Photo by Kamp Fender
Vestavia Hills Track and Field
Vestavia Hills High School sophomore Ethan Strand won the Class 7A boys 1,600-meter run at the AHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships, held Feb. 1-2, 2019, at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala.
Over the course of the year, Vestavia Voice will keep you up to date on the various Vestavia Hills High School athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
The Vestavia Hills indoor track and field teams competed over the weekend at the AHSAA state championships, held Friday and Saturday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The Rebels boys placed third in Class 7A with 49 points.
Ethan Strand, a sophomore, led his team at the meet. He won the 1,600-meter run and placed third in the 3,200-meter run. Strand clinched the 1,600 title thanks to a hard final lap in which he chased down two competitors.
He crossed the finish line in a personal-best 4 minutes, 20.34 seconds. It was the fourth individual state title of his young career. His teammate, Bryce Hutchinson, took fourth in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Jake Haston finished second in the pole vault, clearing 14 feet, 6 inches. Jackson Bryant was fourth in the high jump with a clearance of 6-4.
The Rebels also did well in the relays, placing fourth in the 4x800 and fifth in the 4x200.
Angelica Vines had the top performance for the Vestavia girls, who placed 14th. Vines took third in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.51 seconds. Crawford West was fifth in the 3,200 in 11:45.75.
The girls 4x800 relay was sixth.
BASKETBALL
The Vestavia Hills basketball teams wrapped up the regular season last week, when they celebrated their seniors on Thursday night against Clay-Chalkville. The Lady Rebels picked up a 47-38 victory over the Cougars, led by Emma Smith’s 10 points in a balanced scoring effort. The boys won 53-36 behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from Paul Michael Hargrove. Michael Vice scored 13 in the winning effort as well.
The Lady Rebels finished the regular season with an 18-9 record and will face Hewitt-Trussville in the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Spain Park. The final is set for Friday at 6 p.m.
The boys team has a 19-9 mark and heads to Mountain Brook to face Spain Park in the area tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. The final is set to be played on Saturday at 6 p.m.
WRESTLING
The Vestavia Hills wrestling team was in action over the weekend and participated in the Dolphin Pools. The Rebels notched victories over Baldwin County (57-15), Pace (Florida) [48-29] and Satsuma (66-12), with losses to Gulf Breeze (Florida) [39-36], Thompson (56-18) and Spanish Fort (42-35).
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
