By Rubin E. Grant
Taylor Canada was beginning to feel the effects of a long day at the Birmingham CrossPlex as the final event of the AHSAA Class 7A State Indoor Track and Field Championships approached.
“I was so tired, my feet were hurting and I was sleepy,” said Canada, a junior Hoover sprinter. “But I wanted to go out and do my best.”
Canada did just that, running anchor as Hoover’s girls 4×400 relay team set a state record with a winning time of 3:53.64. The time was also a new CrossPlex record. The previous 7A record (3:55.24) was set by Hoover in 2018, and the CrossPlex mark (3:53.97) was set by the Bucs in 2023.
“It was really exciting to set the record and be able to run the way we did,” Canada said. “I didn’t know how far in front we were, so when I got the baton, I just ran.”
Sophomore Grier Jones, senior McKenzie Blackledge and sophomore Daisy Luna ran the first three legs.
Their performance put the exclamation mark on another stellar state meet for the Bucs as they swept the girls and boys Class 7A indoor championships for the third consecutive year.
The girls won with 90 points, easily outdistancing second-place Hewitt-Trussville (59 points) and third-place Vestavia Hills (44 points).
The Hoover boys amassed 133.5 points to grab the 7A crown for the 13th time in school history. Vestavia Hills was second with 79 points.
The state indoor title was the 11th for the Hoover girls’ program, and it was the seventh time the two teams have swept the indoor state championships in the same year. The other years were 2014, 20157, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
“I was very, very pleased,” Hoover coach Chris Schmidt said. “Going into the meet, I thought we had a great opportunity to bring home two blue map (championship) trophies.
“I tell them all the time we don’t need anybody to be great or try to do anything special, but to just to do their jobs. They all ran for each other and ran for the team.”
That said, Schmidt liked the greatness shown by the girls 4×400 relay team.
“That was very special and to do it on the last event when a couple of them were competing in their third and fourth event was a great way to finish for the girls,” Schmidt said.
Canada wound up winning three gold medals. She won the 60-meter dash, clocking 7.67 seconds, and was part of Hoover’s winning 4×200 relay team that finished with a time of 1:42.83 seconds.
Luna also won three gold medals. She recorded a personal best 55.81 in the 400-meter dash to take first place and was part of both winning relay teams.
Bucs sophomore DAsya Harold won the triple jump with a leap of 36-09.25, the second consecutive year she has earned gold in the event.
Blackledge took silver in 800 meters with a time of 2:15.53 and bronze in 400 meters with a time of 57.98. Senior Tamsyn Gibbs was third in the 3,200-meter run, finishing in 11:15.24. The Bucs 4×800 relay took third in 9:38.55.
The Hoover boys used their depth to win comfortably.
“We had two guys entered in every event and the guys scored in every single event,” Schmidt said. “That’s special. It shows how well-rounded our team is.”
Senior Collin Pate cleared 16 feet, 2 inches to win the pole vault; senior Bradley Shaw won the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 4 inches; and senior Dallas Beck ran a personal best time of 48.64 to win the 400-meter dash.
Hoover also claimed gold in the 4×200, clocking 1:28.51, and in the 4×400 with a time of 3:21.11. The Bucs finished third in the 4×800 in 8:00.78.
The Bucs had four senior athletes earn silver: Denver Cash in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.88; Cannon Peters in the 800 meters with a time of 1:55.37; Jordan Woolen in the high jump with a leap of 6-04.00; and Charles Crowder in the triple jump with a distance of 46-07.25.
Senior R.J. Torbor was third in the long jump with a leap of 22-01.75.
Vestavia Hills Medalists
Vestavia Hills senior Max Armstrong won a very close 800-meter boys race with a winning time of 1:54.54. The top four runners finished under 1:56. Armstrong also took second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.08.
The Rebels won the boys 4×800 relay with a state record time of 7:56.24 and were second in the 4×400, finishing in 3:21.51.
Rebels junior Mitchell Schaaf earned silver in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:18.35 and freshman Caleb Farrar took silver in the pole vault, clearing 13-06.00.
On the girls side, junior Kennedy Moreland won the pole vault, clearing 11-06.00, and freshman Krislyn Thomas was second, clearing 11-00.00. Sophomore Riley Zeanah won the 800 meters with a time of 2:15.49.
John Carroll Record-Setter
John Carroll senior Arthur Langley set a new Class 4A/5A state meet record in the boys 1,600 meters with a winning time of 4:18.6. Munford’s Dakota Frank also broke the previous record with a time of 4:18.8. The previous record of 4:21.47 was set by Scottsboro’s Evan Hill in 2023.
The top two finishers swapped places in the 3,200-meter run. Frank won with a personal best time of 9:24.40, and Langley was second, clocking 9:27.69.
The Cavaliers finished second in the team standings with 61 points. Scottsboro totaled 80 points to win.
John Carroll senior Carson McFadden took silver in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.69 seconds. He was third in the high jump with a leap of 6-00.00.
Cavs junior Sebastian Guerrero finished second in the 400 meters, clocking 50.95, and second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.13
John Carroll won the 4×800 relay, finishing in 8:22.11. The Cavs’ girls 4×800 finished second in its race, clocking 10:12.88.
As a team, John Carroll’s girls tied for seventh with 27 points. Scottsboro won with 72 points, giving the Wildcats a sweep in Class 4A/5A.
