Rebels cap strong seasons at state
The Vestavia Hills High School cross-country teams capped strong seasons at the AHSAA State Cross Country Championships Nov. 12.
Five Rebels qualified to compete at the meet, which was held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park near Moulton.
James Sweeney and Bryce Hutchinson represented the Vestavia boys. Sweeney, a junior, and Hutchinson, a sophomore, placed 19th and 20th overall in the Class 7A race. The duo crossed the finish line in 16 minutes, 21 seconds, with Sweeney edging out Hutchinson by less than half a step.
Sasha Allison, Madison Milldrum and Kaylee Dressback represented the Vestavia girls. Allison, a junior, paced the group with a 23rd-place finish in the 7A race, as she completed the 5K course in a personal-best 19:29.17. It was her first time all season dipping under the 20-minute barrier.
“That was the best race of her career,” Vestavia head coach Brett Huber said.
Milldrum, a senior, placed 39th in 19:50.61, and Dressback, an eighth-grader at Pizitz, placed 50th in a personal-best 20:20.72.
The Rebels came close to advancing full squads to the state championships, but they fell just short at the 7A, Section 3 meet Nov. 3.
The Vestavia boys and girls each finished fourth in the team standings. At sectionals, the top three teams advance to state.
Sweeney led the boys team with a runner-up finish in 16:39.5, and Hutchinson placed sixth in 16:50.63. The two earned state wild-card berths because they were among the top six finishers not on one of the three qualifying teams.
Hoover, Mountain Brook and Oak Mountain claimed the top three positions. The Rebels had entered the meet ranked fifth, but they lost to Oak Mountain by only nine points.
“The boys team just fell several points short of upsetting the third place team at sectionals from a fifth ranking,” Huber said. “We are always hopeful we will do better than we are ranked, but there are reasons for the rankings; there are many talented runners and teams in our 7A sectional area.”
The Vestavia girls suffered a similar fate, as they missed out on third place by a 14-point margin. Mountain Brook, Hoover and Spain Park captured the top three spots, respectively.
On the bright side, four Rebel girls punched individual tickets to state. Milldrum (14th, 20:36.58), MaryGriffith Lytle (16th, 20:41.83), Allison (21st, 20:52.24) and Dressback (23rd, 21:02.42) clinched four of the six wild-card bids. Lytle, however, did not compete at state.
Even though a full Vestavia squad hasn’t advanced past sectionals since 2014, Huber said he is proud of the way his teams have continually persevered, especially in 2016.
“I can’t say enough about our athletes and the great attitude they have concerning the qualification standards they have to meet,” Huber said. “They are a great group to be a part of and their true success this season was fighting their giants together and not alone.”