11 Records Fall in First Day
Homewood Boys and Girls Open Strong to Lead Class 6A
At the 49th AHSAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
BIRMINGHAM - Homewood High School's boys and girls turned in strong performances Friday to take the lead in Class 6A at the 49th AHSAA Indoor State Track & Field Championships being held at Birmingham's CrossPlex.
Coach Lars Porter's defending state champion girls posted 72 points to build a 45-point lead over Pelham, which had 27, with five events finished Friday. The Patriots' boys piled up 52.50 points to lead defending champ Opelika, posting 72 points through six events, to the Bulldogs' 28. Paul Bryant was third with 26.
Eleven indoor state-meet records fell Friday with five in the boys' competition and six on the girls' side. The state meet resumes Saturday at 8 a.m., with field events. Running events start at 9 a.m., with the 400-meter dash for all classes.
In Class 7A, defending champ Hoover held a slim 4.5-point lead over McGill-Toolen Catholic in the girls' competition after seven final events. The Lady Bucs had 48.50 points and the Lady Yellow Jackets had 44. Coach Devin Hind's Hoover boys held a 44-35 lead over Vestavia Hills with five events concluded.
American Christian, which swept the boys' and girls' titles last season in Class 1A/3A, held slim leads after Friday's events with girls holding a 43-41 edge over Bayside Academy with six events completed, and a 48-26 lead over Westminster-Oak Mountain with five events concluded. Defending 4A/5A girls' state champ St. Paul's Episcopal totaled 47 points through six events hand had a 14.5-point lead over Scottsboro (32.5). Winfield, the runner-up in the boys' competition in 2017, scored 29 points Friday to hold a five-point lead over defending champion Scottsboro (23) with five events finished.
Junior Amaris Tyynismaa of Montgomery Catholic added her ninth individual state championship to her AHSAA Indoor Track trophy case clocking 10:44.09 to win the Class 4A/5A 3,200 meters Friday. She finished 12 seconds behind her own record (10:32.94) set in 2015 when she an eighth grader.
Her attempt at No. 10 was averted, however, in the 800-meter competition. Saint James freshman Presley Miles pulled a stunning upset in the Class 4A/5A 800-meter race however. She beat her friend and Montgomery rival with a strong finish over the final lap and broke the AHSAA Class 4A/5A state record in the process with a 2:15.83 time.Tyynismaa had set the previous record (2:17.57) in 2015. She crossed the finish line at 2:19.26 to finish second.
Winfield junior Walker Junkin turned in the top boys' performance of Friday's first day's action setting a record in the Class 4A/5A pole vault. He won the event clearing 15 feet, 4 inches - and missed three attempts at 15-07 as most of the CrossPlex crowd watched and cheered him on with each valiant try. The old class record (14-07) was set by Jeremy Protz of Scottsboro in 2003. The all-time indoor record of 16-06.50 was set Sean Collins of McGill-Toolen Catholic in 2015.
Friday's highlights included:
CLASS 7A GIRLS
LAURYN HALL, SPARKMAN: Broke the Class 7A record in the 60-meter dash with a 7.65 time in the prelims. She set the standard at last year's state meet clocking 7.66.
CLASS 7A GIRLS
ALONIE SUTTON, SMITHS STATION: Broke the long-jump record she set last year with a winning leap of 18 feet, 8 inches Friday. Her previous record was 18-07.75.
HANNAH DAFFIN, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Cleared 40-09.50 in the triple jump to break the previous 7A girls' record (38-00) set by Thompson's Sarah Green in 2016.
McKENZIE HOGUE, THOMPSON: Won the 3,200 meters with a time of 10:59.46, less than a second off the 7A state indoor record.
SYDNEY STEELY, HOOVER: Had a winning time of 2:13.93 in the 800-meter race.
JORDAN McGUIRE, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Had a winning throw of 20-08.25 in the ambulatory division of the shot put competition.
BRADYN COARSEY, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Cleared 11 feet to capture the 7A pole vault.
HOOVER 4X200 RELAY: Won the 7A race by just 4/100ths of a second over runner-up James Clemens. The Bucs clocked 1:43.12 and the Jets, 1:43.16. Auburn was third at 1:43.78.
CLASS 6A GIRLS
LAINEY PHELPS, HOMEWOOD: Crossed the finish line with a time of 11:11.20 just ahead of teammate Celie Jackson, who finished second.
ALEX BROOKS, HOMEWOOD: Cleared 10 feet to win the pole vault event.
KATIE STROZIER, PELHAM: Won the 800-meter race with a time of 2:16.00.
AIYA FINCH, HOMEWOOD: Leaped 37-03.75 to capture the triple jump for the Lady Patriots.
HOMEWOOD 4X200 RELAY: Beat the field with a winning time of 1:43.56.
CLASS 4A/5A GIRLS
EMILY BURROWES, ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL: Won the triple jump with a winning leap of 37-02.25.
KALEE JOHNSON, ALEXANDRIA: Threw the shot 45-05.50 to win the event for the Valley Cubs.
CALLIE RATCLIFF, ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL: Won the pole vault leaping 11 feet.
4x200 Relay: Central-Tuscaloosa won with a winning time of 1:46.76 to give the Falcons boys and girls a sweep in the relay.
CLASS 1A/3A GIRLS
KAYLEIGH ATKINS, AMERICAN CHRISTIAN: Clocked 9.08 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to set a new 1A/3A state record. Raven Stewart of Guntersville set the previous record (9.09) in 2013.
HANNAH TARWATER, WHITESBURG CHRISTIAN: Captured the 3,200 meters crossing the finish at 11:37.99. Becca Billman of American Christian was second (11:55.49).
HARPER ROBERTS, AMERICAN CHRISTIAN: Won the 800 meters clocking 2:19.68.
AMBER MASON, BAYSIDE ACADEMY: Tossed the shot put 30-06.50 to win the event and also had a leap of 16-05.50 to capture the long jump title as well.
WESTMINSTER-OAK MOUNTAIN: Clocked 1:53.50 to win the only girls' relay of Friday's competition.
CLASS 7A BOYS
JAMES SWEENEY, VESTAVIA HILLS: Ran the 3,200 meters in 9:26.45 to win the event and set a new 7A state record. Tommy McDonough of Hoover ran a 9:26.88 at last year's state meet to set the record previously.
CARL NESBITT, VESTAVIA HILLS: Tied his own Class 7A state record by winning the high jump competition Friday clearing 6 feet, 8 inches. He missed at 6-10, however. Nesbitt set the mark originally in 2016.
GRAHAM COLLINS, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Won the long jump with a 22-10.25 leap.
CHARLES HUGHES, SMITHS STATION: captured the 800-meter race crossing the finish line at 1:56.97.
CLASS 6A BOYS
OKHEME MOORE, HILLCREST-TUSCALOOSA: Ran the 60-meter dash in 6.84 seconds to set a new 6A state indoor meet record. Opelika's Nathanaiel Huggins held the record with a 6.85 time in 2016.
JONAH HYDE, HELENA: Cleared 6 feet, 9 inches to win the event. He made three attempts at 6-10.50, which would have broken the 6A state record (6-10.25), but he just missed on all three tries.
WILL STONE, HOMEWOOD: Clocked 9:37.03 to win the 3,200-meter run for the Patriots. Teammate Alvin Finch finished fourth at 9:58.20 to give the Patriots 15 points in the event.
C.J. JORDAN, OPELIKA: Won the long jump with a winning leap of 21-10. Teammate Jaylen Stinson was second with a distance of 21-04.
LOGAN JUSTICE, HOMEWOOD: Edged Helena's Blake Vaughn by a nose, winning the 800-meter race with a 2:02.62 time in the closest finish of the day. Vaughn clocked 2:02.71 and Lance Cunigan of Benjamin Russell was third at 2:02.85.
ZION BINION, NORTHRIDGE: Tossed the shot 50-01.50 to win the championship, but was 13 feet shy of the AHSAA's oldest standing indoor record (63-06.50), set by Frank Warren of Phillips High School 42 years earlier at the 1977 state meet held at Montgomery's Garrett Coliseum.
RAMSAY 4X200 RELAY: Was 1.2 seconds shy of the 6A state record (1:28.40) clocking 1:29.60 to win the event.
CLASS 4A/5A BOYS
TANNER KING, NORTHSIDE: Captured the 800 with a time of 1:56.17.
MATTHEW ESTOPINAL, RANDOLPH: Won the 3,200 meters with a state 4A/5A record time of 9:22.01. Chase Buckelew of Arab set the previous record (9:27.31) in 2017.
MANNY CACERES, MONTGOMERY CATHOLIC: Won the 3,200 meters race with winning time of 10:30.40.
GRANADAS BAKER, BEAUREGARD: Captured the triple jump with as top distance of 42-02.75.
4X200 RELAY: Central-Tuscaloosa's time of 1:32.39 won the relay by two seconds.
CLASS 1A/3A BOYS
NATE COLLINS, WESTMINSTER-OAK MOUNTAIN: Won the 3,200-meter run with a 9:50.01 time. David Barrett of American Christian finished second at 9:52.85.
JAMES DIXON, ALTAMONT: Finished first in the 800-meter race with a winning time of 2:02.67.
JAMES JACKSON, AMERICAN CHRISTIAN: Cleared 13-03 in the pole vault to beat Falkville's Devin Johnson, who closed at 13 feet.
CAMERON ALEXANDER, MOBILE CHRISTIAN: Leaped 40 feet, 5 ½ inches to win the triple jump competition.
4X200 RELAY: American Christian's relay team won with a time of 1:35.25.