Rebels boys finish 2nd at state indoor

BIRMINGHAM – The Alabama high school state indoor track and field season concluded over the weekend at the state meet, with Hoover sweeping the boys and girls championships in Class 7A.

Hoover was the favorite to sweep coming into the meet and backed that up by staking claim to a pair of blue maps to conclude the first indoor season of coach Chris Schmidt’s tenure.

The Hoover girls dominated from start to finish, racking up 119 points to cruise to victory. Hewitt-Trussville edged Vestavia Hills for second place, with the Huskies getting 76.33 points to Vestavia’s 72.

The boys competition was much closer, coming down to the final event. Hoover was able to come out on top 108-100 over Vestavia Hills, with third-place Hewitt scoring 76 points.

On the girls side, Hoover earned points in nearly every event. Jebreiya Chapman won the 60-meter dash in 7.76 seconds, Daisy Luna was the 400 in 56.26 seconds, Langley Jung won the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 6 inches, and the 4x200-, 4x400- and 4x800-meter relay teams all took home top honors. 

Taylor Canada (third in the 60), Amyah Ellington (third in the 60 hurdles), McKenzie Blackledge (second in the 800) and Nyel Settles (third in high jump and third in triple jump) reached the podium as well.

Hewitt-Trussville went 1-2 in the shot put, with Phoebe Greene and Madisyn Hawkins earning the top two spots. Tori Mack finished second in the 60 hurdles, Maci Mills finished third in the 800 in one of the four events she participated in and the 4x400 relay team finished third. 

Crawford West won a pair of events for Vestavia Hills, setting the state record in the 1,600 (4:58.68) and 3,200 (10:49.83). Angelica Vines won the long jump with a 16-11.5 and Kennedy Moreland won the pole vault by clearing 11 feet. 

Claire Spooner was third in the 1,600, Abbie Richenderfer was third in the pole vault and the 4x800 relay team placed second as well.

In the boys competition, Hoover finished second in the 4x400 relay to seal the title. Jay Avery won a couple events, leaping 22-00.25 to win long jump and going 48-08.75 to win triple jump. Collin Pate and Carter Ellis each cleared 15-03 in the pole vault competition, with Pate winning a jump-off to claim the title. The 4x800 relay team won as well, finishing in 7:58.

DJ Black was second in the 60, Elijah Joseph was second in the 1,600, Avery was second in high jump and Bradley Shaw was third in shot put.

Vestavia’s boys excelled in the running events. Alex Leath won a pair of events, crossing the line first in the 800 (1:53.65) and 1,600 (4:22.98). John Stephens won the 400 in 49.42 seconds. The Rebels also claimed the top prize in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

Bo Webb finished second in 60 hurdles, Matthew Rainer was second in the 400 and the 4x800 team was second.

Hewitt’s boys boasted a pair of winners as well. Tristan Teer won the 3,200 with a time of 9:36, while Tanveer Raza won the shot put event with a toss of 54-09. Also reaching the podium for the Huskies were Michael Igbinoghene in long jump and the 4x200 relay.

Spain Park’s Mackenzie Culpepper put forth a great showing as well, leading the Jags to a fourth-place team finish. She won the 800 with a blistering time of 2:13.4 and was second in the 400 with a time of 56.79 seconds. She was also part of the 4x400 relay team, along with Sydney Baker, Maddie Davis and Delaney Vickers, that finished second. John Landers earned a podium spot by finishing third in the pole vault. 

Oak Mountain’s Ethan Hammett put on a show of his own, winning the high jump with a clearance of 6-04. Mitch Allen also had a solid event, finishing fourth in triple jump. 

In Class 6A girls action, Mountain Brook’s girls finished with the red map as the runner-up. The girls competition came down to the final race and Northridge earned the state title with 91 points, compared to 89.33 for the Spartans.

Reagan Riley and Clark Stewart were the stars for Mountain Brook, with each earning 1-2 finishes in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races. The girls 4x400 relay team of Callie Kent, Mary Katherine Malone, Riley and Lucy Benton took home top honors, as did the 4x800 relay of Hunter Anderson, Kent, Malone and Kennedy Hamilton.

Riley also finished second in the 800, with Benton following in third. Camille Gillum finished second in the high jump as well.

Homewood finished third in the girls competition, scoring 70 points. Naeemah Gamble won the shot put event for the Patriots. Emma Brooke Levering finished third in the 1,600 and 3,200, while Brooke Walden and Jordan Reaves tied for third in the pole vault. The girls 4x400 relay team of Norah Nickoli, Olivia Burczyk, Sarah Derriso and Mary Siena McBride placed second as well.

The Chelsea girls placed fifth overall, led by star runner Cady McPhail. McPhail set a site record with her 2:10.72 time in the 800, while also placing fourth in the 400. 

On the boys side, Mountain Brook finished fourth and Homewood placed fifth in 6A. Mountain Brook’s Max Baltz finished second in the high jump and Davis Lee placed third in the 400. A couple of Spartans relay teams made the podium as well. The 4x400 team of Spence Morano, Robert Sproule, KJ Leedy and Lee came across second. The 4x800 team finished third, with Harry Clark, Jack Chapman, Bibb Albright and Clayton Collins running. 

For the Homewood boys, Spenser Lamb won the 60-meter hurdles, with teammate Slate Rohrer joining him on the podium in third place. 

Chelsea’s Miles Brush was one of three guys to beat the previous state record in the 1,600, finishing second in a photo finish with a time of 4:16.6. He also finished fourth in the 3,200, while Matt Gray was fourth in the 60.

Briarwood also competed at state. Ansley Murphy finished fifth in the girls pole vault and Charlie Thompson was sixth in high jump.

For a more in-depth look at the Rebels' state meet, check out the March edition of the Vestavia Voice.