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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Left: Vestavia Hills’ Mitchell Schaaf, left, and Alex Leath approach the finish line during the boys Class 7A race of the AHSAA State Cross-country Championships at Oakville Indian Mounds on Nov. 5.
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Kaitlyn Wende raises her arms as she crosses the finish line in fifth place during the girls Class 7A race.
The Vestavia Hills High School boys cross-country team won their third state title in the Class 7A state meet Nov. 5 at Oakville Indian Mounds Park, while the girls finished third in the team competition.
This was the first state title for the boys since 2012, and they won it on a tiebreaker. The Rebels and Huntsville initially tied with 60 points apiece, bringing each team’s sixth runner into play. Vestavia’s sixth runner, John Hayes, finished 32nd, eight spots ahead of Huntsville’s sixth runner.
The Rebels’ top boys runner finished eighth, but having four runners notch all-state honors attested to the depth of the team.
Mitchell Schaaf and Alex Leath finished eighth and ninth to lead the Rebels, with Schaaf running a 15:52.01 and Leath a 15:52.02, as both crossed the line at almost the exact same time. Will Jordan (12th, 16:00), Wilson Holt (15th, 16:05) and Jackson Mize (16th, 16:08) all posted times in the top 20 as well. Max Armstrong, James Bentley, Drew Morris and Mason Thompson also ran for the team.
On the girls side, the Rebels scored 114 points to place third, behind Chelsea and Auburn. The team was led by two outstanding performances, as Kaitlyn Wende finished fifth in the race with a time of 18 minutes, 42 seconds. Claire Spooner placed seventh in 18:54 as well. Angela Zhang, Jasmine Zhang, Kendall Feild and Riley Zeanah all finished within five seconds of each other, while Izzy Maniscalco, Angela Hjelmeland, Maddie Crawford and Elizabeth Gannon also ran in the race for the Rebels.
Vestavia qualified for state by its performance in the Class 7A, Section 3 meet the week prior at Veterans Park. The boys won the event, scoring 34 points, compared to 73 for second-place Spain Park. Chelsea won the girls event, but Vestavia edged Hewitt-Trussville for second place, scoring 74 points compared to Hewitt’s 79.
The Vestavia boys placed four in the top 10, with Jordan leading the way. Jordan finished second, running the 5K in 16:39. Leath was right behind him in third place, while Holt finished eighth and Schaaf placed 10th. Mize finished 11th, while Morris, Hayes, Bentley and Ethan Meadows also ran for the Rebels.
The girls team was led at the sectional meet by Spooner, who crossed the line second in 19:31. Wende had a strong showing as well, finishing sixth. Angela Zhang (17th), Feild (22nd) and Jasmine Zhang (27th) also scored points for the team. Hjelmeland, Gannon, Crawford, Maniscalco and Finley Becker also ran in the event.
Vestavia Hills now turns its attention to the indoor season, which features a handful of events at the Birmingham CrossPlex throughout January. The Class 7A state meet will be held the first weekend of February, also at the CrossPlex. Vestavia’s girls have a previous indoor title, earned back in 2005.
