Rebel cross-country squads prepare to face giants in 2016

“Wherever you are, be all there.”

That’s the motto for the Vestavia Hills High School cross-country program. 

Originally coined by missionary Jim Elliott, the phrase has coursed through Vestavia’s lifeblood since Brett Huber became the Rebels’ head coach 17 years ago. He said it encourages his athletes to give their best all the time.

But this fall, the Rebels have added another guiding mantra that will set the stage for their season: facing giants. 

“That’s sort of related to qualifying and competition and some of the things that these teams have to deal with,” Huber said. “What do you do with expectations — when you meet them and when you don’t meet them? What challenges are in front of you? How are you going to meet them when they’re in front of you?”

All are questions the Vestavia boys and girls cross-country teams will seek to answer this fall. Competing in a section comprised of the state’s top competition, the runners’ individual responses will likely determine the teams’ collective fate when the Class 7A, Section 3 meet rolls around in early November.

Last fall, neither Rebels squad advanced to the state meet, despite being two of the better teams in Alabama. The Vestavia boys finished fifth at sectionals, and the Vestavia girls finished fourth. 

“Our teams last year, if they would have made it to the state meet — boys and girls — they would have been not only top five in all classifications, they would have been top five at the 7A state meet,” Huber said. “The problem with qualifying in our section is the top teams year in and year out are always from this metro area.”

Home to distance-running goliaths like Mountain Brook and Hoover, Section 3 has been labeled the “Section of Death” by the state’s leading cross-country and track-and-field website, Alabama Runners. 

The Hoover and Mountain Brook boys are the two winningest teams in state history, with a combined 28 state championships. The Mountain Brook girls, meanwhile, have won 13 consecutive state titles.

“We always train in a way that we’re ready for that,” Huber said in reference to the level of competition. 

With only three teams from a section earning bids to state, the yearly dominance of schools like Mountain Brook and Hoover can create a mad scramble for the third spot.

To draw a football comparison, Section 3 is like the West division of the Southeastern Conference. There is almost always a surplus of talent and, correspondingly, quality teams get short-changed when the season reaches its peak. 

Many years, the Rebels have punched their ticket to state. Some years, like in 2015, they have fallen short.

“The tough part is when you’re one of the best teams in Alabama out of all the teams, and you can’t go to state,” Huber said. “That’s hard for the kids, but I think they handled it well. At the end of the day, they train hard, they know what’s expected, and they give you the best effort they can.”

Huber said his squads hope their persistence in training yields different results this fall.  

The Vestavia boys will pursue their first state meet appearance since making the jump to 7A in 2014, while the Vestavia girls will aim to replicate their 2014 state-meet showing that resulted in a fifth-place finish. 

James Sweeney, a junior, will lead the Rebel boys. He qualified as an individual for the 2015 state meet, and holds a 5K personal best of 16 minutes, 29.97 seconds. 

“He’s done very well as a freshman, sophomore amongst his peers and at the state level in all seasons,” Huber said. “I see a lot of potential in just his desire and wanting to be a good runner.”

Sweeney will be joined up front by sophomore Bryce Hutchinson and junior Joseph Gilroy. Hutchinson ran 16:47 for 5K last season, and Gilroy was within seconds of breaking the 17-minute barrier. 

Hutchinson said a strong summer of training has positioned his team well for a redemptive season. “Everyone’s going off right now, and it’s awesome,” Hutchinson said. “We have some high potential.”

The Vestavia boys last competed at the state meet in 2013, when former star Mac Macoy led the team to a runner-up finish. The year before, in 2012, Macoy paced the team to its first state title since 1987. In a sense, Huber said Vestavia has been in rebuilding mode since Macoy’s graduation in spring 2014.  

“The teams after the Macoy teams worked real hard and were just as competitive, but not competitive enough to get past qualifying,” Huber said. “We have a lot of young runners coming in that we’re hoping can help turn the tide.”

Senior Madison Milldrum and junior Sasha Allison return as front-runners for the Vestavia girls. Although neither nabbed individual qualifying spots for the state meet in 2015, both should contend for All-State recognition this fall. Milldrum and Allison both hold 5K personal bests in the mid-19-minute range, but the pair fell victim to a competitive sectional race that was contested on a challenging course.  

“I think we kind of have a new outlook with a lot of the new girls,” Milldrum said. “I think it’s going to be easier for everyone to just make it their goal to get to the state championship.”

The Rebel girls graduated two key contributors from last year’s team in Sarahanne Pfitzer and Lanie Kraus, but they should receive a boost from sophomores MaryGriffith Lytle and Cat Yeilding. 

“We all really want to work hard, and we love the sport, so we’ll just have to see how things work out,” Allison said. “We’re super excited for the season.”