By Rubin E. Grant
Emma Brooke Levering approached the state cross-country meet just as she had any other meet this fall, focusing on herself and not the competition or the outcome.
“I knew it was going to be tough and I knew I had to be focused to win it,” said Levering, a junior at Homewood. “I was trying to make it more about my time than about winning. I wanted to finish under 18:00 minutes. All season I have put the focus on me.”
Levering’s steely concentration allowed her to not only run a sub-18:00 race but to come out victorious.
She ran the fastest time of the day among girls, clocking 17:46.27 to win the Class 6A individual title last Saturday at Oakville Indian Mounds Park during the 68th AHSAA Cross Country Championships.
Catherine Johnstone of Athens was second in 18:09.92.
“It means a lot,” Levering said. “It’s something I have really been looking forward to doing. I’ve been working towards it my whole career, even going back to middle school, so winning was awesome.
“I was able to do it through the grace of God and because my coaches trained me so well. When I got to the middle of the race, I saw where I was, and I told myself, ‘You got this.’”
Levering hopes the title is a preview of things to come.
“I wanted this season to be a defining season for me in cross-country and track, and this meet was the precursor,” she said.
Other Champs
Vestavia Hills senior Henry Strand and John Carroll Catholic senior Arthur Langley joined Levering as individual state champions.
Strand won the day’s tightest race, edging Oak Mountain junior John Shoemaker by less than a second to win the Class 7A individual title. Strand clocked 15:10.49, followed by Shoemaker, who finished in 15:11.20.
Strand joined his older brother Ethan Strand as a state champion. Ethan Strand, now a junior runner at North Carolina, won back-to-back Class 7A titles in 2018 and 2019.
Henry Strand also helped the Rebels win their second consecutive Class 7A team title. Unlike last year, the Rebels didn’t need a tiebreaker to claim the crown over Huntsville. Vestavia Hills had 45 points to finish ahead of Huntsville with 55 points and third-place James Clemens with 64.
The Rebels had a trio of sophomores to earn All-State honors by finishing in the top 15. John Hayes was seventh with a time of 15:42.24; Ethan Meadows was 10th with a time of 16:00.85, and Jackson Mize was 14th with a time of 16:07.10. Freshman Daniel Johnson narrowly missed All-State honors, finishing 18th in 16:20.02.
Hoover senior Zander Dakis earned All-State with a 13th place finish in 16:06.70.
In the boys Class 5A race, Langley won the title with a time of 15:35.84, well ahead Southside-Gadsen’s Evan Christian, who second finished in 15:43.66.
“This is something I’ve wanted for a long time,” Langley said. “To finally do it means a lot.
“I trusted my fitness and made my move at 800 meters. I separated from the other guy, and I knew if I kept my form I was going to win. This is something I’ll remember my whole life.”
Spartans Sweep Class 6A
Mountain Brook swept the Class 6A team championships. The Spartans took home the girls title for the fourth straight season with 43 points. Briarwood Christian was second with 83 points and Homewood third with 107.
Mountain Brook’s top finisher was senior Mary Katherine Malone in fifth with a time of 18:24.11. Senior Lucy Benton was sixth, clocking 18:29.49. Sophomore Georgia Jayne Stuckey (19:13.10) finished 12th and freshman Anna Erdsberg (19:14.10) was 13th as both earned All-State honors.
Briarwood’s Mary Grace Parker was third in 18:10.74, and teammate Bela Doss was fourth in 18:14.71.
Homewood’s Caroline Wilder earned All-State honors with a 15th-place finish on a time of 19:32.64.
The Mountain Brook boys won their second straight title with 74 points, well ahead of Homewood, which was second with 129 points.
Mountain Brook’s top finisher was senior John Roberts, who was eighth with a time of 16:04.58. Sophomore Braden Little was 13th in 16:10.77. Freshman Brooks Bazemore was 19th in 16:17.93
