Five defending champs in field for AHSAA soccer championships at John Hunt Park

HUNTSVILLE –  A revamped facility with a new name on the archway leading into the complex will greet the teams gathering for high school state soccer championships in the Rocket City this week.

There will also be some old familiar names in the brackets when the Alabama High School Athletic Association state tournament begins today at John Hunt Park, which now has four fields with updated amenities that was christened the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex during a ceremonyTuesday.

Five reigning champions advanced to soccer’s version of the final four. Returning boys champions include Class 1A/3A Tanner, 4A Bayside Academy and 6A Fort Payne, and for the girls there’s 4A Westminster and 5A Springville.

The tournament has been played in Huntsville since 2001 with the lone exception in 2020 when it was canceled due to the pandemic.

Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission, raved about the updated complex. Two synthetic turf fields have joined two with grass, and among the amenities that were added is more concession and social gathering space around the fields and locker rooms.

Though it rained Tuesday night, the grass fields are expected to be in good shape when action begins today at 11 a.m. Rain could return to the Tennessee Valley overnight and, if necessary, the state could choose to move games to the synthetic surfaces.

“That’ll be a big worry off my mind,” Russell said. “We’ll have an option if it rains, if the makes the decision to move to the synthetic fields.”

Other upgrades to the complex include more parking and a new PA system and video boards.

A local benefit of the tournament is economic impact, which should get a boost from having more teams in the field.

The AHSAA broke what was a combined 4A-5A bracket into separate divisions so, with 40 teams instead of 32, the tournament starts a day earlier than in the 23 previous seasons it was played in Huntsville.

“We’ll have over 40 teams coming in and spending the night,” Russell said. “Teams will be coming from all over the state.

“It will definitely have a big hit on our hotel lodging rate and we’ll also be filling up restaurants in this area.”

SEMIFINALS

(At Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex/John Hunt Park)

• TODAY

CLASS 1A/3A GIRLS, 9 a.m.
Field 1: St. Luke’s (14-6-2) vs. St. James (14-1-1)
Field 2: Donoho (18-1-1) vs. Madison Academy (9-7-2)

CLASS 1A/3A BOYS, 11 a.m.
Field 1: St. Luke’s (18-7-3) vs. Tuscaloosa Academy (14-5-2)
Field 2: Westminster-Oak Mountain (17-4-4) vs. Tanner (18-5-1)
CLASS 4A GIRLS, 1 p.m.
Field 1: St. Michael (18-2) vs. Oneonta (10-11-1)
Field 2: Jacksonville (19-3-2) vs. Westminster Christian (16-3-1)
CLASS 4A BOYS, 3 p.m.
Field 1: Bayside Academy (8-4-2) vs. Oneonta (15-7-2)
Field 2: Westbrook Christian (14-12-1) vs. Mars Hill Bible (14-10)
CLASS 5A GIRLS, 5 p.m.
Field 1: Gulf Shores (19-5-4) vs. Sylacauga (18-3)
Field 2: Springville (21-1) vs. Guntersville (22-3-2)
CLASS 5A BOYS, 7 p.m.
Field 1: Gulf Shores (19-7-1) vs. Tallassee (20-4-4)
Field 2: Southside-Gadsden (25-2-1) vs. Guntersville (24-3-1)

• THURSDAY

CLASS 6A GIRLS, 9 a.m.
Field 1: Montgomery Academy (13-3-1) vs. Briarwood Christian (14-4-4)
Field 2: Mountain Brook (13-3-4) vs. Athens (14-7-4)
CLASS 6A BOYS, 11 a.m.
Field 1: Spanish Fort (10-9-2) vs. Northridge (19-5-2)
Field 2: Homewood (21-2-3) vs. Fort Payne (13-12)
CLASS 7A GIRLS, 1 p.m.
Field 1: McGill-Toolen (17-2-3) vs. Auburn (19-3-1)
Field 2: Hoover (20-4-2) vs. Huntsville (12-6-4)
CLASS 7A BOYS, 3 p.m.
Field 1: Fairhope (17-3-1) vs. Auburn (17-3-3)
Field 2: Oak Mountain (27-0-1) vs. Huntsville (14-7-4)

FINALS

• FRIDAY

CLASS 5A BOYS
9 a.m. – Field 1
CLASS 4A BOYS
9 a.m. – Field 2
CLASS 5A GIRLS
11:30 a.m. – Field 1
CLASS 1A/3A BOYS
11:30 a.m. – Field 2
CLASS 4A GIRLS
2 p.m. – Field 1
CLASS 1A/3A GIRLS
2 p.m. – Field 2

• SATURDAY

CLASS 6A BOYS
9 a.m. – Field 1
CLASS 7A GIRLS
9 a.m. – Field 2
CLASS 6A GIRLS
11:30 a.m. – Field 1
CLASS 7A BOYS
11:30 a.m. – Field 2