Return of state champions give Rebels confidence
Brett Huber, like the rest of us, has learned one of life’s toughest lessons the hard way.
Never take anything for granted.
The Vestavia Hills High School cross-country coach saw the unthinkable unfold in the spring, when the outdoor track and field season — along with every other sport — was taken away at a moment’s notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even as the Rebels prepare for the 2020 fall season, the virus is still affecting society, particularly schools as they attempt to reopen.
“Practice or the season could get pulled in two seconds,” Huber said. “It’s the most different pre-season we’ve ever had.”
It has not been a normal spring or summer to prepare for this fall’s cross-country season. Practices have looked different as well. Each morning as the runners arrive at school, their temperatures are checked, they are asked a series of health questions and runners are asked to keep their distance from one another.
But Huber said “it’s been wonderful” simply for the team to begin gathering and training together once again. He also credited a coaching staff of Erin Gallagher, Tom Jennings and Greg Hope for helping prepare the Rebels for the 2020 season.
Last fall, the Vestavia Hills boys finished as the runners-up in Class 7A, while the girls were fifth at the state meet. Ethan Strand and Crawford West won their races, though, marking the first time in school history the Rebels had the winner in the boys and girls state races.
Both of those elite runners return, giving the Rebels hope that this season could be another successful one.
“We’ve never had a Foot Locker [National Championship] finalist, and [Strand] did that last year as a junior,” Huber said. “The main strategy is to stay healthy and get as much good training as possible. Both teams have their leaders back as a state champion, so that’s a nice thing to have.”
On the boys’ side, the other two all-state performers from last season graduated, leaving the opportunity for some others to step up and become key contributors. Huber mentioned the likes of Alex Leath, Will Jordan, Jacob Villani, Tuck Wilson and Andrew Bradshaw as a handful of runners looking ready to challenge for the team’s top spots.
Also competing for the boys throughout the fall will be Andrew Bevill, Ernest Bowen Bishop, Whitman Bohorfoush, Jack Crawford, Jared Eudy, Carson Farris, Hampton Hollifield, Grant Kaiser, Andrew King, Mitchell Knighten, Ryan McConnell, Avery McDonald, Charlton Moreland, Thomas Patton, Theodore Pirkle, Elijah Putman, Harrison Thomas and Wyatt Williams.
Many of the girls’ top competitors are back from last fall and looking to take the next step in their development. West will look to defend her title, while the likes of Anna Kate Boles, Katy Lambert, Sarah Comer, Mary Claire Boughner and Margaret Patton are all back as well.
Other runners on the girls side include Gracie Cates, Katie Finnigan, Anna Claire Gannon, Elizabeth Gannon, Erin Graffeo, Zoe Harris, Angela Hjelmeland, Ansley Meadows, Clarissa Meadows, Claire Morris, Haruna Nakazawa, Nora Paez, Catherine Pearson, Abby Precise and Kaitlyn Wende.
The schedule is somewhat condensed this fall, with programs looking to limit the size of meets in order to reduce the number of people at one venue at a given time. But the Rebels plan to compete twice during the regular season at the state course, once in the season-opening Chickasaw Trails Invitational and again at the Jesse Owens Classic in Oakville. Huber said there are also plans to run at meets in Huntsville and Auburn before the section and state meets.
“Not a lot of races, but the ones we do, we’ll hit them hard,” he said.