Green quietly establishes dominance
- Updated: February 3, 2015
Piedmont junior ranked No. 1 in two 1A-3A events, No. 2 in another
Piedmont junior Karri Green is ranked first in two events and second in another going into this weekend’s state indoor track championships. (Special photo)
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT — Karri Green has a funny way of sneaking up on people.
She is so quiet off the track you might not notice she’s even there. In fact, Piedmont track coach Mark Mitchell can’t remember a time when the junior did anything to draw attention to herself before or after a race.
But from the blocks to the tape you notice. Boy, do you notice.
All Green does is win, and then after she does her thing it’s back to her unassuming self.
“She’s one of those who is going to go about her business very quietly,” Mitchell said. “You’re not going to know she’s around until she runs — and then you notice her really quickly.”
Competitors better have an eye out for Green this weekend at the state high school indoor track and field championships at the Birmingham Crossplex. She’s seeded No. 1 in Class 1A-3A in the 60-meter hurdles and 400, and No. 2 in the 60. A lot of people are expecting her to win all three.
It’s that drive to beat them all that motivates her and she has retired from cheerleading to focus it.
“I guess I’m kind of a quiet person,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to run track since I was a little kid and the fact I’m excelling a little bit in it really makes me happy. When I was in elementary school we had these races and I would race everybody and if they beat me I’d say ‘I’m going to beat you next week’
“The feeling of getting beat makes me want to work harder, basically not to get where they are but past them. When I was younger we’d have races in gym and there was this one girl who beat me and I was so mad. I was like, ‘she’s never going to beat me again.’ Eventually we raced again and I beat her and I was like, ‘yesss.’”
Green has been beating the competition ever since. She won three events outdoors last year and would’ve won a fourth had she not fallen in the 400 with the lead and the finish line in sight. Don’t think that doesn’t motivate her, too.
“I think falling did push me a lot harder,” she said. “When I’m doing indoor this year I tell myself I’ve got to redeem my 400 from last year.”
Green isn’t the only Calhoun County athlete seeded No. 1 in their event this week. Ohatchee thrower Joria Steger holds the top spot in the 1A-3A shot put; teammate Madeline Crider is ranked third in the event.
Others with top 5 rankings include Piedmont’s Macy Hanson (No. 3 1A-3A pole vault, where the school has four of the top nine); Pleasant Valley’s Brenna Harris (No. 5 1A-3A high jump); Oxford’s Brianna Calhoun (No. 4 6A shot put); Piedmont’s Mitchell Bennefield (No. 2 1A-3A boys 60 hurdles), Skylar Fontaine (No. 5 1A-3 60 hurdles) and Wil Mitchell (No. 4 1A-3A boys pole vault); and Oxford’s 4×200 relay team (No. 4 6A).
All told, county athletes have 80 qualifying spots in the event, but coaches will have some decisions to make before hitting the road. Athletes can only compete in four events and a team can have no more than two athletes in any one event.
Here is the list of athletes who have met the qualifying standards for the meet and their state ranking in their classification.
GIRLS
Class 1A-3A
60 (9.0)
2. Karri Green, Piedmont, 8.17
60 hurdle (12.00)
1. Karri Green, Piedmont, 9.23
400 (1:15)
1. Karri Green, Piedmont, 59.82
21. Victoria McRaney, Ohatchee, 1:10.07
28. Kourtney Shuler, Ohatchee, 1:12.56
30. Joria Steger, Ohatchee, 1:13.24
800 (3:00)
13. Victoria McRaney, Ohatchee, 2:38.17
1600 (6:45)
15. Victoria McRaney, Ohatchee, 6:02.74
21. Emma Hood, Pleasant Valley, 6:15.02
3200 (14:30)
14. Victoria McRaney, Ohatchee, 13:23.23
15. Emma Hood, Pleasant Valley, 13:55.41
16. Madison Ward, Ohatchee, 14:04.01
4×800 relay (12:30)
7. Ohatchee, 12:25.75
Shot put (22-0)
1. Joria Steger, Ohatchee, 30-11
3. Madeline Crider, Ohatchee, 23-10
Pole vault (6-0)
3. Macy Hanson, Piedmont, 8-0
7. Megan Mohan, Piedmont, 7-0
8. Brenna Harris, Pleasant Valley, 7-0
9. Emily Kisor, Piedmont, 6-0
11. Leah Johnson, Pleasant Valley, 6-0
High jump (4-2)
5. Brenna Harris, Pleasant Valley, 4-6
Long jump (12-0)
14. Brenna Harris, Pleasant Valley, 12-5 ¼
Class 6A
60 (9.0)
26. Jamiria Bradford, Oxford, 8.51
30. Jasmine Green, Oxford, 8.55
33. Tamiya Butts, Oxford, 8.56
34. Sierra Davis, Oxford, 8.57
48. Jasmine Sanders, Oxford, 8.72
50. Tiffani Vincent, Oxford, 8.74
61. Brooklyn Chatman, Oxford, 8.93
400 (1:10)
35. Tamiya Butts, Oxford, 1:06.97
56. Morgan Adams, Oxford, 1:09.06
61. Jasmine Green, Oxford, 1:09.88
800 (2:50)
31. Adah Touray, Oxford, 2:48.61
1600 (6:30)
29. Lexi Delain, Oxford, 6:23.58
36. Toni Coley, Oxford, 6:28.52
4×200 (2:00)
9. Oxford, 1:56.49
Shot put (26-0)
4. Brianna Calhoun, Oxford, 32-4
6. Sierra Davis, Oxford, 30-10 1/2
Long jump (14-0)
8. Jamiria Bradford, Oxford, 16-0 1/2
BOYS
Class 1A-3A
60 high hurdles (11.50)
2. Mitchell Bennefield, Piedmont, 8.86
5. Skylar Fontaine, Piedmont, 10.03
400 (1:00)
11. Seth Pope, Piedmont, 55.78
15. Mitchell Benefield, Piedmont, 56.82
800 (2:30)
31. Wil Mitchell, Piedmont, 2:23.89
1600 (5:30)
27. Wil Mitchell, Piedmont, 5:21.45
29. Justin Escamilla, Piedmont, 5:23.04
30. Matisse Miller, Pleasant Valley, 5:23.17
33. Daniel Gladen, Pleasant Valley, 5:24.38
38. Blake Noah, Ohatchee, 5:28.75
3200 (12:30)
22. Blake Noah, Ohatchee, 12:00.07
23. Daniel Gladen, Pleasant Valley, 12:01.59
24. Matisse Miller, Pleasant Valley, 12:02.18
4×200 (1:50)
6. Piedmont, 1:44.44
4×400 relay (4:00)
6. Piedmont, 3:59.23
4×800 (10:30)
9. Pleasant Valley, 9:55.32
11. Piedmont, 10:20.80
Shot put (30-0)
9. Krae Keener, Piedmont, 35-8
10. Chase Bobbit, Piedmont, 34-8
11. Tyler Lucas, Piedmont, 33-10
19. Blake Headrick, Piedmont, 30-8 1/2
20. Cole Chasteen, Piedmont, 30-5
Pole vault (8-6)
4. Wil Mitchell, Piedmont, 10-6
7. Skylar Fontaine, Piedmont, 9-6
Class 6A
60 (7.8)
13. Laquavious Ford, Oxford, 7.25
27. Olajade Brown, Oxford, 7.38
35. Antuan Crowder, Oxford, 7.47
37. Kaylan Banks, Oxford, 7.48
50. Joshua Pritchard, Oxford, 7.57
58. Trevon Sanders, Oxford, 7.62
73. Bralan Gadson, Oxford, 7.65
79. Keaton Borrelli, Oxford, 7.71
60 hurdles (10.00)
14. Trevon Sanders, Oxford, 9.69
400 (55.0)
8. Kaylan Banks, Oxford, 51.44
800 (2:30)
68. Jeremiah Burns, Oxford, 2:24.32
71. James Elrod, Oxford, 2:25.49
73. Luke Thomas, Oxford, 2:25.57
77. Tacarius Willis, Oxford, 2:26.39
4×200 (1:40)
4. Oxford, 1:33.58
4×800 Relay (9:45)
9. Oxford, 9:21.49
Shot Put (37-0)
10. Cameron Hill, Oxford, 40-2
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