Blake wins four events in 6A, but Alabama meet misses healthy Cunningham, Kirkland

By Arthur L. Mack for Dyestat

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Huntsville Columbia’s JuVaughn Blake put together a perfect day Saturday at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s 4A/5A/6A/7A State Track and Field Championships at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium.

After competing in the Class 6A long jump, which he won with a seasonal best of 23 feet, 0.5 inches, Blake sat on an infield bench and tried to collect his thoughts with his two main competitors, Seth Williams of Tuscaloosa Paul W. Bryant and Opelika’s CJ Jordan, as they all waited to stand on the awards podium.

Blake, who plans to make a decision on where to sign in the next couple of weeks, also won the high jump (6-10), the 110-meter hurdles (14.55) and the 300 hurdles (37.63). 

“I’m very excited (about winning four events),” he said. “I’ve been struggling to get these goals the last three years, and to come out here and get them in my senior year is a great (thrill).”

Blake was shooting to break the 6A state meet record in the high jump of 7-0.75 set by Hoover’s Anthony May in 2008, but fell short, partly because of inclement weather that delayed the start of the meet. However, setting seasonal bests in the other events, particularly the hurdles events, helped ease the pain.

“I was really feeling good,” he said. “I wanted to get that record, but it didn’t go my way. In the hurdle races, I just wanted to get out of the blocks and attack the first hurdle, and I knew it would set me up for the rest of my races.”

Blake was not the only athlete who won four events. West Point’s Hunter Appling won the Class 5A boys 100 and 200 (10.87/22.12) as well as the 110 and 300 hurdles races (14.27/38.49).

Several other athletes won at least three events. Among them were Arab’s Chase Buckalew, who won the Class 5A boys 800 (1:59.45), 1,600 (4:28.06) and the 3,200 (9:41.46) — all is season best times.

Tylynn Register of Hokes Bluff swept the Class 4A girls hurdles races (15.49/46.98) and also won the triple jump (36-4.25). She also finished third in the long jump (16-8.50).

Scottsboro’s Karsyn Whitehead won three individual events in 5A girls competition: the 800 (2:23.32), the 1,600 (5:16.17), and the 3,200 (11:45.62). Meahwhile, Birmingham Woodlawn’s Breanna Brown won the 5A girls high jump (5-6), long jump (17-6) and the triple jump (36-5.25).

Dadeville’s Qua Tucker had a strong multi-event performance as well, winning the Class 4A boys 100 and 200 (10.83/21.88) as well as the 300 hurdles (39.00). Tucker also finished second to national leader Trey Cunningham of Winfield in the 110 hurdles, running 14.42.

Fifteen meet records were either broken or tied, with the most significant coming in Class 7A. In the girls 4x100 relay, Harvest Sparkman destroyed the state meet record of 47.23 set by Hoover last year, first by running 46.77 in the prelims and then coming back in the finals and lowering it to 46.52.

The Sparkman quartet, consisting of Chandler Robinson, Lexie Rice, Aubrey Parker, and Lauryn Hall, simply got a lead after the first exchange and from that point it was no contest.

“It was the handoffs,” said Hall, who later set a new state meet record of 23.98 in the 200. “That was the secret — you got to make the handoffs smooth like butter, and if it’s smooth, it takes so many seconds off your time.”

Robinson got the team off to a fast start.

“I was kind of scared and anxious (at the start),” she said. “I was wondering if I was going to get out right. I had the best blocks (start) I ever had, and I went out and went to go get ‘em.”

Besides Hall and her Sparkman teammates getting into the record-setting act, Hewitt-Trussville’s Noah Igbinoghene set a new state meet record in the triple jump, going 49-10.50. In the Class 7A girls triple jump, Smiths Station’s Alonie Sutton went 40-1, breaking the old record of 39-3.50 set by Kayla Williams of Madison James Clemens in 2015.

McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Jake Spottswood, who won the pole vault with a clearance of 16-6, also tied the state meet record in the high jump by clearing 6-6. Meanwhile, Auburn’s Samantha Rogers, who edged McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Grace Jensen in an exciting 1,600-meter race (4:58.15 to 4:58.53), took down a loaded field to win the 3,200 in a meet-record 10:53.12.

Lee-Montgomery’s Henry Ruggs won a loaded boys 100 in a state-meet record 10.58, easily defeating Central-Phenix City’s Karon Delince (10.69). Delince, though, came back strong in the 200, edging defending state champion (and record holder) Charles Lewis of Sparkman in a new meet record of 21.09. Lewis was also under his old record of 21.34, running 21.16.

One major disappointment of the meet came when Cunningham tweaked a hamstring during the Class 4A boys long jump. He led during the qualifying rounds, but was eventually overtaken by Huntsville Westminster Christian’s Auston Leslie and Greensboro’s Cameron Taylor.

Cunningham tried to take a jump in the finals, but injured the hamstring. As a result, he was unable to compete in the 100 and 200. And although he easily broke the 4A state meet record in the 110-meter high hurdles earlier in the meet, running 13.97, the injury prevented his team from having a chance to win a team title.

Still, the Florida State-bound Cunningham was philosophical about the injury.

“The hamstring kept getting tighter, and I just wanted to see what I can do,” he said. “I haven’t practiced in over a month, and I had the injury and I got sick Tuesday, but I wanted to see if I could help the team this weekend. As far as the postseason, it’ll depend on how fast I heal.”

In addition, Birmingham’s Jayla Kirkland did not get a chance to run in her signature events — the 100 and 200 — because of injury. In Kirkland’s absence, Taylor Jones of Lee-Huntsville swept the titles in 12.14 and 24.97 seconds, respectively.

The meet ended with the most thrilling race of the day. Central-Phenix City edged Hoover to win the boys 4x400. Both were under the old meet record of 3:21.31 set by Madison James Clemens in 2015, with Central running 3:19.94 and Hoover running 3:20.25.

Team Champions

(Class 3A, 2A and 1A meet contested at Cullman H.S.)

1A – Westminster School boys 110 points, Whitesburg Christian Academy girls 139 RESULTS

2A – Cold Springs boys 97, Altamont girls 127 RESULTS

3A – American Christian boys 140, American Christian girls 147  RESULTS

4A – Greensboro boys 64.5, Montgomery Catholic girls 80 RESULTS

5A – Scottsboro boys 88, Beauregard girls 98 RESULTS

6A – Opelika boys 84, Homewood girls 128 RESULTS

7A – Hoover boys 104, Hoover girls 128.5 RESULTS