It’s Friday, and it could be a very big day for a local high school softball team…

Weather: You said you needed rain, and you go it. A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today, mainly after noon; otherwise cloudy with highs in the lower 80. Rain continues tonight with lows in the upper 60s. The weekend will pretty much be a carbon copy of today, though rain chances decrease a little on Sunday.

Friction. The Jefferson County Board of Education’s annual state-mandated meeting to solicit public input got plenty of that on Thursday, coming one day after the board rescinded its earlier decision to cut more than 200 jobs. After questions over whether that vote would pass legal muster, the board agreed to seek an opinion from Attorney General Luther Strange. That led to a question from a teacher’s union head as to whose side the JefCoEd attorneys actually represent – the board itself, or Supt. Craig Pouncey and his staff. That, in turn, led to a tense exchange between board member Jacqueline Smith – who had many of the same concerns about the attorneys from Bishop Colvin Johnson and Kent – and Vice President Jennifer Parsons, who stood up for the for the firm. Parents also voiced concerns about the proposed realignment of grades at Bagley and Corner schools, as well as the ongoing facility problems at Fultondale High. We’ll have more on the meeting a bit later.

Sports: Making a statement. Top-ranked Hayden certainly made its presence known Thursday in the Class 5A brackets of the AHSAA State Softball Tournament in Montgomery. The Wildcats blanked Shelby County 8-0 in their first game, then shut out third-ranked Alabama Christian 5-0 in the second. Pitcher Sharley Miller recorded eight strikeouts in each game, and freshman catcher Tori Knighten slammed home runs in each as well. The Cats now face a familiar for in No. 4 Springville, which comes from the same four-team area as Hayden and who they have faced several times. That game was scheduled to start at 9 today, but heavy rains in Montgomery last night have pushed the schedule back a bit; the start time is now delayed to an undetermined time. The Wildcats need just two more wins to secure their second state championship in three seasons… Football: Spring practice has come and gone for two local teams, who faced each other in a scrimmage game Thursday night at Mortimer Jordan. Pinson Valley prevailed by a 14=7 score, in a scrimmage where the varsity teams played the first half and younger players took part in the second.