has .368 with 11 RBIs.
Emma Hill, Cherokee County
Why: Hill has gone 8-0 this year in the circle, with an .686 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.
Abby Lea, Cherokee County
Why: Lea is hitting .450 at the plate with 22 RBIs on the year.
Abby Payne, Hokes Bluff
Why: Payne is hitting .500 on the year with 23 RBIs and 22 walks.
Ava Ramsey, Southside
Why: One of the top players for the Panthers, Ramsey leads the team in most offensive categories.
Savannah Smith, Piedmont
Why: The Jax State softball commit has been on a tear this year, being one of the top hitters and pitchers for the Bulldogs, who could be a popular Class 3A title pick.
Raina Underwood, Gadsden City
Why: Underwood is batting .410 as a freshman for the Titans.
Kylee Wilder, Etowah
Why: A true utility player, who can play all nine spots on the field, Wilder also is one of the leaders on the team with a .333 batting average.
Cayse Willet, Glencoe
Why: Willet has real power for the Yellow Jackets, she is coming off a game with a grand slam and a two-run homerun earlier this month.
Tennis
Betsy Howard & Ansley Wilborn, Gadsden City
Why: While they are both strong singles players, the duo placed second in sectionals last year and are in the midst of another strong season. Watch for them individually and as a doubles team.
Ava Nicholson, Etowah
Why: While the Blue Devils are young, Nicholson has quickly became the one-seed and is one to watch for as they get closer to the postseason.
Mithun Rameskumar, Gadsden City
Why: Rameskumar took home a sectional title last season and is the midst of another strong season this year.
Track and field
Kodie Bogle, Gaston
Why: The two-time defending Class 2A javelin champion is looking stronger than ever, his best throw this season is more than 168 feet. His best overall throw is 190 feet, four-inches.
Evan Christopher, Southside
Why: Christopher, the Gadsden Times cross country runner of the year, has continued a strong season in outdoor, consistently placing first in the 800-meter, 1600-meter, 3200-meter races.
Mary Hayes Johnson, Cherokee County
Why: Johnson is one of the top track athletes in the state, currently she is first in Class 4A in the 100-meters, 400-meters and 100-meter hurdles and second in the 200-meter. She took home two indoor state titles already this year.
Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports and Jacksonville State athletics for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: 42 high school sports athletes to watch during the rest of spring season
