Avery Anders and Mason Horne were asked to smile for a photo, and the audience made fun of the Clarkdale seniors for doing so.

COLLINSVILLE — The Lady Knights remained perfect in regional play as they blanked Newton County 2-0 Thursday.

Meridian High School standout and Mississippi State signee Debreasha Powe was named a finalist to play in the annual McDonald’s All American Games.

At 6-foot-10, West Lauderdale senior Parker Henry is often able to use his size to his advantage.

It never seems hard for Alabama to find a silver lining amid a late-night gloom and doom of a season-ending defeat.

My team won the College Football National Championship Monday night. Of course, I knew it would before the game started. In fact, I’ve been sure of it for more than a week.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Confetti rained down on Georgia. The Bulldogs fans chanted “Kir-by, Kir-by!”

Bryce Young couldn't deliver another dramatic drive with his two best wide receivers watching from the sideline.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — No one can accuse the New Orleans Saints of giving up.

The hoodie Macie Barham wore at practice Monday afternoon had the words “good vibes” written on the front.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nick Saban strolled off the plane in frigid Indianapolis with a look that got his players' attention.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Alabama receiver John Metchie III crumpled to the ground during last month's SEC championship game, the questions came hard and fast.

Kam Patrick’s ability to drive to the basket was something she developed out of necessity.

After Georgia beat Florida in November, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart was asked about the importance of recruiting. His response was both obvious and emphatic:

Dillon Mitchell’s dream was to be a head coach. That desire was in part due to watching his father, Jamie Mitchell, have success in the profession over several decades.

Down to the last play of the regular season, this Alabama team managed to bounce off the ropes when it seemed most vulnerable.

ATLANTA (AP) — Taysom Hill and the New Orleans Saints will be watching the scoreboard when they close their regular season at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Daniel Harrison was confused as to what it was Mac Barnes wanted him to do.

Nautica Bacon

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints' defense has led the team’s playoff push.

Last week, I reviewed the columns I wrote over the first six months of 2021, so this week, we will wrap up our tour of last year with a look at the months of July through December, one month at a time:

A mere 37 days after they last played, Alabama faces Georgia again with a national championship on the line.

The Lamar volleyball can still be considered in its infancy stage, but the Lady Raiders made massive strides this past fall in just their third season to compete in the sport.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Cameron Jordan bolted into the backfield from the left edge of Carolina's offensive line. The Saints defensive end wrapped both arms around Sam Darnold, lifted the Panthers' quarterback off his feet and pulled him to the turf on his side as if they were on a wrestling mat.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Sugar Bowl showdown against Ole Miss and coach Lane Kiffin's explosive, Southeastern Conference-leading offense provided a high-profile platform for Baylor to validate its old-school formula of ball control and aggressive defense.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral injured his right leg while being sacked by Baylor's Cole Maxwell during the first quarter of the Sugar Bowl on Saturday night.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Alabama has a chance to repeat. Georgia has a chance for revenge.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Brian Robinson Jr. grew up near the Alabama campus watching the Crimson Tide win championships, and wanting to play a big part in one.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral wasn't about to miss a chance to make history in the Sugar Bowl.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — For the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, this has been a season of upheaval and disappointment.

With a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and All-America receiver leading its offense, Alabama's running game has been understandably overshadowed in the buildup for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Cincinnati.

Wednesday night’s boys championship game in the Sam Dale Tournament was canceled before it had a chance to be completed.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints quarterback Taysom Hill and linebacker Demario Davis were among 11 New Orleans players who rejoined the active roster Wednesday from the COVID-19 reserve list, while starting free safety Marcus Williams was placed on reserve because of a positive COVID-19 test.

Bryce Young views his Heisman Trophy as about what he and Alabama have already done, not what the top-ranked Crimson Tide are still trying to accomplish in his first season as the starting quarterback.

Ja’Corey Brooks has already had his DeVonta Smith moment as a freshman making the biggest catch of the season for Alabama.

Tylon Brewster scored 22 points for Northeast Lauderdale as the Trojans defeated Kemper County 63-47 Tuesday in the Sam Dale Tournament at Northeast Lauderdale.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints coach Sean Payton sounded ready to accept and move on immediately from a potentially costly late-season defeat.

In the first week of January 2021, I began writing this weekly column in the newspaper you are now reading proclaiming the 51 columns that were to follow would be the “Old Sports Dude farewell tour.” That — surprisingly enough to me but not as much to my wife and those who know me well — pro…

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints coach Sean Payton said quarterback Ian Book's NFL debut was "hard to evaluate."

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Dolphins defense that intercepted Saints rookie Ian Book twice and sacked him eight times was probably enough to push Miami's winning streak to seven games.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Saints have scratched left tackle Terron Armstead from Monday night's game against the Miami Dolphins.

While Mike Leach certainly has overhauled Mississippi State's football program in two short seasons, some of his fingerprints remain on Texas Tech years after he was fired by the Red Raiders.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Top-ranked Alabama arrived Sunday in North Texas without offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien or offensive line coach Doug Marrone, but coach Nick Saban expected both assistants to make it for the playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan entered his second decade in the NFL with a fresh, clean-cut look.