All-Star Week Selections Made For High School Sports

MADISON- The 2020 Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) All-Star Week has been cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but that hasn’t curtailed the enthusiasm of the student-athletes chosen by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) in an event that will not be taking place.

“When I found out I was chosen I was super excited and gives me confidence going into my senior year and this is very rewarding that my hard work has been noticed by others,” said Chloe Frame of Madison Academy, who was selected to participate for the North squad in the girl’s tennis competition.

This Year’s All-Star Week was set for July 13-18 and was to feature all of the usual sports at different venues around Montgomery. The annual event featuring nine sports will be refocused for 2021, however, the North-South Football Game, featuring seniors from the class of 2021, will be played in December and will remain in December each year moving forward.

The four area schools were not featured in the football, volleyball and basketball competitions, but nine athletes and one adult administrator will be spotted on the North team rosters in golf, tennis, softball, soccer, baseball and cross country.

The baseball competition will feature three local players representing both Bob Jones and Sparkman. The Patriots of Bob Jones will post Slate Alford (3B, 6-foot-2) and Max Soliz (C, 6-5) while Garrett Telaga (P, 6-6) of the Senators made the North roster.

“I was having a good season through our 13 games when the remainder of the season was cancelled,” said Telaga, who was 4-0 and posted a 1.63 ERA in 17 innings on the mound for Sparkman. “God gave me a great frame for baseball and I’m excited about my upcoming senior season and then taking the next step into college as I’ve always wanted to play college baseball.”

At 6-6, 225-pounds, the Goose as he’s known on the Sparkman squad, has verbally committed to sign with Missouri satisfying his desire to play in the Southeastern Conference. Talega transferred to Sparkman from Hazel Green for his junior year after sitting out his sophomore campaign due to a broken left hand and undergoing surgery, which kept him off the field the entire 2019 schedule.

Bob Jones’ star players will include Alford who is a power-hitter and had four dingers in the dozen games the Patriots made through their schedule before the season was halted. A local native who played his youth baseball at Madison’s Palmer Park has committed to Auburn after receiving offers from Mississippi State and others. His past play on the diamond includes participating for the Dulins Dodgers, a Perfect Game squad based in Memphis, Tenn., which won division championships for three years in a row. His 12-under team also won its division in a special tournament in Cooperstown, New York, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Being chosen among the top players in the state is a great honor, especially since the shortened season,” said Alford, who is also expected to be the top prospect to be the starting quarterback for the Bob Jones football team this fall. Alford said of playing both sports, “I love to stay in competition with football, but I’ve never thought of playing the sport on the next level.”

Bob Jones also has two names selected for the North-South softball event. Former softball head coach Kent Chambers was selected for his usual spot as sport administrator for the North squad and upcoming senior Aubrie Lisenby was to carry the Patriot spirit onto the field. Lisenby (5-7) was selected as a catcher for the North.

Madison’s second largest high school also had two athletes selected for the soccer competition. James Seija (CB, 5-10) was chosen for the boy’s roster while fellow Patriot Georgia White (F, 5-9) was the lone representative from Madison on the girl’s team.

The cross country North roster featured Bob Jones’ Hannah Thuss (5-3) who is listed as the Patriots’ No. 1 runner. Thuss, who carries a 3.7 grade point average in the classroom, also runs for the school’s indoor and outdoor track teams in the half-mile, mile and two-mile events. She has been competing in cross country since seventh grade after trying her luck at basketball, playing piano and singing in choir before choosing cross country running as her passion.

“I was looking forward to running against other seniors at the All-Star Week,” said Thuss. “I feel I’m resilient and love going out quick as my strategy to start a race. I love the sport as it’s a black and white sport as you either you hit the time or not.”

Frame is the top player for the Mustang’s squad at Madison Academy in both singles and doubles and has been playing tennis since fifth grade as her older brother played and introduced the sport to the 5-4, 135-pound court authority.

“I joined a junior tennis program in my hometown of Fayetteville, Tenn. and joined the school team in my freshman year,” said Frame who has a 4.0 grade point average. “As for our competition, it’s very disappointing we’re not playing, as the end of our school season was as equally disappointing as I feel our teams could have gone a long way.”

Frame has won team awards in her three seasons at Madison Academy as she also plays outside hitter for the school’s top-notch volleyball program.

James Clemens was also represented for the 2020 All-Star Week, which was originally scheduled for the week of July 13-18, as Brooks McKeller was one of 10 players selected for the boy’s golf team in its battle against the South squad.