By Rubin E. Grant
Bitcoins might be all the rage for some, but Hoover track coach Chris Schmidt prefers nickels and dimes – at least when the Bucs are competing in a state track meet.
“We’re blessed with some great coaches and great athletes, but knowing where to put our athletes for them to be successful is a big part of it,” Schmidt said. “Our goal is to score in everything, every event, and to pick up those nickels and dimes when it comes to scoring points. That’s the key to our success.”
Hoover collected plenty of nickels and dimes as it continued its indoor track dominance by winning the boys and girls indoor track championships in Class 7A last Saturday at the 53rd AHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Hoover has won three of the past four girls indoor championships, while the boys have won six of the past seven. Both squads repeated as the Class 7A indoor team champs. Hoover’s boys scored 134 points to beat runner-up Vestavia Hills’ 61, and the girls had 111.5 points to runner-up Chelsea’s 81.
“Obviously, I am very pleased,” Schmidt said. “Our kids executed the way they were supposed to.”
In the girls Class 7A competition, Hoover senior Gabrielle Washington won the 60-meter dash in 7.62 seconds and the 400-meter dash in 55.81 seconds. She also was part of the winning 4×200 and 4×800 relay teams. She barely missed winning the 60-meter dash, finishing a split second behind Foley’s Roper. Both were clocked at 7.67.
“Gabby was dominant,” Schmidt said. “She had a great indoor season.”
Freshman Daisy Luna finished second to Washington in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.21. Two other Bucs freshmen earned goal medals. Dasya Harold won the triple jump with a leap of 47 feet, 1¼ inches, and Nyel Settles won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 4 inches.
Hoover’s McKenzie Blackledge was second in the 800-meter run in 2:13.09 and Laurin Mack finished second in the long jump with a leap of 17-03.75.
Hoover broke the girls 4×200-meter relay record with a time of 1:39.35. It set a new 7A and all-classification record, which had been set by Hoover in 2016 with a time of 1:40.91. The record-setting time was run by the team of Taylor Canada, Luna, JeBreiya Chapman and Washington.
The 4×400 team of Blackledge, Luna, Canada and Washington won in 3:55.28.
In boys action, Hoover took 1-2 in the 400-meter dash with junior Dallas Beck winning the event with a 49.09 time and sophomore DeMarcus Gardner second at 49.12.
Hoover also took 1-2 in the 60-meter dash with senior Jay Avery winning with a 6.96 time, edging senior teammate Khaalid Ruffin, who crossed the finish line with a 6.98 time.
Avery also won the triple jump with a leap of 47 feet, ¾ inches and was runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 22-03.50.
Hoover’s Denver Cash (8.28) and RJ Torbor (8.33) were second and third in the 60-meter hurdles behind Thompson’s Bradley Franklin (8.00).
Hoover’s Brady Shaw was third in the shot put with a toss of 50-08.00. Hoover’s Collin Pate (15-06.00) and Connor White (15-00.00) finished second and third in the pole vault.
The Bucs’ team of Beck, Zachary King, Pate and Charles Crowder won 4×400 meter relay, clocking 3:22.89.
Spartans Win Another Girls Title
Mountain Brook put together a strong performance in the distance races to win the Class 6A girls championship with 77 points. Northridge was second with 64.50 points and Homewood was third with 61.75.
The title was the Spartans’ first since winning the Class 7A crown in 2019.
Mountain Brook senior Reagan Riley collected two golds and two silvers to lead the Spartans.
“It was such a team effort and we couldn’t have gotten it without people stepping up and doing their absolute best for the team,” Riley said. “It was so fun to win alongside this group of girls and an amazing way for us to go out of indoor and into outdoor with the same momentum.
“It was a lot of behind-the-scenes meetings, prayers, hard conversations and work that got us here and getting to hold the trophy was such an amazing feeling to have something tangible that showed off our hard work.”
Riley won the 1,600-meter run in 5:06.81 and finished second behind teammate Lucy Benton in the 800-meter run. Benton clocked 2:13.88 and Riley 2:14.88.
Riley also was second in the 3,200 in 11:02.51, behind Northridge’s Mary Mac Collins, who won with a time of 10:50.81. Mountain Brook’s Virginia Averyt was third in 11:06.00.
Riley was a part of Mountain Brook’s 4×800 relay team that won in 9:45.42. She was joined by Callie Kent, Mary Katherine Malone and Kennedy Hamilton.
Mountain Brook also won the 4×400 relay in 4:05.33 with a team of Kent, Malone and Ellie Fooshee Benton.
Homewood’s Brooke Walden won the pole vault, clearing a record 12-03.00.
Homewood’s Emma Brooke Levering finished third in the 1,600 (5:09.23), fourth in 800 (2:20.57) and fourth in 3200 (11:5.83.)
The Patriots finished second in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relay races.
Vestavia’s Leath Shines
Vestavia Hills senior Alex Leath set a new 7A state indoor meet record in the 1,600-meter run, clocking 4:10.94 to win the event.
Auburn senior Maxwell Hardin crossed the finish line at 4:12.24 to finish second and Vestavia Hills’ junior Henry Strand was third at 4:15.99. Spain Park senior Keith Warner was fourth in 4:16:83 as all four runners beat the old record of 4:17.06, which was set by Mountain Brook’s Drew Williams in the 2016 state indoor meet.
Leath also won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:53.41 and teammate Max Armstrong was third in 1:55.64.
The Rebels broke the 4×800-meter relay record with a time of 7:57.02. That beat the all-class record of 7:57.91 set by Smiths Station in 2007 and the 7A record of 7:47.923 run by Mountain Brook in 2016. The record-setting time was run by the team of David Howard, Armstrong, Mitchell Schaaf and Leath.
In the girls 7A pole vault, Vestavia sophomore Kennedy Moreland cleared 12 feet to win.
Homewood, Mountain Boys Go 2-3
Homewood finished second with 66 points and Mountain Brook third with 54 in the Class 6A boys competition, won by McGill-Toolen with 84 points.
The Patriots won the 4×800 in 8:01.90 with a team of Will Doughty, Colvin Bassey, Ethan Bagwell and Ben Murray. Mountain Brook was second in 8:03.07.
The Spartans were second in the 4×400 in 3:24.56 and the Patriots were third in 3:25.59. Mountain Brook also was second in 4×200 relay in 1:31.26.
Mountain Brook’s Davis Lee was third in the 400-meter dash in 49.57 and Homewood’s Ben Murray was fifth in 50.91.
Murray was third in the 800-meter run in 1:54.78 and teammate Slate Rohrer was third in the 60-meter hurdles in 8:51.
Homewood’s Hunter Drake finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 43:04.50.
Altamont Girls Win
Altamont won Class 1A-3A girls with 69 points, edging Houston Academy with 68.6 points. Indian Springs was third with 44 points.
Altamont’s Merritt Fulmer cleared 10 feet to win the pole vault. Altamont won the 4×800 relay in 10:44.63 and finished second in the 4×400.
Indian Springs’ Elise Picard collected three golds, winning the 800 with a time of 2:25.88, the 1,600-meter run in 5:26.31 and the 3,200 in 11:47.14.
