Athens’ Morgan Stiles was trying to describe the flood of emotion following the final out of the AHSAA Class 6A softball championship win over Hartselle.

The Golden Eagles had cruised into the championship with three straight wins by outscoring opponents 27-6 before Hartselle beat Athens 18-8 to force the final game in the double elimination tournament. Athens won the title, its second in three seasons, 12-9.

Mississippi State signee Stiles struggled to express the feeling after a popup ended the championship.

“Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe it,” Stiles said. “It didn’t even register what was happening until after the fact. I was like, ‘we just won state.’ You can’t even describe it.”

Shortstop Stiles was selected the 2024 Huntsville Times softball Player of the Year from the Terrific 22, released on Wednesday. Athens swept the awards with teammate Amaya Green named Newcomer of the Year and coach Travis Barnes was Coach of the Year.