Hornets win 1st state cross-country title
The weather was cold, dreary and gloomy the day of the state cross-country meet.
But to Trey Lee and the rest of the Chelsea High School team, it felt like a bright, warm, sunny day.
That’s because the Chelsea girls team won the Class 7A state meet Nov. 5 at Oakville Indian Mounds Park, posting a dominant day to win the first state title in program history. The Hornets put four runners in the top nine and scored 35 points, ahead of 60 points for second-place Auburn.
“I forgot that it was cold, that my socks were wet and muddy,” said Lee, the second-year Chelsea coach. “In that moment, all I knew was the fact that we finally accomplished our goal and exceeded it.”
Ty Cason led the way for Chelsea, running the 5K in 18 minutes, 34 seconds, setting her personal best mark by 20 seconds and finishing third overall. Right behind her was senior Auburn commit Cady McPhail, who capped off a stellar high school cross-country career with a fourth-place finish in 18:39.
Mia Dunavant was sixth, as the eighth grader ran the race in 18:45. Juliette Edwards finished ninth in 19:01. Tyndal Ann Griffith also set a personal best mark and finished 13th, while Lemmie Floyd beat her personal record by a minute and finished 24th. Joss O’Kelley, Kylie Jones, Brylee Bennet and Evie Scroggins also ran for Chelsea.
“It’s our first year in 7A, and so many people have been like, ‘Oh no.’ But the big thing is to not be afraid,” Lee said.
Oak Mountain’s girls finished fifth in the 7A meet, scoring 197 points. The top runner was Lauren Cole, who finished 26th in the race. Faith Scardino was not far behind, finishing 31st. Catarina Williams was 42nd and Laura Rodgers finished 57th. Brighton Bell, Joy Damron, Adelaide McKeown, Hayley Datema, Selah Whitley and Nina Evans also posted times.
Chelsea and Oak Mountain had boys run as individuals. For Chelsea, Parker Campbell was 18th overall, while Hudson Williams was 29th. Matthew Womack led the Oak Mountain guys with a 22nd-place finish. John Shoemaker placed 30th and Bennett Phillips ran in 96th.
Briarwood qualified for the 6A state meet as well. The girls had a strong showing, finishing fourth in the team competition. The Lions scored 147 points, well clear of St. John Paul II in fifth. Briarwood’s boys placed 12th.
The Briarwood girls were led by Mary Grace Parker, who earned a top-10 finish by crossing the line ninth overall, running the 5K in a time of 19:28. Bela Doss finished 21st in a strong run as well. Luci Williams was 33d and Allie Hale was 50th. Lena Anne Parker, Blakeley Margene, Zoey Eighmy, Lauren Luker, Ginger Potts and Chloe Lowery also ran in the race.
For the boys, Brandon Dixon was the top performer, as he finished 40th in 17:27. Ford Thornton (56th), Whit Thornton (62nd) and Kolby Day (89th) were all in the top 100. Patrick Hnizdil, Graham Thornton, Spencer Martens, Whit Parsons, Drew Goolsby and William Pollard also ran for the Lions.