BIRMINGHAM – American Christian Academy swept the Class 1A/3A AHSAA state championship indoor track meet for the second consecutive year at the Birmingham Crossplex on Saturday.
The ACA girls set the record for most points scored in Class 1A/3A with 150 points and the boys won with 104 points.
“I think what is so exciting about this group is we’ve got so many seniors on this squad,” Patriots coach Charles Tiller said. “We’ve got 40 kids on the team and 20 of them are seniors, so it’s not so much just repeating, it’s repeating with a group of kids that this is it and they have all worked so very hard.”
This is the fourth indoor championship in a row for the ACA girls, and second for the boys, bringing the program’s total to 15 combined boys and girls indoor and outdoor championships since 2007.
In Class 6A, the Paul W. Bryant girls and boys both finished third. Northridge boys placed fourth and the girls finished sixth. Hillcrest girls took 12th and the boys were ninth.
In Class 4A/5A, Central boys finished third, followed by Winfield and Northside. Sipsey Valley placed 11th. The Central girls finished fourth, Demopolis placed ninth and Winfield 14th.
Record-setters
Hillcrest's Okheme Moore, a Mississippi State signee, set the Class 6A state meet record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.81 seconds followed by Paul W. Bryant’s Gary Quarles (6.94). Moore’s time is currently the fourth best in the nation.
“I’m coming off of a hamstring injury, so to see I’ve been able to run a 6.81 coming back not really at 100 percent, I just thank God for it,” Moore said.
He also won the 400-meter dash in a photo-finish time of 48.96 to edge out Stanhope Elmore’s Xavier Rogers (48.98).
The Central girls 4x400 relay team erupted in celebration as anchor leg Jada Childers crossed the finish line. The Falcons not only clocked a personal best time of 4:07.53, but set a Class 4A/5A state record. The relay also consisted of first leg Olivia Knox, second leg Brittney Hill and third leg McKenzie Atkins.
“Our coach told us to come out here and beat the record, so when we saw that we beat the record we were so shocked. We didn’t know we’d beat it,” Childers said. “I turned around and I just looked at the board and I saw it.”
ACA’s Kayleigh Atkins set the Class 1A/3A state record in the girls 60-meter hurdles during the preliminaries on Friday with a time of 9.08. She won the event on Saturday in 9.19.
“That’s been my goal this year, and I was really excited,” Atkins said. “I was definitely a lot less nervous for the finals.”
Atkins also took first in the triple jump (36-06.25), third in the high jump (5-02) and fourth in the long jump (16-01.25). Teammate Helen Claire Edmonds tied the state record in the high jump by clearing a height of 5-07. She also won the girls pole vault (11-00) and finished runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles (9.54) and the triple jump (36-05.50).
The ACA boys 4x400 meter relay team of David Hodgson, Dax Morris, Jack Minges and Joseph Wohlers, set a Class 1A/3A record in the 4x400 with a time of 3:35.33.
“We actually set it last year for the 4x4 and we never thought we’d ever break it again,” Hodgson, the only returning relay member, said. “This was considered a worst team and we actually beat it and that was quite surprising. Everyone was surprised about that. I am just really proud of everyone. We were all really tired and had three or four events before it, and it was really exciting.”
Winfield’s Walker Junkin set a state record in the Class 4A/5A pole vault on Friday with a mark of 15-04.00.
Individual champions
Class 6A
Jade Johnson cleared a height of 5-04.00 to win the girls high jump and finished runner-up in the triple jump (37-02.25). Northridge’s Zion Binion won the boys shot put with a throw of 50-01.50.
Class 4A/5A
Central cleaned up in the 400-meter dash. Childers won the girls race with a time of 57.88, followed by Knox (58.40). Central’s Demontae Wilson won the boys 400 in 50.33. The Falcons also won the girls (1:46.76) and boys (1:32.39) 4x200 meter relays.
Ashleigh Ivory of Demopolis won both the 60-meter hurdles (9.21) and the long jump (17-03.50). She also finished third in the 60-meter dash (8.10).
Northside’s Tanner King won the 800 with a time of 1:56.17. He finished runner-up in the 1,600 (4:21.54) and the 3,200 (9:31.40).
Sipsey Valley’s Brylan Shirley won the boys long jump with a leap of 20-08.25.
Class 1A/3A
ACA’s Harper Roberts won both the 1,600 (5:18.59) and the 800 (2:19.68), and finished runner-up in the 400 (1:01.07). Josie Parham won the 60-meter dash (8.15) and took third in the 400 (1:01.10). The Patriots won the 4x400 with a time of 4:19.74.
Hodgson won the 400 with a time of 50.50. The Patriots boys also won the 4x200 (1:35.25). James Jackson won the boys pole vault with a height of 13-03.00.
Full state meet results are available at al.milesplit.com.
Reach Joey Chandler at joey.chandler@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.