Perennial Powers Set Pace In State Cross Country Meet
MOULTON--Several perennial powers emerged as state champions again to highlight the 2011 state cross country championships here Saturday at the Oakville Museum and Indian Mounds Course.
GIRLS: Scottsboro, Mountain Brook Continue To Set The Pace
Scottsboro won its 11th straight Class 5A championship and 17th in the last 18 years, Mountain Brook won its ninth consecutive Class 6A title and 11th since 2000, UMS-Wright its third straight 4A crown, American Christian its fifth straight 1A-2A title and Montgomery Academy its third Class 3A title in the last four years.
Class 6A Girls
Mountain Brook, coached by Greg Echols, placed four runners in the top seven finishers to take first place with 25 points. McGill-Toolen junior Carmen Carlos ran the 3.1-mile course in 17:19.76 to win the individual championship, her third in a row. McGill finished second with 78 points and Bob Jones third with 112.
Mary Grace Strozier, a Pelham eighth grader, was second with a time of 18:32.28, moving up two notches from her fourth-place finish as a seventh grader in 2010. Sage Blackwell of McGill-Toolen was third at 18:44.51 followed by Mountain Brook’s top finisher, Ann Sisson (18:56.94).
Class 5A Girls
Coach John Esslinger’s Lady Wildcats scored 33 points to beat runner-up Saint Paul’s, which totaled 68. Scottsboro, which has won every 5A state championship since 1994 except for the 2000 title, was led by senior Maggie Thompson’s second-place finish at 19:12.30.
Winner Rachel Roberts, a John Carroll senior, ran the distance in 18:08.07 to cap her prep career with three state championships in a row. John Carroll was seventh overall.
Jamie Delay, a Scottsboro junior, was third individually for the second year in a row.
Class 4A Girls
UMS-Wright runners finished 1-2-3 with junior Kathryn Lazarchick capturing the individual Class 4A championship with a winning time of 18:57.22. She finished sixth in 2010.
Coach Pat Galle also saw Bulldogs runner Ellie Carter, a freshman, take second at 19:42.19 and junior Claire Kennedy third with a 19:46.04 time. Kristen Lazarchick, a junior, finished sixth to round out the top four UMS finishers.
Pope John Paul II of Huntsville was second in the team standings with 88 points.
Class 3A Girls
Montgomery Academy, the state champs in 2008 and 2009, won its third title in four years with 36 points to edge defending state champion Rogers with 49 points.
Sophomore Karisa Nelson of T.R. Miller ran the 3.1-mile course in 18:20.07 to cruise to her third straight Class 3A individual title. Taylor Gerald, a seventh grader, clocked 19:16.93 to finish second overall for Coach Kevin Weatherill’s Eagles.
Class 1A-2A Girls
Coach Charles Tiller’s American Christian Patriots nipped Tuscaloosa rival Holy Spirit in a close two-team race, 50 points to 58.
Senior Analisa Patrick of American Christian won the individual championship for the second year in a row with a winning time of 19:12.12. Jordan Richmond, a seventh grader at Holy Spirit, finished second at 19:31.01 and St. Bernard freshman Ayleana Mami third at 19:50.10. Kaitlin York, another freshman, was fifth as ACA’s second finisher.
BOYS: Randolph, Mountain Brook, Cottage Lead The Charge
In the boys competition, Randolph captured its seventh straight Class 3A championship, Mountain Brook its fourth straight and Cottage Hill Christian snapped Hatton’s three-year domination in Class 1A-2A.
Class 6A Boys
Mountain Brook made it a complete sweep of boys and girls Class 6A divisions with its fifth title in the last six years. Coach Greg Echols’ Spartans totaled 45 points with Hewitt-Trussville finishing second with 93 points.
Senior Brandon Hazouri of Spain Park clocked a winning time of 15:45.04 to win the individual title for the second year in a row. The Jaguars were third overall with 119 points.
Senior Buddy Soto of Baker was second at 16:04.89. Junior Payton Ballard was Mountain Brook’s top finisher with a third-place time of 16:08.05.
Class 5A Boys
Coach John Esslinger’s boys scored 43 points to give Scottsboro a sweep of the Class 5A competition for the third time in the last four years.
John Carroll junior Griffin Lee, second a year ago, clocked 16:13.11 to win the individual race.
Senior Dan Drew of Saint Paul’s was second at 16:22.22 and teammate Joe Albrecht-Frueh third at 16:28.09. Scottsboro’s top finisher was Evan McGee with a16:29.72 time in fourth place.
Class 4A Boys
UMS-Wright runners Robert Hope and Chase Tan finished 2-3 as the Bulldogs won the Class 4A state championship for the fourth year in a row and completed a sweep of the boys and girls Class 4A divisions.
It was junior Alex Gilliland of Oneonta that grabbed the spotlight, however. Gilliland, who finished 28th in 2010, sped the distance in 16:26.56 to take top individual honors. He beat UMS-Wright freshman Robert Hope (16:43.05) by 27 seconds.
Pope John Paul II of Huntsville finished second overall with 97 points and Brooks third at 110.
Class 3A Boys
Randolph senior Leland Collins, who finished second a year ago, clocked 16:45.41 to finish first as Coach James Terwilliger’s Raiders won the 3A crown for the seventh consecutive year. Teammate Eshan King was fourth in 17:00.42 as Randolph posted 24 points ahead of runner-up Montgomery Catholic (84) and third-place Montgomery Academy (94).
Sophomore Wesley Curles of Trinity Presbyterian was second with a time of 16:51.06 and Catholic’s Jarrett Mason, a junior, third at 16:57.06.
Class 1A-2A Boys
Senior Adam Dunkerley of Westminster-Oak Mountain ran the 3.1-mile distance in 16:55.44 to win the Class 1A-2A individual title after a six-place finish last year.
Colby Verdin finished sixth to at 17:23.10 lead Cottage Hill Christian to its first state championship. Cottage Hill, coached by Joe Swagart, had 49 points to edge out three-time defending state champion Hatton (86).
Blake Brackin, a senior, anchored Hatton’s effort with a second-place finish with a time of 17:02.43. Sophomore Alex Ennis of Holy Spirit was third at 17:04.52.