Prep notebook: Memorable weekend for five area athletes

Feb. 14—One of the perks of covering high school sports in this area is seeing an athlete advance to the next level and sometimes even beyond.

This past weekend five area athletes had memorable moments on stages at higher levels.

The biggest stage of course was Sunday's Super Bowl with Quez Watkins (Athens) and Reed Blankenship (West Limestone) of the Philadelphia Eagles giving us something we may never see again.

Other special moments this weekend on the college level happened for softball players Emma Broadfoot (Danville), Larissa Preuitt (Hartselle) and Anna Kate Segars (East Lawrence).

First, let's look at the Super Bowl. It would have been great to be able call Watkins and Blankenship Super Bowl champions , but unfortunately the Eagles were on the short side of one of the best Super Bowls we've seen in a while.

Since Watkins and Blankenship are both young and play for a team that looks like a Super Bowl contender for several more years, one might think they will get another chance soon at holding the Lombardi Trophy.

Then you look back at someone like Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino who played in the Super Bowl as a rookie with the Dolphins. His team lost that game. It was easy to think that Marino would get several more opportunities in the big game. It never happened.

Also there's Philip Rivers. The former Athens great had a super NFL career, but never got close to the Super Bowl.

Having local guys in the Super Bowl is rare. Before Sunday, there had been just three in 51 Super Bowls. Hartselle's Jim Eidson played for the champion Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XII in 1978. Elkmont's Michael Boley was a champion with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. Decatur's Jerraud Powers played for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 when the New Orleans Saints won 31-17.

Softball

Now turn the page to college softball that opened its season last week. Broadfoot, Preuitt and Segars each made some lifetime memories. Both Broadfoot and Preuitt made their debuts at Alabama. Segars returned to the field for Mississippi State for the first time in nearly two years.

After being a three-time All-State selection at Danville, Broadfoot was a utility player at North Alabama for two seasons. Last summer the slugger decided to see if she could play in one of the power conferences. She put her name in the NCAA transfer portal and it didn't take long before Alabama called.

Broadfoot started at first base in Alabama's season opener Friday vs. Lehigh. In her second at bat, the right-handed hitter went opposite field for a two-run homer. In her second game, she scored two runs after reaching base on an error and a walk.

Preuitt made her college debut in the same game. The freshman outfielder went 1-for-1 with a single and stolen base. In Game 2 vs. Georgia Southern, she was 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.

The Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 is a hitting machine. Preuitt has the softball skills and personality to be a big fan favorite at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa for the next four years.

Segars was the Daily's 1A-4A Player of the Year in 2018 before heading to Mississippi State. After starting in 24 of the 25 games for the Bulldogs in 2021, she missed the last 34 because of serious health issues. She did not play at all last season.

On Friday, Segars, who already has her degree from State, made her return. She was a pinch hitter in the sixth inning of a 9-2 win over Bethune-Cookman played in Boca Raton, Florida.

It wasn't the most productive at bat. She was hit by a pitch and left the game for a pinch runner. Still, Segars' return could go down as one of the biggest feel-good stories of the year.

— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.