GULF SHORES -- Opelika and Homewood are deadlocked at 51 points each and lead Class 6A boys' competition after the second day of the 92nd annual AHSAA State Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Gulf Shores Friday.
The team race to the finish is almost as close in Class 7A with Hewitt-Trussville holding a 76-71 lead over Auburn in the boys' division, and Hoover just two points ahead of Mountain Brook, 69-67, in the girls' division heading into the final day Saturday. In the 6A girls' competition, Pelham is on top with 58.50 points, followed by Homewood (47.50) and Opelika (40.50).
In Class 5A, St. Paul's Episcopal holds a four-point lead over Beauregard, 66-62, in the girls' division, and Beauregard's boys have a slim one-point lead over Alabama Christian, 33-32, and are just five points ahead of St. Paul's (28). Defending Class 4A girls' and boys' state champs UMS-Wright hold comfortable leads in Class 4A. The Lady Bulldogs amassed 77 points through Friday's events with Brooks (41) and Wilson (40) in second and third place. Coach Pat Galle's UMS boys have 71.50 points with Northside second with 43.
Twenty-three state meet classification records fell Friday at Gulf Shores with eight boys' and four girls' standards erased in Class 7A alone. Six records were also set in para ambulatory events that were being held for the first time.
Hewitt-Trussville's Benjamin Knox set a record in the 7A 3,200 meters (9:26.40) after setting the 1,600 record on Thursday. Three sprinters broke the Class 7A 200-meter dash record set last year by Caitlyn Little of Hoover (24.85) in the prelim race to set up what should be and even faster final Saturday. Destiny Davis of Baker had the fastest time, 24.56 seconds, and now owns the 7A state record. Lauryn Hall of Sparkman turned in the next best time (24.65) and Brittley Humphrey of Hoover was next (24.68). Little qualified for the finals with the fourth best time, clocking 25.29 - just shy of her 2015 time.
Among the records set in the Class 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A meets Friday:
CLASS 7A GIRLS
200-Meter Dash: Three sprinters broke the record set last year by Caitlyn Little of Hoover (24.85) in the prelim race to set up what should be and even faster final Saturday. Destiny Davis of Baker had the fastest time, 24.56 seconds, and now owns the 7A state record. Lauryn Hall of Sparkman turned in the next best time (24.65) and Brittley Humphrey of Hoover was next (24.68). Little qualified for the finals with the fourth best time, clocking 25.29 - just shy of her 2015 time.
400-Meter Dash: Myra Mack of Smiths Station and Presley Weems of Hoover both broke the one-year-old mark (56.09) set by Nicole Payne of Oak Mountain. Mack won the event with claiming the new record with a winning time of 55.54 seconds. Weems was close behind at 55.92.
100-Meter Hurdles: Brittley Humphrey's winning time of 13.79 seconds in the prelims was just 5/100ths of a second off the Class 7A record she set last year (13.74). She heads into the finals Saturday with the top time and a chance to break her own record again.
4x800-Meter Relay: Hoover eclipsed its 7A record set in 2015 by seven seconds clocking 9:16.77 to win the event Friday. The Bucs ran a 9:23.02 last year.
CLASS 4A GIRLS
Shot Put: Esherika Hankins, Munford, broke a 23-year old record with a winning throw of 42.08.50. Erin Jewel of Brooks also beat the old mark with her second-place toss of 40-01.50. Nykita Burnette of Lincoln held the previous record (38-11.50) since 1993.
Javelin (Para Ambulatory): Emily Frederick, Hokes Bluff, 37-01.
4x800-Meter Relay: Wilson broke its own record set in 2015 by 11 seconds, recording a winning time of 9:44.09 to win the 2016 event.
400-Meter Dash: Myra Mack of Smiths Station and Presley Weems of Hoover both broke the one-year-old mark (56.09) set by Nicole Payne of Oak Mountain. Mack won the event with claiming the new record with a winning time of 55.54 seconds. Weems was close behind at 55.92.
100-Meter Hurdles: Brittley Humphrey's winning time of 13.79 seconds in the prelims was just 5/100ths of a second off the Class 7A record she set last year (13.74). She heads into the finals Saturday with the top time and a chance to break her own record again.
4x800-Meter Relay: Hoover eclipsed its 7A record set in 2015 by seven seconds clocking 9:16.77 to win the event Friday. The Bucs ran a 9:23.02 last year.
CLASS 4A GIRLS
Shot Put: Esherika Hankins, Munford, broke a 23-year old record with a winning throw of 42.08.50. Erin Jewel of Brooks also beat the old mark with her second-place toss of 40-01.50. Nykita Burnette of Lincoln held the previous record (38-11.50) since 1993.
Javelin (Para Ambulatory): Emily Frederick, Hokes Bluff, 37-01.
4x800-Meter Relay: Wilson broke its own record set in 2015 by 11 seconds, recording a winning time of 9:44.09 to win the 2016 event.
CLASS 7A BOYS
110-Meter High Hurdles: Thompson's Emmanuel Taite bettered the record (14.12) he set last year in the first-ever 7A competition with a winning time of 13.90.
400-Meter Dash: Charles Lewis of Sparkman set the 400-meter record with a winning 47.94 time, erasing the 48.22 clocked by Joshua Hall of Hoover in last year's state meet.
3,200-Meter Run: Three runners broke the 7A record with Benjamin Knox and John Ngaruiga of Hewitt-Trussville finished 1-2. Knox's winning time was 9:20.50. Ngaruiga also ran 9:26.50.
4x800-Meter Relay: Auburn won with a 7A state-record time of 7:58.18. Hoover clocked 7:59.21 to finish second and also bettered the record set last year by Auburn (7:59.62).
Discus: Auburn's Michael Robinson had a 7A-record winning throw of 167-06.
High Jump: Chase Fiddler of Bob Jones and Melvin Hill of Baker each tied the 7A record of 6-06 set last year by Hill, but Fiddler finished first Friday with fewer misses. Both jumpers missed all three tries at 6-08.
Triple Jump: Michael Wiggins' winning leap of 48-07.75 set a new 7A state meet record for the Huntsville standout.
Javelin (Wheelchair): Colin Lafon of Hewitt-Trussville throw the javelin 20 feet, 9 inches.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Pole Vault: Nick South of Muscle Shoals didn't set a record but had an outstanding performance to win the event Friday clearing 15-08.25. The 6A record is 16-02 set by Sean Collins of McGill-Toolen in 2014.
CLASS 5A BOYS
Javelin: Ashton Dominique of Briarwood Christian set a new 6A state meet record with a winning throw of 190-09.
CLASS 4A BOYS
400-Meter Dash: Montgomery-Catholic's Patrick O'Mara ran 48.42 seconds to win the event and beat Larry Powell's mark of 48.89 set 25 years ago in 1991 for T.R. Miller.
3,200-Meter Run: Ryan Ford of Westminster Christian James Patrick Brinyark each bested the old record of 9:40.42 with times of 9:25.26 and 9:30.29, respectively, to finish 1-2.
4x800-Meter Relay: Northside's relay team won the event in a 4A-record 8:10.89 time. The old mark (8:20.30) was set by Madison County 18 years ago in 1999.
Javelin (Para Ambulatory): Logan Langley of Hokes Bluff set a record with a throw of 104-03.
400-Meter Dash: Charles Lewis of Sparkman set the 400-meter record with a winning 47.94 time, erasing the 48.22 clocked by Joshua Hall of Hoover in last year's state meet.
3,200-Meter Run: Three runners broke the 7A record with Benjamin Knox and John Ngaruiga of Hewitt-Trussville finished 1-2. Knox's winning time was 9:20.50. Ngaruiga also ran 9:26.50.
4x800-Meter Relay: Auburn won with a 7A state-record time of 7:58.18. Hoover clocked 7:59.21 to finish second and also bettered the record set last year by Auburn (7:59.62).
Discus: Auburn's Michael Robinson had a 7A-record winning throw of 167-06.
High Jump: Chase Fiddler of Bob Jones and Melvin Hill of Baker each tied the 7A record of 6-06 set last year by Hill, but Fiddler finished first Friday with fewer misses. Both jumpers missed all three tries at 6-08.
Triple Jump: Michael Wiggins' winning leap of 48-07.75 set a new 7A state meet record for the Huntsville standout.
Javelin (Wheelchair): Colin Lafon of Hewitt-Trussville throw the javelin 20 feet, 9 inches.
CLASS 6A BOYS
Pole Vault: Nick South of Muscle Shoals didn't set a record but had an outstanding performance to win the event Friday clearing 15-08.25. The 6A record is 16-02 set by Sean Collins of McGill-Toolen in 2014.
CLASS 5A BOYS
Javelin: Ashton Dominique of Briarwood Christian set a new 6A state meet record with a winning throw of 190-09.
CLASS 4A BOYS
400-Meter Dash: Montgomery-Catholic's Patrick O'Mara ran 48.42 seconds to win the event and beat Larry Powell's mark of 48.89 set 25 years ago in 1991 for T.R. Miller.
3,200-Meter Run: Ryan Ford of Westminster Christian James Patrick Brinyark each bested the old record of 9:40.42 with times of 9:25.26 and 9:30.29, respectively, to finish 1-2.
4x800-Meter Relay: Northside's relay team won the event in a 4A-record 8:10.89 time. The old mark (8:20.30) was set by Madison County 18 years ago in 1999.
Javelin (Para Ambulatory): Logan Langley of Hokes Bluff set a record with a throw of 104-03.