Hoover girls, Auburn boys win 7A titles

By Arthur L. Mack for DyeStat

MEET RESULTS

            GULF SHORES, ALABAMA—The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s 4A-7A state outdoor track and field championships came to an end Saturday afternoon at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex, with tons of records, eight team champions, and many memories for years to come.

            When it was over, Auburn was Class 7A boys champion, Hoover won its fifth straight Class 7A girls crown, Opelika repeated as 6A boys champion and Homewood won its third Class 6A girls title in a row.

            Mobile’s St. Paul’s Episcopal won its second straight Class 5A boys’ crown, and got a 5A girls title after two years of missing out on titles by single digits. And Mobile UMS-Wright got double wins in the Class 4A boys and girls divisions — winning its eighth straight boys title and winning seven out of the last eight girls championships.

            And there were records galore—37 meet records fell across all classifications. 

            How competitive was the meet? Seventeen runners in the Class 7A boys 800 ran under two minutes. In at least three events, three competitors were under the previous meet record. And to top it off, there were lots of national-class performances.

            Here is a recap of Saturday’s edition of the meet:

            CLASS 7A — Auburn overcame the loss of Deonte Tolbert to injury and got strong performances from the rest of its sprint corps, as well as some surprising points in field events. The Tigers scored 130 points, while Hoover was second with 95 points, just ahead of Hewitt-Trussville (94). Vestavia Hills was fourth with 52 and Spain Park rounded out the top five with 49 points.

            Auburn opened up Day 3 winning the 4 X 100 (41.78) — a far cry from the sub-41 performances it had before Tolbert’s injury — but a big win nevertheless, because it put the Tigers up for good.

            “It was a blessing this weekend in how they responded,” said Auburn head coach Dan Norton. “There were some young guys and some older guys who we were not expecting to score found a way to get into the finals. It was a full team effort.”

            Hoover's girls got another state title, using strong performances by Brittley Humphrey and Presley Weems to defeat Mountain Brook 171-84. Auburn was third with 73.50, while Mobile's McGill-Toolen Catholic was fourth with 60 points and Smiths Station fifth with 47.

            A record-breaking performance in the 4x100—which Hoover won in 47.23 — got things going for the Bucs. Auburn was second (47.51) and Sparkman third (47.87) to go under the record set by Auburn (47.91) in the qualifying rounds.

            “Across the board, if you look at every single event, our girls stepped up,” said Hoover head coach Devon Hind.

            That was especially the case with Humphrey and Weems, who went out with galactic efforts.

            Humphrey got in on the record breaking assault when she won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.49, breaking the old record of 13.74 she set last year. Her win in the 300-meter hurdles (42.46) tied the meet record she set last year, and she also added a second-place finish in the 200 (24.33), which was won by Mobile Baker’s Destiny Davis in a record 24.08.

            It was a fitting end for Humphrey, who won both state championship hurdle events for four straight years.

            “It really feels good,” she said. “I was trying to go out with a bang. Four years ago, I wanted to win both hurdle events. I was a little disappointed in not breaking my record in the 300-meter hurdles, but I’ve got to learn from that.”

            Weems, who won the 1,600 in 4:52.35 on Thursday and was part of a record setting 4 X 800 meter relay on Friday as well getting a second place finish in the 400, ran a blistering 2:08.99 in the 800, smashing the 2:12.53 she set last year. She said that a disappointing performance at the New Balance Nationals inspired her to improve her running.

            “I had a really rough race (at New Balance) and my coach and I talked about that meet. “I noticed that the girl that won changed her race to sprinter’s speed, and I decided to try that. It made a huge difference. I’ve been to a lot of big meets, and today it was important that I go for it.”

            “It was beyond imagination, said Hind of Humphrey and Weems. “They’ve been doing it for four years, and this is our fifth straight championship. Brittley and Presley have been a part of all five. They are money when it comes to state championships. They show up and perform well.”

            So too, did the rest of the 7A record breaking performers.

            Alabaster-Thompson's Emmanuel Tate, who won the 110-meter hurdle finals (14.00) as well as the 100-meter dash (10.93), also broke his own meet record of 38.83 in the 300-meter hurdles, running 37.90. Also under the old record were Auburn's Triaon Poellnitz (38.27) and Marion Humphrey of Hoover (38.30).

            Tait later said that he was amazed by the competition, not only in the hurdles, but in the meet as a whole.

            “The competition was really crazy, said the Samford (Alabama) University signee. “The kids are really working hard to show how much they’ve improved. I’ve been working very hard to make sure my senior year was satisfying, and being one of the people who broke records is a gift from God.”

            For Davis, who false-started in the girls’ 100 but came back to break the 200 record of 24.56 she set in the qualifying heats, it was vindication. Davis' time of 24.08 led a trio of runners under the old record, as Humphrey and Harvest-Sparkman's Lauryn Hall were second (24.33) and third (24.40) respectively.

            “After the DQ (in the 100), I said (to myself) it was a lesson learned, and I’ll get to make it up in the 200,” Davis said. “When I was going around the corner in the 200, I wasn’t picking my legs up, so I picked my legs up and took it from there. I never thought I would get a state award — it was amazing.”

            In the boys 200, Sparkman's Charles Lewis won with a new meet record time of 21.34, going under the old record of 21.55 set by Central-Phenix City's Karon Delince last year. Delince was also under the old record, running 21.38.

            Huntsville's Alana White and Alabaster-Thompson's Sarah Owen broke the old shot put record of 37-8.75 set by Auburn's Dana Echols. White won with a toss of 39-7.75, while Owen threw 38-2.25. Echols was third with a throw of 37-8.50.

            Spain Park's Daniel Nixon set a new meet record in the boys’, running 1:53.11, breaking his old record of 1:54.49 set last year. Hoover's Tommy McDonough was also under the old record, running 1:54.39.

            Central-Phenix City added another meet record—breaking the girls 4 X 400 mark set by Hoover (3:55.65) Four teams were under that mark, as Central ran 3:52.68, James Clemens ran 3:53.34, Smiths Station ran 3:54.56, and fourth-place Hoover 3:55.57.

            CLASS 6A — Sprint-laden Opelika used a strong day three to defeat Homewood 113-70 to win the 6A boys' division. Spanish Fort finished a strong third with 66.50 points whole Tuscaloosa-Northridge and Scottsboro scored 51 and 39 points respectively.

            Opelika’s big wins came in the 100, where Nathaniel Huggins edged out Saraland’s Velus Jones (10.82/10.87) for first. The Bulldogs never trailed after that, as they were able to get points in several key events — including the 110-meter high hurdles and the 800 meters — to secure the win.

            One of the more impressive performances on Saturday came in the 4x100 meter relay, where Prichard-Blount, whose team consisted of Terrance Massey, Fredrick Bush, Tashun Pettway and Joshua Brown, ran an impressive 41.82.

            “We put in a lot of work all year,” said Blount head coach Melvin Jones. “We were trying to put in the best combination of kids, and it was just a matter of getting the right combination.”

             In 6A girls, Homewood overcame a third-day deficit to defeat Pelham 102.50-98.50, while Walker was third with 82.50. Opelika was fourth with 78.50 points while John Carroll rounded out the top five with 41 points.

            Pelham led by six points going into the 4 X 400 meter relay, but Homewood won that event in 3:59.86. Pelham failed to score, enabling the Patriots to get the win.

           Birmingham-Woodlawn’s Jayla Kirkland had another fine state meet, repeating as 100 and 200 meter champ. Kirkland won with times of 12.12 and 23.78 respectively.

            CLASS 5A — Mobile's St. Paul's Episcopal repeated as Class 5A boys' champions, while the St. Paul's girls avenged last year's narrow loss to Beauregard to make it a 5A sweep.

            St. Paul's boys got a lead on the second day and managed to survive a late charge by Birmingham-Ramsay to hold off the Rams 65-62. Alabama Christian and Anniston tied for third with 52 points while Beauregard was fifth with 44.

            As for St. Paul's girls, a strong third day gave them a huge cushion and spurred them to a 123-90 victory over Beauregard. Demopolis and Helena tied for third with 51 points while Columbia rounded out the top five with 49 points.

            “Going in, you say ‘I think we’re going to be competitive,’” said head coach Jim Tate. “I didn’t think many people thought the guys would have a chance or the chance we thought we had, but the same thing happened last year. For the girls, it looked like it was going to be a two team battle between us and Beauregard, and having lost to Beauregard last year was on our minds. This time, we said let’s take care of business.”

           St. Paul's boys trailed after Day 2 in the boys battle, but clawed back into first place when it finished third in the 4x100 meter relay (42.92) behind Ramsay (42.74) and Anniston (42.88). Zackery Carmichael followed it up with a win in the 110-meter hurdles (15.04), edging out Ramsay's Eric Williams to stretch the lead to nine points, 44-35.

            Ramsay stayed within striking distance with a 1-3 finish in the 200 from Starling Thomas (21.77) and Wade Parker (22.27). But Brett Erickson's fifth-place finish in the 800 (2:00.98), pushed St. Paul's lead to 13, and the Saints were able to hold off Ramsay’s late charge.

            In the girls’ division, Beauregard tied St. Paul's with 70 points apiece after the first event — the 4 x100 meter relay. The Hornets finished second in that event in 50.92, while St. Paul's managed only fifth (51.13). Beauregard stayed close in the meet, and after Charlotte Krause finished second in the 100-meter hurdles (15.90), the Hornets tied it again with a second-place finish in the 100 meters by Destiny Pitts (12.74)

            But the Saints had three competitors in the high jump, while Beauregard did not have any. Krause won with a jump of 5-5, while Darria Inge finished sixth to give the St. Paul's 13 points and the lead, 91-79.

            A third-place finish by Destiny Pitts in the 200 (25.92) helped pull Beauregard to within six points, but the Saints broke things wide open when eighth-grader Isabel Valenzuela — who had previously won the 1,600 and 3,200 and anchored the victorious 4 x800 meter relay — came from behind to defeat Columbia’s Heather McMillen in the 800 2:22.08 to 2:22.10.

            As far as records broken in 5A, Sylacauga's Morgan O'Neal set a new record in the 300-meter hurdles, running 43.89 to break her own meet record of 44.11 set last year.

            CLASS 4A — Mobile's UMS-Wright’s boys held off a late charge by Dadeville to win its eighth consecutive title, 86-82, beating Auburn (1965-71) for the most consecutive titles regardless of classification. Northside was third with 81, while Catholic-Montgomery and Oneonta rounded out the top five with 75 and 53 points respectively.

            UMS-Wright's girls, paced by several strong performances that included Sarah Morris’s record-setting throw of 140-4 in the javelin, routed Brooks 138-89 to win the Class 4A girls' division. Catholic-Montgomery and Wilson tied for third with 65 points, while LAMP rounded out the top five with 44 points.

            “That really came down to the wire, didn’t it?” said UMS-Wright head coach Pat Galle after the boys’ win. “There were nine events and we were in only five, so we were watching a lot of points slip away. In the girls’ division, Sarah’s throw was really big. We had a great 4x100, and we put together that great meet that you like to have at the end of the season.”

            UMS-Wright's boys had a tough time holding off Dadeville on Saturday. Qua Tucker, who won the 300-meter hurdles (40.46) and followed it up with a second-place finish in the 200 (22.69), brought Dadeville back to within four and a half points, 80.56 to 76.

            Northside moved into contention with a 1-2-4 finish in the 800 from James Patrick Brinyark (1:58.48), Tanner King (1:59.12), and Ashton King (2:02.78). A fourth-place finish in the high jump by Andrew Robertson moved Northside into second, just three points behind UMS-Wright.

            But UMS-Wright — who was seeded next to last in its heat of the 4x400 — came up big with a fifth-place finish, and Dadeville managed only third. Northside managed only seventh, allowing UMS-Wright to escape with the win.

           UMS-Wright's girls, on the other hand, needed no last-minute dramatics. They kept piling up points, winning the 4x100 in 50.72. Ellen Ray Chitty's win in the 300-meter hurdles (47.27) and a fourth-place finish by Helen Gray Parker (48.21), helped seal the deal.

            In other 4A girls action, Erin Jewell of Brooks set a new record in the discus with a throw of 132-1, breaking the old record of 129-2 ½ by Nikita Burnette of Lincoln set back in 1993.

            Cele Moon of Wilson-Florence edged out Catholic-Montgomery's Amaris Tyynismaa in the 800, with both going under the record of 2:16.86 set by Tyynismaa last year. Moon went 2:13.43, while Tyynismaa went 2:14.33.