“Why was there no article two weeks ago? Have you gotten lazy?”
No, it’s just that two weeks ago the entire team ran so poorly that it wasn’t worth writing about. For the varsity boys, our average at Chickasaw was over a minute faster than the course that shall not be named. Yeah. Also, the course (that shall not be named) was so terrible that I don’t want to give it any publicity whatsoever. If anyone associated with Lawrence County High School XC is reading this, please fix your stupid course. The two-mile mark is horribly off.
Anyways, let’s get to the real news: The Chickasaw Trails Invitational. Seen as a prestigious race, schools from across the state and some from Tennessee participate to see which is the best (the best is usually Huntsville High, Vestavia, or some private school in TN). When the team arrived at the course, the weather was absolutely perfect – high 60s and clouds. Luckily, the weather would remain in that state for the Varsity A race.
“Varsity A? That’s new. What’s Varsity A?”
Since Chickasaw is such a large race, Varsity is split into A and B teams. The A team is composed of the top seven runners, while the rest are part of the B team. JV remains the same for this race. Now, let’s get to the results.
The Results:
VARSITY A 5K RESULTS:
Place, Name and Grade, Time:
76. Roman Hanson (10) – 17:11.11
83. Jake Bryan (11) – 17:19.56
86. Owen Lang (12) – 17:23.55
103. Caleb Johnson (12) 17:43.57
108. Eric Joy (12) – 17:52.30
123. Owen Johnston (10) – 18:03.94
134. Jackson Clemons (12) – 18.28.92
TOTAL RUNNERS: 227
WEATHER: High 60s, overcast. WIND: Minimal.
Team Results
Place, School, Points, Average
12. James Clemens – 432, 17:31
13. Bob Jones – 439, 17:30
14. Cullman – 466, 17:35
TOTAL TEAMS: 33
This was a very solid result for the Varsity A. Coming within seven points of JC is a good result, even though they were missing Luke Alverson, who runs times in the low 15s. However, beating Cullman by that large an amount is relatively impressive, given that Cullman fields strong teams. Also, our 17:30 average is the fastest the team has averaged in three years.
VARSITY B 5K RESULTS:
Place, Name and Grade, Time:
73. Jacob Sigler (12) – 18:49.80
134. Sawyer Andrews (11) – 19:47.56
135. Alex Horn (11) – 19:47.79
152. Micah Meeker (8, JMS) – 20:02.71
208. Stephen Hall (12) – 20:55.89
219. Caleb Cooke (10) – 21:09.56
220. Conrado Jocson (12) – 21:09.86
237. Liam Culver (12) – 21:25.06
291. Jackson Stokes (10) – 22:17.58
294. Thomas Sigler (12) – 22:18.89
309. Pedro Henriquez (10) – 22:44.43
328. Apaulo Crandall (12) – 23:01.62
352. Daniel Isabor (12) – 23:51.81
353. Whitman Haynes (12) – 23:54.45
361. Carson Drake (11) – 24:07.03
426. James Holt (10) – 27:29.65
TOTAL RUNNERS: 444
WEATHER: Mid 70s, partly cloudy. WIND: ~8mph, gusty.
Team Results:
Place, Team, Points, Average:
11. Oxford (AL) – 385, 19:48
12. Bob Jones – 407, 19:52
13. Russellville – 426, 20:06
TOTAL TEAMS: 31
Similar to Varsity A, this was a solid performance from VB. Many people had substantial PRs, and we had several runners running the 5K for the first time. In addition, we had a JV runner step up to the 5K for the first time in Meeker, whose 20:02 is a very solid time for an eighth grader. After this race, it becomes much clearer who the contenders are for the final available sectionals spots come October. As of now, J. Sigler has put himself in pole position, with Andrews and Horn hot on his tail.
JV BOYS 2.1 MILE RESULTS:
Place, Name and Grade (and School), Time:
43. Bowen Hughes (8, DMS) – 12:43.25
46. Chase Lehmann (8, DMS) – 12:44.27
71. Dean Charman (7, DMS) – 13:12.25
81. Davis Joy (8, DMS) – 13:18.41
103. James White (9) – 13:33.42
113. Nathan Shultz (7, DMS) – 13:40.61
122. Sabin Stokes (9) – 13:47.30
127. Brooks van Dam (9) – 13:52.53
132. Clayton Bruns (9) – 13:55.03
196. Dean Moss (9) – 14:40.99
197. Wyatt Wooley (8, DMS) – 14:42.00
252. Jack Sanders (7, DMS) – 15:22.31
322. Will Tennille (8, DMS) – 16:22.35
345. Brody Dunham (9) – 16:45.73
358. Korbin Bourgeios (7, DMS) – 17:00.57
392. Sean Osterhout (8, JMS) – 18:04.07
427. Sheldon Elmore (9) – 20:00+
435. Wyatt Valent (9) – 20:00+
TOTAL RUNNERS: 442
WEATHER: High 70s, partly cloudy. Wind: ~8mph, gusty.
Team Results
Place, School, Points, Average
8. Hewitt-Trussville Middle – 248, 12:58
9. Bob Jones (JV) – 262, 13:06
10. Westminster Christian (JV) – 322, 13:21
TOTAL TEAMS: 30
While the results from both varsity teams are B-tier, these results from the JV are outstanding. This is the fastest Bob Jones JV team in the history of the Chickasaw Invitational. The 2021 JV team placed higher, but this iteration had a slightly faster average. Nine people qualified for JV Gold (A race at the end of the season in which you have to run faster than 14:30 to qualify), and a further two were just off.
End of Results
As for the overall winners and losers from the Varsity A, John Shoemaker of Oak Mountain won the race with a time of 15:01.00. The McCaulie School from Tennessee won the race with a score of 47, beating Vestavia High by 39 points. The Montgomery Bell Academy, Huntsville High, and Hoover High completed the top five – all with averages under 16:20. By Contrast, Hartselle High acted as the caboose, with a total score of 990 and an average of 21:18. To be fair to Hartselle, their girls teams are much better.
