Rebels seniors leaving valuable legacy

Vestavia Hills High School head cross-country and track and field coach Brett Huber could tell early on he had a group of athletes with great potential.

Many of the student-athletes who are now seniors in the Rebels’ program have contributed since their freshman days and are putting the finishing touches on outstanding individual and collective high school careers.

“This is a really special group,” Huber said.

Hoover has dominated much of the conversation over the years in track and field, while Huntsville and Auburn have swept the cross-country state championships over the last several years. Hewitt-Trussville even swept the boys and girls Class 7A indoor titles last year.

But last spring, the Vestavia Hills boys rose up and won it all in the 7A outdoor competition. The girls were impressive as well, finishing third.

Both the boys and girls teams are coming off strong performances at the state indoor meet, which Hoover swept in early February. Hoover was a heavy favorite on the boys and girls side, but the boys made the Buccaneers sweat it, taking it down to the final event of the meet.

“We were looking forward to the chance of upsetting Hoover and made it kind of close at the end. It’s great that we pulled out the runner-up,” said Bo Webb, a senior who finished second in the 60-meter hurdles at state indoor.

Huber said he expects the same from his teams in the outdoor season, calling it an “intense two and a half months.”

“They’ve got their eyes on the prize,” he said. “Some of the seniors have been talking about how they understand the legacy of other seniors. It’s like passing the baton, because they’ve seen other leaders do it really well and now they’re looking forward to their time to lead their teams.”

That shared leadership responsibility among the athletes is one of the unique aspects of the Vestavia Hills program. Huber emphasizes the importance of the program being one led by the elder athletes and empowers them to do just that.

“Seeing the upperclassmen lead, it’s been a tradition to have them take in the underclassmen. We have seen the example of previous upperclassmen, how to lead and work out and letting us flow into that this year,” said Jonathan Wilson, a hurdler like Webb.

Crawford West has been one of the top distance runners in the state for several years now and has succeeded at the national level as well. She’s a two-time Gatorade Alabama Cross Country Runner of the Year winner and won the 800- and 1,600-meter races at the recent state indoor meet.

Angelica Vines is a gifted athlete who has excelled at many events throughout her high school career and is one of the area’s top volleyball players as well. Vines won the long jump competition and finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles at state indoor.

Matthew Rainer and John Stephens are two other supremely talented seniors and have pushed each other immensely this year. In the 400 at state indoor, Stephens ran a 49.42 to win the race, with Rainer right beside him as he crossed the line at 49.52.

Huber will hate to see this crop of seniors graduate through the program, but he believes the future is bright because of the example they have set over the years.

“A lot of the magic is their care for one another and their ownership in their events,” he said.