White Plains ran the Class 4A state meet and finished second in 2025 with 90 points, a 58-second scoring spread, behind only Hamilton. Wilson was 10th in that same race, Hatton 12th, LAMP (Loveless) 16th. DAR sent the runner who won it. Oneonta, Handley, Ashville, Cordova, Fultondale, Haleyville, Munford and Madison County all sent individual qualifiers to 4A.
Alabama School of Cyber Technology ran the 3A meet and was third. Vinemont was sixth, Colbert Heights eighth, Sylvania 11th, Glencoe 12th, Rogers 15th. Lauderdale County's Caleb Mullins finished seventh overall as a sophomore, running alone.
They're all in the same race now that's because nine of the fifteen teams that scored at last year's 3A state meet aren't in the class anymore. Champion Montgomery Academy and runner-up St. Luke's Episcopal both moved to Single A, along with Westbrook Christian, Saint James and St. Bernard. Madison Academy and Lee-Scott went to Double AA. J.B. Pennington and Piedmont dropped to 1A-2A. Individual champion Brady Johnson of Vinemont graduated.
So the field that lines up at Oakville on Nov. 7 is a genuinely new one: a tier of programs down from 4A, six holdovers from 3A, and no returning team champion, runner-up or individual winner anywhere in it.
Here's who can win it.
The graduation math
Ten of these programs scored at a state meet last fall: four in 4A, six in 3A. Counting only their scoring fives:
| Scorers lost | Teams |
|---|---|
| 0 | Colbert Heights, LAMP (Loveless) |
| 1 | Alabama School of Cyber Technology, Vinemont, Sylvania, Glencoe, Rogers, Hatton |
| 2 | Wilson |
| 3 | White Plains |
The single losses aren't all equal. Cyber Tech lost Cason Williams, its No. 1. Vinemont lost Brady Johnson, who won the state meet. Colbert Heights returns their top 5.