MONTGOMERY - North-South all-star squads for the upcoming 5th annual AHSAA North-South All-Star Cross Country races have been selected North-South All-Star Week scheduled for July 19-23. The two 10-member teams comprised of 2022 rising seniors were announced by Jamie Lee, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) Monday. The AHSADCA, which operates under the auspices of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) will also host North-South all-star games in baseball, softball, volleyball, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' golf during the All-Star Week in Montgomery July 19-23. The volleyball all-star teams have already been released. The remaining all-star teams will be announced at a later date.
The 62nd annual North-South All-Star Football Game was played last December at Mobile with the South winning 28-20 to improve to 32-27-2 in the series which first started in 1948. Coaches for the 2020 All-Star Cross Country squads will be the coaches for 2021 since last summer's competition was cancelled due to COVID concerns. The coaches include: (North Girls) Sandra Lynch, Florence; (North Boys) John Moore, White Plains; Michael McGovern, Mountain Brook, administrative coach for both teams; (South Girls) Hollis Johnson, Montgomery Catholic; (South Boys) Cliff Carter, Providence Christian; Ron Peters, Smiths Station, administrative coach for both teams.
Leading the North boys' team is Jack Lowe of Pell City, who finished fourth in the Class 6A State Cross Country Championships last November clocking 16:04.25 over the 3.1-mile course. That time was the best time in last fall's state meet of any runner selected to the North squad. Class 7A runners Mitchell Phillips of Hewitt-Trussville, Trey Hurt of Florence and Keegan Verble of Grissom finished 19th, 20th and 22st in the 7A state meet in 2020 with times of 16:25.28, 16:26.98 and 16:32.12, respectively. Steele Joiner of Lawrence County, who finished third in the 2020 Class 5A State Cross Country Championships, ran a time 16:32.42.
Tallassee's Woodrow Dean anchors the South squad after winning the 5A state title last fall with a winning time of 15:33.83. Joseph Perry of UMS-Wright joins Dean on the South squad after finishing second in the 5A state meet with a 16:2043 time. Central-Phenix City's Sean Dorrill clocked 15:59.24 in the 7A state meet race in 2020 and finished eighth overall. The South, also anchors the North team with the third best time. Class 4A state champion Connor Patterson of Providence Christian, who clocked 16:28.63 in the 2020 state championships, is also on the South squad.
Leading the South girls' contingent are Auburn runners Sangie Lincoln-Velez and Lessye Gray, who crossed the finish line first and 29th, respectively, in the 7A State Championships in 2020 with times of 18:29.97 and 20:50.96 for the state champion Tigers. Opelika's Breckin Gould took fourth place in last fall's Class 6A state meet race with a 19:18.62 time.
The North All-Stars include Maci Mills of Hewitt-Trussville, who finished 13th clocking 19:57.01 in the 7A championships, and Maddie Jackson of Fort Payne, who clocked 19:58.97 to finish 13th in the 6A championships. Corner's Myka Rogers took eighth place in the 5A state race with a 20:18.21 time. The South girls won the 2019 race 19-36 and now own a 2-1 edge in the North-South series. The North boys upped their lead to 2-1 with a one-point 27-28 win over the South in 2019.
2021 GIRLS' CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER
NORTH ALL-STARS
Hunter Anderson | Mountain Brook |
Lauren Barrentine | Guntersville |
Courtney Callahan | Westminster-Oak Mountain |
Maddie Jackson | Fort Payne |
Maci Mills | Hewitt-Trussville |
Mary Alice Murner | Deshler |
Kenlie Nelson | Guntersville |
Myka Rogers | Corner |
Anna Strickland | White Plains |
Crawford West | Vestavia Hills |
NORTH COACHES
Sandra Lynch | Florence |
Michael McGovern | Mountain Brook - Admin. |
SOUTH ALL-STARS
Olivia Andrews | Cottage Hill Christian |
Breckin Gould | Opelika |
Lessye Gray | Auburn |
Annie Jeffery | UMS-Wright |
Sangie Lincoln-Velez | Auburn |
Mary Mattingly | McGill-Toolen Catholic |
Bella Rhodes | Holtville |
Lauren Rodgers | Enterprise |
Emma Sibley | Baker |
Katherine Warren | Trinity Presbyterian |
SOUTH COACHES
Hollis Johnson | Montgomery Catholic |
Ron Peters | Smiths Station - Admin. |
2021 BOYS' CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER
NORTH ALL-STARS
David Haskins | Westminster-Oak Mtn | |
Trey Hurt | Florence | |
Steele Joiner | Lawrence County | |
Wyatt Knight | Ashville | |
Jack Lowe | Pell City | |
John (Jack) Nichols | Altamont | |
Mitchell Phillips | Hewitt-Trussville | |
Keegan Verble | Grissom | |
Nick Wood | Cullman | |
Henry Woodall | Lindsay Lane Christian |
NORTH COACHES
John Moore | White Plains | |
Michael McGovern | Mtn Brook - Admin. |
SOUTH ALL-STARS
Davis Amare | Fairhope | |
Woodrow Dean | Tallassee | |
Sean Dorrill | Central - Phenix City | |
William Jameson | St. Paul's Episcopal | |
Cameron Mann | Wetumpka | |
Thomas Miller | St. Michael Catholic | |
Connor Patterson | Providence Christian | |
Joseph Perry | UMS-Wright | |
Brett Tessay | Enterprise | |
Justin Walker | Faith Academy |
SOUTH COACHES
Cliff Carter | Providence Christian | |
Ron Peters | Smiths Station - Admin. |
