HS sports recap: Hornets claim 1st cross-country state title

Here's a look back at the last week in Briarwood, Chelsea and Oak Mountain high school sports.

CROSS-COUNTRY

The Chelsea girls cross-country team won the Class 7A state meet last Saturday 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.

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.

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.

BASKETBALL

The Chelsea boys and girls basketball teams opened up the season at Homewood last Thursday. The Hornets boys won in a narrow defeat, while the girls lost in a low-scoring affair.

The Homewood girls picked up a 37-24 to get the year started. Ellis McCool led a balanced scoring effort with 8 points. Mira McCool, Annie McBride and Laine Litton all tallied 6 points for the Lady Patriots. Mira McCool pulled down 9 rebounds, while McBride grabbed 4 boards.

Chelsea’s boys earned a 58-54 win over their former area foe. Paul Lanzi led all scorers with 22 points, including a 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line. Avery Futch and Aiden Owens each scored 11 points for the Hornets as well. For Homewood, Jeremiah Gary led the way with 13 points, as he sank three 3-pointers and made all four of his free throw attempts. Jake Stephens poured in 9 points, while Harris Fowlkes led the team with 5 rebounds. The Patriots pulled down 28 rebounds in the game, including 10 offensive boards. Carson Cole paced the team with 4 assists. 

Oak Mountain’s girls opened up the season Thursday as well, hosting Mortimer Jordan. Mortimer Jordan took care of business, winning 83-37. The Blue Devils were led by Sarah Kanaday, who poured in 26 points. Keyarra Scottland scored 19 points and Zaire Harris added 10 points for the winners.

On Saturday, Oak Mountain’s boys and girls hosted Murphy. The girls fell in a tough one, 67-65, while the boys won 75-58. In the contest, Matthew Heiberger and Tre Thomas each notched double-doubles for the Eagles. Heiberger led the scoring charge with 25 points, while adding 10 rebounds. Thomas had 20 points and 10 blocks in the win as well.

Want to see something else mentioned? Feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.