For the sixth consecutive time, the Bob Jones Boys XC team was eligible to race at the AHSAA State Championships in Oakville. For the second year in a row, the girls will be joining us. The boys earned their position by placing third at sectionals the previous week and will enjoy the privilege of racing against the other 15 teams that managed to claw their way out of their section. Who are some of the favorites to win? Let’s find out:
Huntsville: Ah, Huntsville: the most thoroughly dominant program in the state. Before Vestavia Hills shocked the XC community and snatched the championship from them in 2022 (by less than 1 second!), Huntsville had won the title four consecutive times. They look to return to their winning ways this year and are yet again the favorites coming into the race.
Vestavia Hills: Coming off back-to-back upset victories, Vestavia looks to again fend off Huntsville to complete the three-peat.
Hoover: Hoover is known throughout the state as a football, basketball, and track powerhouse, but they routinely field incredibly strong XC teams as well. Having placed 7th last year, they aspire to crack the top three and are projected to do so.
Hewitt-Trusville: With many ridiculously fast young runners, Hewitt-Trussville is a team on the rise. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, they’ll be challenging for the State Title.
With some of the favorites previewed, let’s talk more about us. We are projected to finish eleventh, which would be our highest positioning since 2021. Our results from 2022 were poor, and we only made State in 2023 after beating Florence by one point at Sectionals to finish fourth. That result was a miracle – so much so that it just might be the greatest upset in the history of Bob Jones Athletics.
Forget about the past; let’s see how we did!
The Results:
7A Boys 5K Results
Place, Name and Grade – Time
51. Caleb Johnson (12) – 17:01.39
70. Roman Hanson (10) – 17:17.04
82. Luke Allen (12) – 17:38.60
88. Jake Bryan (11) – 17:43.79
94. Owen Johnston (10) – 17:48.38
97. Owen Lang (12) – 17:49.87
112. Eric Joy (12) – 18:09.41
116. Jackson Clemons (12) – 18:16.80
129. Jacob Sigler (12) – 18:36.79
153. Micah Meeker (8, JMS) – 19:10.31
Alternates: Chase Lehmann (8, DMS), Alex Horn (11)
Total Runners: 179
Team Scores:
Place, School – Score, Average, 1-5 Split
1. Huntsville – 48, 15:42, 1:24
2. Vestavia Hills – 57, 15:56, 0:31
3. Hewitt-Trussville – 107, 16:17, 0:54
4. Hoover – 111, 16:17, 0:33
5. Oak Mountain – 135, 16:22, 1:22
6. St. Paul’s Episcopal – 193, 16:44, 1:42
7. Florence – 216, 16:53, 1:42
8. Auburn – 229, 17:01, 0:28
9. James Clemens – 278, 17:10, 3:49
10. Bob Jones – 313, 17:29, 0:46
11. Baker – 315, 17:28, 1:37
12. Enterprise – 325, 17:36, 1:14
13. Foley – 353, 17:50, 2:03
14. Opelika – 380, 17:58, 3:05
15. Davidson – 387, 18:01, 1:58
16. Smiths Station – 402, 18:04, 1:19
Weather: Low 70s, very humid.
Analysis:
Before the race, I promised to jump into the lake that surrounds the course if we beat our projection. Sure enough, we did. 10th place is a fantastic result, given the injuries that we sustained throughout the season. Johnson was agonizingly close to breaking 17:00, but that was the first PR he’s run in two years, so he wasn’t too upset about it. Hanson pushed through a turned ankle to run 17:17, Allen ran his fastest time of the year, Bryan recovered his form a bit, and Johnston ran a massive PR. Clemons, Sigler, and Meeker also ran PRs. For Lang and myself, this was an individual performance to forget. I’ve said this many times in these articles, but every time it’s rung true: all in all, this was a great day for Bob Jones XC!
As for the other teams, Huntsville reclaiming the title was not a surprise. On the other hand, Hewitt-Trussville pipping Hoover for the final podium spot was unexpected. The only other real shock is Smiths Station in last place. Normally, they’re in the top 10, I don’t know what happened to them this year.
7A Girls 5K Results
Place, Name and Grade – Time
24. Molly Halter (12) – 19:46.37
27. Ami Marks (10) – 19:51.34
46. Sarah Allison (9) – 20:29.24
98. Aaliyah Wright (8) – 21:57.49
111. Elise Marks (8) – 22:21.49
121. Sydney Darnell (7) – 22:34.99
122. Bailey Lehmann (8) – 22:37.75
133. Charlotte Droege (12) – 23:01.84
141. Zoe Pacillo (8) – 23:32.31
155. Anjana Raman (9) – 24:09.03
Total Runners: 177
Team Scores:
Place, School – Score, Average, 1-5 Split
1. Auburn – 58, 19:10, 1:31
2. Hoover – 59, 19:03, 1:39
3. Huntsville – 65, 19:25, 0:39
4. Vestavia Hills – 110, 19:42, 1:10
5. Hewitt-Trussville – 139, 19:51, 1:45
6. Oak Mountain – 168, 20:04, 1:17
7. St. Paul’s Episcopal – 240, 20:36, 1:12
8. Bob Jones – 265 – 20:53, 2:34
9. Enterprise – 286 – 20:58, 1:22
*10*. Thompson – 290, 20:59, 1:58
11. James Clemens – 312, 21:15, 3:05
12. Fairhope – 320, 21:19, 2:51
13. Smiths Station – 332, 21:17, 1:31
14. Prattville – 403, 22:02, 1:48
15. Robertsdale – 427, 22:28, 4:04
16. Florence – 438, 22:20, 2:03
17. Davidson – 482, 23:05, 2:40
Weather: Mid 60s, humid.
Analysis:
“Why does Thompson have asterisks around their placement?”
Well, it’s an oddity for sure. I have tried to find another situation like theirs in 7A, and after looking for half an hour, I couldn’t find a replica. Anyway, they have asterisks because they didn’t actually qualify as a team. Normally, the top four teams from the four 7A sections go to State, and the top six individuals on teams that didn’t make the cut get to run at State as well. Thompson finished 5th in their section, but all of the individual qualifiers wore their crimson colors. Thus, they were able to form a team even though they didn’t qualify. You can thank Tuscaloosa County (the weakest 7A XC team in the state) for that.
Now, let’s focus on the Bob Jones girls, rather than those from Thompson. They ran phenomenally, and since their team is filled with many “JV,” their future is brighter than Betelgeuse. Unfortunately for us guys, they will likely remain stronger than us for the foreseeable future. Who knows? Maybe our JV can change that.
When looking at the top teams, one thing becomes immediately clear: the race for the title was insanely tight, the tightest it’s been in years. Last year, Auburn’s girls won the title by a whopping 60 points. Hoover cut the deficit to one this year, and Huntsville wasn’t too far off either.
End of Results
The individual winner of the Boys race was Eric Moore (12) of Huntsville with a 14:52, completing a stunning upset of Luke Alverson (12) of James Clemens, who was expected to win the race comfortably.
In the Girls race, Sarah Tole (10) of Auburn fended off Hoover’s top three runners to crown herself as State Champion. Tole ran 18:13.
