Photo: Gadsden City’s Jakari Embry (pictured, center) finished fifth in the Class 7A boys 60-meter hurdles event at the AHSAA state indoor track and field meet on Feb. 7-8 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Although no local student-athletes took home a medal, there were several top 10 performances at the AHSAA state indoor track and field meet on Feb. 7-8 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
One local runner and one relay team finished just shy of a bronze medal. Ashville’s Wyatt Knight came in fourth place in the Class 4A/5A boys 3200-meter run with a time of 10:24.85. The Gadsden City boys 4×400-meter relay team of Jeremiah Watts, Jason Clark, Jakari Embry, and JC Woods finished fourth at 3:32.05.
Gadsden City’s Jakari Embry’s time of 8.59 in the 7A boys 60-meter hurdles was good enough for fifth place, while teammate Jeremiah Watts placed seventh in the 7A boys 400-meter dash 7A
With a time of 51.46. Watts also came in 10th place in the 7A boys high jump with a leap of 6-00.
The Ashville girls 4A/5A 4×800-meter relay team of Emma Drinkard, Emma Thompson, Callie Stewart and Kathleen McCarthy combined for a sixth place showing of 10:55.45.
The Gadsden City boys 7A 4×200-meter relay team finished seventh with a time of 1:33.93.
Two local girls posted eighth-place finishes – Gadsden City’s Somara Butcher in the 7A shot put
(31-11.50) and Ashville’s Taylor Knight in the 4A/5A 1600-meter run (5:49.32). Knight also came in ninth in the 4A/5A 3200-meter run (12:35.93).
The Gadsden City girls 7A 4×400-meter relay team of Carly Tolleson, Kyla Price, Millie Ryan and Emani Morgan came in 10th place with a time of 4:23.85.
Finishing just outside the top 10 was Westbrook Christian’s Asher Curp, who came in 11th in the 1A-3A boys 3200-meter run (10:58.33).