By Rubin E. Grant
First-year Hoover track coach Chris Schmidt laughed at the notion he was already trying to break former coach Devon Hind’s record.
Hind won 42 state championships in 19 seasons coaching track and field at Hoover and Berry high schools before retiring at the end of the 2021 outdoor season.
Even if he doesn’t have Hind’s record in his sights, Schmidt has had a remarkable first season at the helm. He led the Bucs to the boys and girls Class 7A indoor state championships in February, then did an encore performance in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s 98th State Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 5-7 at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex.
The Bucs swept the Class 7A competition with a strong finish on the final day. Hoover won its fourth boys’ state title in the last five tries and 11th overall, posting 126 points to best defending champion Vestavia Hills, which scored 114. Auburn was third with 104.
The Lady Bucs amassed 120 points to win the school’s ninth state crown in the past 10 years. Vestavia Hills was second with 85 points, Hewitt-Trussville had 74 and Auburn finished with 73.
“Coach Hind set everything up,” Schmidt said, giving a nod to his successor. “We’ve got a great coaching staff and great kids.
“The girls were great. They did an incredible job in the indoors and followed suit in the outdoors. We scored in every event but one.”
The Lady Bucs didn’t have any individual winners but won gold in the 4×100 relay race with a time of 47.17 and in the 4×400 relay, clocking 3:53.24.
Hoover had several girls who claimed silver. Daisy Luna finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.15; Nyel Settles was second in the high jump with a leap of 5-02.00; Laurin Mack was second in the long jump (17-04.75); and Alex Inglis was second in the pole vault (11-00.00).
McKenzie Blackledge finished third in the 400-meter dash (57.39) and the 800-meter run (2:13.72). The Lady Bucs’ 4×800 relay team also came in third (9:42.38).
The Hoover boys had to overcome injuries and sickness to four of its athletes to win.
“We had several guys who stepped up and we had guys scoring in every event but one,” Schmidt said.
Among those stepping up were Bradley Shaw, who won the discus with a throw of 152-06 and was second in the shot put with a heave of 54-02. Jay Avery won the triple jump (49-01.50), finished second in long jump (23-01) and fourth in the high jump (6-02).
Sophomore Collin Pate won gold in the pole vault, clearing 16-00. Spain Park senior John Landers and Hoover senior Carter Ellis both cleared 16 feet as well, but Pate emerged as the winner with fewer misses. Hoover’s Dallas Beck finished second in the 400-meter dash, clocking 48.70.
The Bucs also had strong showings in the relays, finishing first in the 4×400 (3:16.31), second in the 4×800 (7:58.64) and third in the 4×100 (42.29). Their victory in the 4×400 was by 1/100th of a second ahead of the Rebels, who clocked 3:16.32.
Mountain Brook Claims 6A Girls Crown
Distance runners Lucy Benton, Reagan Riley and Hunter Anderson set the pace as Mountain Brook, with 116 points, edged Northridge, which had 111.5 points, to win the Class 6A girls state title.
Benton ran a state record time of 2:10.90 to win the 800-meter run. Pelham’s Katie Strozier set the previous record (2:11.77) in 2018. Riley finished second in 2:12.82 and Anderson third in 2:14.06.
The trio also had a 1-2-3 finish in the 1,600 meters with Riley earning gold with a time of 4:51.82. Benton (4:56.62) was second and Anderson (4:57.94) third. They were the only runners in the 6A race to cross the finish line in under five minutes.
Riley, a junior, also won the 3,200, clocking 10:55.04.
“Outdoors is hard to win,” Mountain Brook coach Michael McGovern said. “This is the first time we’ve won it since 2011. We had some outstanding performances from a lot of athletes. Going 1-2-3 in two events was huge.”
The Spartans also took gold in the 4×400 relay (3:39.15) and the 4×800 (9:35.95) as they won their 12th state title overall.
Ellie Fooshee finished in the javelin (119-10) and Lucy Redden was third in the 100 hurdles (15.04). Benton was in the 400-meter dash (57.93) and Camille Gillum was fourth in the high jump (5-02.00).
“We scored a lot of points in different places,” McGovern said.
The Spartans’ lone boys winner was Davis Plowden in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.20.
Rebels Perform Well
The Vestavia Hills boys had three gold medal winners while finishing second in Class 7A: Bo Webb in the 300 hurdles (38.22), John Stephens in the 400-meter dash (48.55), Alex Leath in the 800-meter run (1:53.96), just ahead of teammate Max Armstrong (1:54.88).
Stephens also finished second in the 200-meter dash (21.21) and Leath was second in the 1,600 (4:15.66). Henry Stand was third in the 800 (1:55.96), giving the Rebels a sweep of the top three spots. Jonathan Wilson was third in the 300 hurdles (40.45).
The Rebels boys relay teams also had a strong meet, taking first in the 4×800 (7:48.36) and second in both the 4×100 (41.70) and 4×400 (3:16.32).
On the girls side, senior Crawford West closed her brilliant career with first-place finishes in the 1,600 (4:56.56) and 3,200 (10:43.66).
Versatile Angelica Vines had an outstanding meet, taking gold in the long jump (17-11.00), silver in the 300 hurdles (45.43) and javelin (129-08), and bronze in the 100 hurdles (14.99).
Abbie Richenderfer won the pole vault, clearing 11-06.00, and Kennedy Moreland was third (10-06.00).
Another notable girls performance in Class 7A came from Spain Park talented senior Mackenzie Culpepper. She won gold in the 400-meter dash (56.68) and 800-meter run (2:12.21) and finished second in the 1,600 (5:04.00).
Westminster Claims Girls 2A Crown
Reave Metcalf set a new Class 2A girls state pole vault record as Westminster-Oak Mountain claimed the 2A state title at Cullman High School.
Metcalf cleared 10-03 to claim gold in the event. Altamont’s Merritt Fulmer also surpassed the old mark (9-06) established by Emee Baker of Addison in 2016.
Westminster earned 114 points as a team with Altamont second with 71 points.
Metcalf’s record was the highlight for Westminster, but it had several other winners.
Hannah Adams won the 1600 (5:35.40) and 3200 (11:57.60) and finished second in the 800 (2:28.44). Elizabeth Bandura won the 300 hurdles (49.38) and Emily White won the triple jump (33-10.50). Westminster also took gold in the 4×800 relay with a time of 10:27.68.
Altamont’s Carson Hicks was a multiple winner, claiming gold in the 200-meter dash (25.91) and long jump (16-08.50). She also finished second in the 400 meters, clocking 1:00.36.
