By Rubin E. Grant
Hoover track coach Chris Schmidt believes it wasn’t just the way his athletes performed but also how they cheered that enabled the Bucs to sweep the Class 7A boys and girls state titles in the 100th AHSAA State Track and Field Championships May 2-4 at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.
Hoover dominated the boys competition, scoring 156.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Vestavia Hills with 73 points and third-place James Clemens with 71.
The Hoover girls didn’t run away from the competition. They came out on top with 90.5 points. Hewitt-Trussville was second with 71 points.
“Obviously, I was very pleased with the way we performed,” Schmidt said. “But it was good to see them supporting their teammates, which means a lot. We had 30-40 kids at just about every event encouraging their teammates. I feel as if everybody contributed to our state championships in one way or another.”
The Bucs had a plethora of boys reach the podium. “They were unstoppable,” Schmidt said.
Junior Grant Weighall won gold medals in the discus with a throw of 166-07 and the javelin with a throw of 197.09.
Senior Bradley Shaw was first in shot put with a toss of 55-10.75. Freshman Nigel Thomas was second with a toss of 53-07.25.
Senior Collin Pate won the pole vault, clearing 15-00.00, and sophomore Norman Settles was second, also clearing 15-00.00.
Senior Jordan Woolen was second in the 200 meters with a time of 21.17, third in 100 meters with a time of 10.73, and second in high jump with a leap of 6-06.00. Senior R.J. Torbor was second in 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.44. Senior Denver Cash was second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.18. Senior Charles Crowder was second in long jump with a leap of 23-04.75 and third in the triple jump with a distance of 46-04.25.
As expected, the Bucs boys had the best 4×100 relay time of the state meet, winning in 41.58 seconds. They were second in the 4×400, clocking 3:17.67.
The Hoover girls won only two gold medals but had a number of athletes who reached the podium and several others who scored valuable points.
Sophomore Nyel Settles won the high jump with a leap of 5-06.00, and freshman Lila Discua was second with a leap of 5-04.00.
The Bucs’ 4×400 relay team of sophomore Grier Jones, sophomore Daisy Luna, junior Taylor Canada and senior McKenzie Blackledge earned gold with a time of 3:53.38.
Luna claimed silver in the 400 meters with a time of 57.15 and junior Isabella Maple was second in pole vault, clearing 11.00.00. Canada finished third in the 200 meters, clocking 24.71, and sophomore Dasya Harold was third in triple jump with a distance of 37-11.75.
“The girls did a fantastic job of picking up points where we needed them,” Schmidt said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It’s the third consecutive year the Bucs have won both the outdoor and indoor Class 7A state championships in the same year.
The girls win was their 14th overall outdoor title, and the boys won their 13th overall outdoor crown.
“I’m blessed to be here at Hoover High School,” Schmidt said. “We have great kids who believe in their coaches and each other. We also have fantastic support from the school administration and the parents.
“At the end of the day, all 56 kids had the opportunity to hold two blue map (championship) trophies.”
Vestavia Hills Medalists
Vestavia Hills senior Max Armstrong earned a gold medal and a silver medal to help the Rebels finish second in the Class 7A boys meet.
Armstrong clocked 1:53.62 to win the 800-meters run and was second in 400 meters with a time of 48.19.
Rebels junior Jack Stubbs won the long jump with a leap of 23-07.25.
The Rebels’ boys relay teams both reached the podium, finishing second in the 4×800 with a time of 7:50.96 and third in the 4×400 with a time of 3:19.79.
In the girls competition, Vestavia Hills junior Kennedy Malone won the pole vault, clearing 11-06.00 and senior Christiana Belcher took gold in the javelin with a throw of 133-02.
Sophomore Molly Mac Sharp was second in javelin with a throw of 125-03.
As a team, the Rebels girls finished with 54.5 points.
Noteworthy
Oak Mountain junior John Shoemaker set a new record in the Class 7A 3,200-meter run with a winning time of 9:09.68, breaking the previous record (9:11.55) set by Maxwell Hardin of Auburn in 2023. Shoemaker was third in 1,600 with a time of 4:13.09.
Oak Mountain freshman Chase Lovell swept the boys ambulatory races, finishing first in the 100 meters with a time of 19.93, first in the 200 with a time of 43.50 and first in the 400 with a time of 1:39.89.
Spain Park senior Delaney Vickers won the Class 7A girls 3,200 meters with a time of 11:00.42 and finished second in both the 800 (2:10.37) and 1,600 (4:54.25).
