Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Etowah County will be well-represented at the AHSAA state track and field meets this weekend.
Classes 1A through 3A will be held at Cullman High School, while Class 4A through 7A will take place at the Gulf Shores Municipal Sports Complex.
Coosa Christian had four athletes qualify for the state meet at the 1A, Section 4 Meet at Fort Payne. In girls’ events, Kailah East took second place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:50.87 and third in the 1600-meter run (6:37.53). On the boys’ side, Evan Delp won second-place medals in the 100-meter dash (11.45) and the 200-meter dash (23.34). Teammate Sam Kilgo won the long jump (17-05.50) and came in second in the triple jump (37-04.50). Seung Min Cho was runner-up in the 400-meter dash (57.22) and fourth in both the 100-meter (12.03) and 200-meter (24.81) dashes.
Gaston and Westbrook Christian competed at the Class 2A, Section 3 meet at Beauregard High School in Opelika.
In girls’ events, the Lady Warriors won the second-place silver in three relay events – the 4×400-meters (Maggie Morgan, Clare Goodwin, Ava Zuniga, Mary Reid Goodwin, 4:48.55); the 4×800-meters (Maggie Morgan, Clare Goodwin, Lauren Taylor, Mary Reid Goodwin, 12:19.51) and the 4×100 relay (Gail Watts, Bentley McClendon, Ava Zuniga, Mary Reid Goodwin, 57.34).
Westbrook’s Maggie Morgan finished third in both the 1600-meter run (6:21.50) and 800-meter run (2:46.65), while Gaston’s Tamera Foster and Sidney Oliver won bronze in the shot put (27-01.50) and javelin (96-02), respectively.
Coming in fourth was Westbrook’s Mary Reid Goodwin in the 400-meter dash (1:07.28)). Lauren Taylor took fifth place in the 1600-meter run (6:26.22) and Gaston’s Savanah Ferguson finished fifth in the 100-meter dash (14.00). Gaston’s Abriana Dupree was seventh in the discus (66-00).
Four Westbrook boys earned first place medals – Mitchell Cook in the 1600-meter run (4:43.41), Johan Morris in the 3200-meter run (10:14.84), Ryan Scott in the triple jump (39-04.00) and Jackson Luttrell in the shot put (45-02.50). All three of the above also notched second-place finishes – Cook in the 800-meter run (2:02.64), Morris in the 1600-meter run (4:44.32) and Luttrell in the discus (123-01). Also coming in second was the Warriors’ 4×800-meter relay team of Jonah Morris, Jackson Martin, Joseph James and Mitchell Cook (8:41.87).
Taking third was Asher Keck in the triple jump (38-03.00) and Westbrook’s 4×400-meter relay team of Jonah Morris, Jackson Martin, Joseph James and Mitchell Cook (3:42.30).
Also qualifying for state were Morris in the 800-meter run (fourth, 2:13.85), Asher Curp in the 3200-meter run (fourth, 11:12.56) and 1600-meter run (5:17.21), the Warriors’ 4×100-meter relay team (fourth, 47.81), Jackson Martin in the 3200-meter run (fourth, 11:14.23) and 800-meter run (2:17.08), John Reese Bellew in the triple jump (sixth, 36-04.00), Scott in the 200-meter dash (seventh, 23.61), Keck in the high jump (5-04.00), Martin in the 800-meter run (2:17.08), the 4×400 relay team of Ryan Scott, Joseph James, Asher Keck and Mitchell Cook (third, 3:42.3) and the 4×100 relay team of John Reese Bellew, Sage Robertson, Asher Keck and Ryan Scott (fourth, 47.81).
The Glencoe girls had five first-place events while finishing runner-up at the Class 3A, Section 4 Meet at Fort Payne. Katie Giles took the gold in both the 1600 and 3200-meter run (6:07.07 and 13:19.26) and was a member of the Lady Yellow Jackets’ first place 4×400 relay team along with Anna Beth Giles, Ashley Morgan and Abby Vice (4:32.25) and first-place 4×800 relay team along with Anna Beth Giles, Sadie Riley and Abby Vice (11:19.14).
Also winning gold was Sadie Riley in the 800-meter run (2:44.14).
Three Glencoe girls took home silver medals – Anna Beth Giles in the 400-meter dash (1:06.98) and 300-meter hurdles (52.78), Sadie Riley in the 1600-meter (6:33.20) and Asia Dennis in the high jump (4-04).
Third-place finisher for the Lady Yellow Jackets were Anna Claire Hipps in the 200-meter dash (28.28) and Abby Vice in the 400-meter dash (1:07.32).
Also qualifying for state was the 4×100-meter relay team of Caroline Phillips, Ashley Morgan, Lainey Golden, and Anna Claire Hipps (fourth, 55:79); Abby Vice in the long jump (fifth, 2-08.50), Aubrey Gray in the shot put (sixth, 29-09.75), discus (sixth, 77-09) and javelin (sixth, 87-08); and Anna Claire Hipps in the 100-meter dash (seventh,13.64).
The Glencoe boys 4×100 relay team of Andrew Massaro, Noah Word, Daniel Williams and Read Shaneyfelt came in third with a time of 48.52.
At the Class 4A, Section 4 Meet at James Clemens High School in Madison, Hokes Bluff sent 14 athletes to Gulf Shores. Winning the first-place gold for the Eagles were Braydon Hill in the triple jump (42-5.25) and Hayden Lipscomb in the javelin (160-03). The 4×100-meter relay team of Hill, Lipscomb, Darrian Meads and Matthew Johnson posted a second-place time of 44.52.
Also qualifying for state for the Hokes Bluff boys were Hill in the javelin (fifth, 149-01) and the 200-meter run (fifth, 23.61); Johnson in the long jump (fifth, 19-00.00); Jack Busch in the shot put (fifth, 41-6.25); Meads in the shot put (seventh 40-3.75); Christopher Vest in the javelin (eighth, 133-5); and Austin Elder in the shot put (ninth, 38-08).
Haleigh Cashman earned two silver medals for the Lady Eagles – one in the triple jump (33-01.75) and another in the long jump (15-02.75). She was also fourth in the 100-meter dash (13.62). Meghan Cashman had third place showings in triple jump (31-11.75,) and long jump (15-01.50) and came in fifth in the 100-meter dash (13.64).
Also qualifying for state for the Hokes Bluff girls were Gracie West in the javelin (fifth, 100-02); Chloe Rule in the high jump (fifth, 4-10); the fifth-place 4×100-meter relay team of Lauren Dowdy, Meghan Cashman, Gracie West and Haleigh Cashman (53.82); Maddie Sims in the discus (sixth, 87-11); the sixth-place 4×800-meter relay team of Elizabeth Edge, Keira Johnson, Chloe Rule and Mayce Hardin (11:53); and Kenzey Smothers in the discus (seventh,85-06).
Etowah, Sardis and Southside competed at the Class 5A, Section 4 Meet in Scottsboro.
Southside qualified 14 athletes for the state meet. Macie Williams was the lone first-place winner for the Lady Panthers, who finished fifth overall. Her throw of 38-04 earned her the gold in the shot put.
Taking second place were Camryn Davis in the 1600-meter run (5:45.43) and Abbie Owens in the 200-meter dash (26.90).
Davis also finished third in the 800-meter run (2:33.62) and was a part of the Lady Panthers’ third-place 4×800-meter relay team along with Marainna Coley, Lanora Hill and Amira Augustus (11:05.16).
Also qualifying for state from Southside were Chance Moon in the boys shot put (fourth, 44-11); Grayson Russell in the boys 100-meter dash (fifth, 11.35) and 200-meter dash (seventh, 23.23); Davis in the girls 3200-meter run (sixth, :42.97); Moon in the boys discus (sixth, 125-00); Hayden Robertson in the boys discus (sixth, 118-03); Ryan Maudsley in the boys 3200-meter run (sixth, 10:20.25) and 1600-meter run (ninth, 4:55.87); Maudsley, Garret McWhorter, Luke Holcombe and Parker Cunningham in the boys 4×800-meter relay (seventh, 9:15.60); and Kathryn Webb in the girls high jump (ninth, 4-06).
For the Sardis girls, Abby Burns took first in the triple jump (33-11) and second in the long jump (15-07.50). Abby Rodgers finished third in the 100-meter hurdles (18.86).
Also qualifying for state for the Lady Lions was the 4×400-meter relay team of Burns, Abby Rodgers, Cassie Rodgers and Lexi Henderson (fourth, 4:32); Henderson in the100-meter dash (fifth, 13.70); the fifth-place 4×100-meter relay team of Henderson, Abby Rodgers, Bailee Bowen and Amaya Kittle (53.85); Madison Langley in the high jump (sixth, 4-08), and discus (eighth, 82-10); and Kinley Morrison in the javelin (ninth, 85-09).
For the Sardis boys, Trent Presley won the high jump with a leap of 6-01. Earning second place were Torin Bright- in the110-meter hurdles (15.35) and Brody Lowe in the discus (133’10”).
Bright also finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (43.55), while Lowe came in sixth in the shot put (43-00). Jake Alewine qualified in the high jump with a seventh-place showing of 5-08.
At the Class 5A Section 4 meet at Scottsboro, the Etowah boys won five first-place medals on the way to a fourth-place finish overall. NyNy Davis took the gold in both the 100-meter (10.80) and 200-meter (21.93) dashes and was a member of the Blue Devils’ first-place 4×100-meter relay team along with Justin Harris, Deundrea Williams and Ollie Finch (41.76).
Also winning the gold were Justin Harris in the triple jump (44-00.50) and Alex Howard in the discus (138-03). In addition, Harris took second in the long jump (21-11.50). Finch came in fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.18), while Toby Camp came in sixth in the javelin (139-00).
Two Lady Blue Devils took home gold medals – Jaci Jo Mayo in the long jump (15-08.75) and Zanya McKenzie in the discus (94-06). Mayo finished fourth in the triple jump (32-11.00), while McKenzie came in fifth in the shot put (32-09.50) and seventh in the javelin (88-07). Also qualifying for state was Miranda Haney, who finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (19.65) and seventh in the long jump (14-04.75).
Gadsden City qualified for five individual events and one relay event at the Class 7A, Section 4 Meet at James Clemens. Two GCHS athletes took home the second-place silver – Somara Butcher in the girls shot put (33-03.50) and Jakari Embry in the boys 110-meter hurdles (16.07).
Earning third place were Cede Poe in the girls 100-meter hurdles (17.73) and Tenise Johnson in the girls javelin (103-10).
The Titans’ 4×100-meter relay team of Alijah Bell, Quinton Densmore, Carte’un Mitchell, Quinsean Davis and D’Javi Byers qualified with a fourth-place time of 42.74 5.
Taking fifth place were Jashonna Clark in the girls 100-meter hurdles 7A (18.91) and Jeremiah
Watts in the boys 400-meter dash (51.42).