Rebels claim pair of runner-up trophies

The Vestavia Hills High School track and field team brought a pair of trophies back to campus at the conclusion of the outdoor season, as the boys and girls teams each finished as the runner-up in Class 7A.

The state outdoor meet was held May 5-7 in Gulf Shores, with Vestavia Hills finishing second to Hoover, which swept the outdoor titles in the same fashion as indoor in February. 

“I’m super proud of our kids, especially our seniors,” Vestavia Hills coach Brett Huber said. “We have some special seniors in our group. They really set the tone for our teams and really gave a great fight and closed in awesome fashion.”

The Rebels had special showings from several individuals and had standout performances in the relays, setting multiple school records. 

Crawford West grabbed a pair of individual titles, winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. She crossed the line in 4:56 to win the 1,600 and won the 3,200 in 10:43. She also placed fifth in the 800 in 2:15.

Angelica Vines capped off her career with a win in the long jump, reaching 17 feet, 11 inches. She was second in two other events and third in another. She finished second in the 300-meter hurdles with at time of 14.99 seconds and second in the javelin with a throw of 129-8. Her time of 14.99 seconds in the 100 hurdles was good for third. 

The boys swept the top three spots in the 800, with Alex Leath, Max Armstrong and Henry Strand crossing the line in succession. Leath’s time of 1:53.96 set the pace, followed closely by the next two. 

John Stephens won the 400 for the boys with a time of 48.55 seconds, while Bo Webb won the 300 hurdles in 38.22 seconds. 

The boys relay team won the 4x800-meter run in 7:48.

Three Vestavia girls scored in the pole vault, with Abbie Richenderfer winning the event by clearing the bar at 11-6. Kennedy Moreland was third and Claire Owens finished seventh. 

Huber also praised the meet of Matthew Rainer. He placed fifth in the 400, but also impressed with a fourth-place finish in the 200. He clocked his first sub-22 second time in his heat and backed it up with a strong finish in the final. 

Riley Zeanah and Claire Spooner were seventh and ninth in the 800, Spooner was fifth in the 3,200, Stephens was second in the 200, Armstrong was sixth in the 400, Leath and Strand were second and sixth in the 1,600, Webb was fourth in the 110 hurdles, Jonathan Wilson finished third in the 300 hurdles, Tyler Dressback was 10th in the high jump, Michael Kolen was 10th in javelin and Porter Speegle finished seventh in shot put. 

The boys 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams placed second, while the girls 4x800 relay was fourth.

The meet was the final one for Huber, who is retiring following 23 years at Vestavia Hills, 21 of those as the head coach. During his time with the Rebels, they won four state championships across the three disciplines (cross-country, indoor and outdoor track and field) and finished with 12 runner-up trophies.

“God has blessed me with great coaches and athletes and families over the years,” Huber said. “It’s been a real honor to represent who we are over the years.”