Bearcats see red
- Updated: May 6, 2017
Weaver finishes second in Class 3A boys track championship; Ohatchee’s Wink wins 3A pole vault in jump-off
By East Alabama Sports Today
CULLMAN – When the Weaver track team left for the state championship meet earlier this week, the Bearcats went with the hopes of doing something better than their 10th-place finish a year ago.
They didn’t just do better, they did extremely better.
The Bearcats got points from throughout the roster and finished second in Class 3A behind runaway winner American Christian. It’s the first sport outside wrestling to bring a red or blue AHSAA trophy home to the school.
“We talked last week about maybe placing but not knowing what we were going to do,” third-year Weaver coach Marcus Herbert said. “Last year we finished 10th; if we finished ninth in my opinion that would be improvement. I didn’t expect us to do this well, but I knew we could. A lot of kids stepped up today and did a marvelous job. They gutted it out. It was awesome.”
The Bearcats scored 55.5 points, 3.5 points ahead of Mobile Christian. The Bearcats clinched their position by finishing three spots higher than the Leopards in the 4×400 relay. But they made their biggest move, passing the Leopards in the process, in the previous event when Maurice Goodman and Robert Gaines got them 10 points in a 3-5 finish in the long jump.
“It’s crazy,” Goodman said. “I knew we had a chance, but I didn’t think we were going to finish that high.”
American Christian scored 140 points to win the 3A state title. Piedmont finished sixth (39), Pleasant Valley (24) was 11th and Ohatchee (21.5) was 12th. On the girls side, Pleasant Valley finished fifth (56); Piedmont was ninth (29), Wellborn 18th (5) and Ohatchee 22nd (3).
Ohatchee’s Brennan Wink won the Class 3A pole vault title on the final attempt of his high school career, winning a jump-off against James Jackson of American Christian.
Wink, Jackson and ACA’s Ryan Collins all cleared 12-6. They all missed at 13 creating the jump-off. Collins was eliminated with more misses at 12-6, leaving Wink and Jackson. Jackson missed his first attempt at 12-9 and Wink cleared it for the crown.
Ironically, last year at the sectional meet Wink lost a jump-off for the final qualifying spot to state and made it on a wildcard. When he went to state it was the first time he had cleared 9-0. He jumped 10-6 indoors this year. He cleared the 12-6 and 12-9 Saturday using a longer pole for the first time he borrowed from teammate Chase Widgeon.
“It was amazing; this will be my No. 1 thought for a good year,” Wink said. “I was expecting to in sixth; those other guys were flying. When we got to 12-6 I was talking with one of my friends and he looked at me and said ‘You’re third right now.’ I was like, ‘Ho-l-l-e-e, I am.”
Other 3A state champions includes Weaver’s 4×100 relay team (Robert Gaines, London Knight, Goodman, Giovanni Mosley); Piedmont sprinter Darrian Bossey in the 100 and Piedmont’s 4×100 relay team (Lulu Jackson, Tatiyana Jenkins, Sydney Prater, Kaitlyn Riddley).
This story will be updated.
SATURDAY SCORERS
CLASS 1A-3A
at Cullman
1A BOYS
3200: 7. Kam Thomas, Donoho 11:39.87
1A GIRLS
200: 7. Lily Wiedmer, Donoho 27.91
3A BOYS
3200: 7. Gabe Hammonds, Ohatchee 10:42.24
4×100: 1. Weaver 44.59 (Robert Gaines, London Knight, Maurice Goodman, Gio Mosley); 3. Pleasant Valley 45.39
High jump: 2. Robert Gaines, Weaver 6-2; 3. Darrian Bossey, Piedmont 6-2
110 hurdles, 5. Chris Lemon, Weaver 17.30
100: 1. Darrian Bossey, Piedmont 11.17; 6. Cardavion Myers, Piedmont 11.35
300 hurdles: 8. Jacob Pfledderer, Piedmont 44.46
200: 3. Cardavion Myers, Piedmont 23.13; 4. Darrian Bossey, Piedmont 23.20; 7. Nicholas Stewart, Pleasant Valley 23.54
800: 2. Matisse Miller, Pleasant Valley, 2:05.27
4×400: 3. Weaver 3:37.89
Long jump: 3. Maurice Goodman, Weaver 19-10.25; 5. Robert Gaines, Weaver 19-7.75
3A GIRLS
3200: 5. Trinity Roberts, Pleasant Valley 12:12.02
4×100: 1. Piedmont 52.12 (Lulu Jackson, Tatiyana Jenkins, Sydney Prater, Kaitlyn Riddley); 4. Wellborn 53.04
Pole vault: 6. Brenna Harris, Pleasant Valley 9-0; T7. Emily Kisor, Piedmont; Megan Mohon, Piedmont; Macy Hanson, Piedmont 8-6
100: 2. Kaitlyn Riddley, Piedmont 12.95
200: 4. Kaitlyn Riddley, Piedmont 27.49
800: 8. Madi Doyal, Piedmont, 2:35.19
4×400: 8. Pleasant Valley 4:35.18
Triple jump: 5. Rachel Faucett, Pleasant Valley 34-2.25
Discus: 4. Mikala Simpson, Pleasant Valley 94-9; 6. Marli Hanks, Ohatchee 93-3
GIRLS TEAM SCORES
CLASS 3A: American Christian 147, T.R. Miller 98, Bayside Academy 90, Montgomery Academy 74, Pleasant Valley 56, Mobile Christian 36, Providence Christian 32, Colbert County 31, Piedmont 29, Pike County 20, J.B. Pennington 9, Locust Fork 9, Straughn 9, Prattville Christian 8, Brindlee Mountain 7, Beulah 6.5, Glencoe 6, Wellborn 5, Lauderdale County 5, Lexington 5, Daleville 4, Hanceville 3, Holly Pond 3, Ohatchee 3, Greene County 2.5, Opp 2, Pisgah 2.
Donoho scored 6 points in Class 1A (21st)
BOYS TEAM SCORES
CLASS 3A: American Christian 140, Weaver 55.5, Mobile Christian 52, Holly Pond 44, Montgomery Academy 39.5, Piedmont 39, Providence Christian 35, T.R. Miller 34, Bayside Academy 31, Prattville Christian 29, Pleasant Valley 24, Ohatchee 21.5, Lexington 20, Excel 17, J.B. Pennington 14.5, Beulah 12, Elkmont 11, Pike County 9, Hanceville 9, B.B. Comer 9, Montevallo 8, Daleville 8, Central Coosa 8, Brindlee Mountain 7, Hillcrest-Evergreen 7, Straughn 6, Opp 6, Pisgah 4, Greene County 1.
Donoho scored 3 points in Class 1A (22nd)
CLASS 4A-7A
At Gulf Shores
CLASS 4A
BOYS
4×100: 8. Jacksonville 44.62
100: 3. Jeremy McCants, Anniston 11.03
300 hurdles: 4. Hunter Rouse, Anniston 41.96
200 – 6. Torrian Sizemore, Anniston 22.96
High jump: 5. Hunter Rouse, Anniston 5-10 (Munford’s LaRiae Ball won at 6-0)
4×400: 5. White Plains 3:34.93
GIRLS
100 hurdles: 8. Ryleigh Randall, White Plains 17.46
4×400: 5. Anniston 4:19.82
CLASS 6A
BOYS
110 hurdles: 3. Trevon Sanders, Oxford 15.48
GIRLS
4×100: 5. Oxford, 49.74
TEAM SCORES
4A BOYS: 1. Greensboro 64.5, 2. Winfield 58, 7. Munford 37, 16. Anniston 16, 19. White Plains 14, 26. Jacksonville 3, 30. Saks 1
5A BOYS: 1. Scottsboro 88, 2. St. Paul’s 54, 22. Lincoln 10
6A BOYS: 1. Opelika 84, 2. Homewood 65, 24. Oxford 8
4A GIRLS: 1. Catholic-Montgomery 80, 2. Randolph 63, 24. White Plains 7.33, T-25. Saks, Anniston, Jacksonville 5
5A GIRLS: 1. Beauregard 98, 2. St. Paul’s 83, 20. Cleburne County 6, 21. Alexandria 5
6A GIRLS: 1. Homewood 128, 2. Opelika 80, 21. Oxford 6
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