Ethan Strand Leads Vestavia Hills Boys To 7A Title With Three Meet Records

By Arthur L. Mack for DyeStat 

Athletes throughout the state of Alabama were hoping to have a state championship meet this year after the 2020 season ground to a halt because of the COVID-19 crisis. 

This year, those hopes were realized as a near-capacity crowd at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex saw 16 state meet records broken in the three-day Alabama State Athletic Association’s Outdoor State Championships, held on April 29-May 1. 

Eight team champions representing four classifications were crowned, and there were more than 300 elite performances. 

Here’s a recap of what happened: 

CLASS 7A RESULTS: Vestavia Hills, led by Ethan Strand’s three meet record performances, won the boys title with 104.5 points, defeating Hewitt-Trussville (91). Rounding out the top five were Auburn (74), Hoover (58), and Oak Mountain (44). Strand won the 1,600-meter run on the meet’s first day, running 4 minutes, 11.77 seconds, then followed it up with 9:12.88 in the 3,200, before ending the weekend with a record 1:52.73 in the 800 on Saturday. 

Strand also anchored the winning 4x800 relay team, which ran 7:52.23, ahead of Oak Mountain (7:52.41), Hewitt-Trussville (7:52.43), Huntsville (7:54.04) and Hoover (7:56.50). 

Three meet records and four first-places in a span of 72 hours…it was little wonder Strand was excited. 

“It’s been a fun weekend,” he said. “I was kind of expecting state records because Alabama as a whole has gotten so much faster (at middle distances), and I knew to win these races I was going to have to run a state record because the field was crazy strong.” 

Strand was up against a solid field in the 1,600, which included Auburn’s Maxwell Hardin, Huntsville’s Gabe Scales and Will Pinson, Oak Mountain’s Walker Cole, Hewitt-Trussville’s Nathan Knox, and Hoover Spain Park’s Keith Warner. The pace was fast and the top seven were all under the old meet record of 4:17.82. Hardin ran 4:14.47, Scales 4:14.54, Cole 4:16.57, Pinson 4:17.43, Knox 4:17.52 and Warner 4:17.59. 

In the 3,200, Strand, along with Scales, Cole, Hardin, and Knox, were under the old meet record of 9:20.40. Scales ran 9:13.61, Cole ran 9:14.01, Hardin 9:14.25 and Knox 9:18.68. 

“I knew it was going to go down (the 1,600-meter record),” Strand said. “We had six or seven being able to go under that record, so I knew if I was gonna win all these races, I was going to have to run state records. But it’s still awesome getting all three of them.”

 His coach reflected on Huber's contribution to the program over four years.

“With Ethan Strand, it has been a joy to watch him come through our program from freshman to senior,” said Vestavia head coach Brett Huber. “You see his outside performances, but what you don’t see is everything that goes on every day and he’s grown as a young man and has taken the leadership from seniors of years past. He would have put this whole team on his back and crawl down the track for them to do well.” 

Spain Park’s Keon Buck ran a wind-aided 10.43 in 100-meter prelims. In the finals, he won easily, running 10.77. Buck also won the 200 (21.44). Auburn’s Tray Reynolds won the 110-meter high hurdles (13.94). 

Other notable performances came from Baker of Mobile, winning the 4x100 in 41.99, Fairhope’s Hagan LeDrew, winning the shot put (58-5.50), Hoover’s Levi Arroyo in the pole vault (15-6), Florence’s Kneeland Hibbett in the discus (164-5) and javelin (194-9). 

In Class 7A girls, Hoover sent retiring head coach Devon Hind out with a bang, with his team edging out Hewitt-Trussville 107.5-102. Vestavia Hills (62), Huntsville (58) and Auburn (52.5)) rounded out the top five. The Bucs survived after failing to qualify in the 4x100-meter relay and several other mishaps. But they closed with a convincing win in the 4x400 (3:56.88) to secure the title. 

“I was scared to death all weekend,” Hind said. “We tried to give it away, but we found a way to get a few more points. I was happy when we were ahead going into the 4x400. They kept giving away points here and there, but we found a way to win this afternoon.” 

The Bucs got big first-place finishes from Taniyah Thomas in the discus (134-1) and Kayla Jemison in the high jump (5-4), and scored points in enough events to take home the title. 

Vestavia’s Crawford West was a double winner, taking first in the 1,600 (4:53.49) and setting a new meet record in the 3,200 (10:29.08). She also finished second in the 800 (2:15.25) behind Hewitt-Trussville’s Maci Mills (2:14.25). 

Other impressive performances came from a pair of Mobile athletes — Davidson’s Iyana Johnson won the triple jump (39-2/50), while Baker’s Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad won the 100-meter hurdles (14.40). 

CLASS 6A RESULTS: Opelika won the Class 6A boys division, scoring 114.5 points to easily defeat Scottsboro (72). St. Paul’s and McGill-Toolen were third and fourth with 43 and 37 points, respectively, while Clay-Chalkville rounded out the top five with 32 points. Big wins in the 100 by Jarell Stinson (10.79), 200 (21.22), and 400 (47.74), plus a 1-2 finish in the long jump by Eric Watts (23-7.50) and LeDamian Rowell (23-5.50), helped secure the win. 

“It was just a little hard work and determination (in winning the title),” Opelika head coach Jimmy Johnson said. "After last year with the coronavirus and with the season being cut short, the kids felt like they had a great chance of winning, and this year, they didn’t want to let anybody down. Anybody knows track & field is a total team sport, so it was just a lot of hard work and determination by our kids." 

Scottsboro, though, got the attention for setting meet records. In Friday’s edition of the meet, Scottsboro had three big records broken — in the 4x800 relay, the 3,200, and the boys pole vault. The relay, consisting of Vincent Atkins, Payton Judge, Cooper Atkins, and Rex Green, won in 7:45.74, well under the old meet record of 7:51.08. Mountain Brook was second in 8:04.70 while St. Paul’s Episcopal was third (8:07.16). 

“Our original goal was just to win it,” Green said. “Going into seeing Cooper coming into the last stretch, I saw how far ahead we were and I thought, we can get the state record.” 

Atkins ran a blazing 9:01.75 in the 3,200, breaking the old record of 9:10.23 by nearly nine seconds. Also under the old record were Chelsea’s Miles Brush (9:07.47), and Mobile St. Paul’s Episcopal’s Mac Conwell (9:08.93). The day before, Atkins ran a meet-record 4:08.40 in the 1,600, well under the old record of 4:13.67. Brady Barton of Helena and Conwell were also under the record, running 4:11.90 and 4:12.55 respectively. 

In the pole vault, sophomore Maddox Hamm, won with a new state meet record of 17-0.25, shattering the old state record of 16-2 set by McGill-Toolen’s Sean Collins in 2014. Hamm had problems clearing 14-6, but was able to do so and seemed to be relaxed during the remainder of the competition, clearing the rest of his heights with ease. 

“I started off at 14 feet, then at 14-6 I had some pole troubles,” Hamm said. “I thought it was going to be over, but I got it on my third attempt, and then went to 15. I won it at 15, then I went to 15-9, then to 16-3, and then I went to 17-0 ¼.  It was a lot of fun.” 

Northridge defeated Mountain Brook 116.5-93 to win the Class 6A girls title, while Fort Payne had 71.5 and McGill-Toolen had 38. Saraland, Opelika, and Chelsea were tied for fifth with 31 points. 

Northridge was led by Rashni Walker, who set a new meet record in the 100-meter hurdles by running 13.95 in the prelims. She came back in the finals to easily win in 14.41, and also won the 300-meter hurdles in 43.17. 

Mountain Brook was led by Grayson Scott, who won the high jump (5-8) and Reagan Riley in the 3,200 (10:47.41). 

Chelsea’s Cady McPhail won the 800 (2:14.50) and the 1,600 (4:58.36), while Saraland’s Morgan Davis, a sophomore, was also a double winner, getting first in the long jump (19-0.25) and the 100 (12.30). Lillian Dudley of Tuscaloosa’s Paul Bryant won the shot (40-0). 

CLASS 5A RESULTS: Mobile’s UMS-Wright dominated the boys team competition, easily defeating Ramsay 145-74. Parker was third with 68 points, while Sylacauga (36) and Sardis (35) rounded out the top five. 

UMS-Wright was led by the brother act of Joseph and Charles Perry. They finished 1-2 in the 1,600, with Joseph running 4:24.87 and Charles 4:31.80, going in the same order in the 3,200 with times of 9:39.84 and 9:53.78. UMS-Wright also won the 4x800-meter relay and also got a first-place finish from Arthur Chitty in the high jump with a personal best of 6-8.25. 

Charles Perry, though, finally got into the win column on the meet’s last day, outdueling Parker’s William Shelton in the 800 to win in a personal best 1:57.00. Shelton ran 1:57.19. 

“I hung on with the leader until the last 300 meters, and I just tried to book it the best I could, and in the stretch, I passed him,” he said. “It feels awesome; I’ve been working for it since cross-country season, and it paid off.” 

Aside from UMS-Wright’s dominance, the story of the day was Birmingham Parker’s Jevokan Rhetta. Rhetta set a new meet record of 10.27 in the 100-meter prelims, and in the finals, easily won in 10.59. In the 200-meter finals, he won with a new state meet record of 21.23. He also finished second in the 400 (47.84), behind teammate Shelton (47.71). 

“It was my senior year, so I came out here wanting to give it everything I had,” Rhetta said. “On Thursday, I went out for a big PR (in the 100), and I hit 10.27, and I didn’t expect to break 47 (in the 400). My teammate drug me with him, and I was just extremely happy to come home with two golds and bring a silver home and get as many points as I can for the team. It’s really a blessing.” 

On the girls’ side, UMS-Wright defeated Brewbaker Tech 115-68, getting points in numerous events on the meet’s final day. Beauregard and Lawrence County had 53 points, while Center Point rounded out the top five with 49 points. 

Brenda Ellis had three great performances to pace UMS-Wright’s girls, winning the 1,600 (5:23.72) and 3,200 (11:53.47), both personal bests, and was a close second in the 800 to Lawrence County’s Savannah Williams. Ellis ran 2:26.90, while Williams ran 2:26.25. In addition, the Bulldogs’ Dorsey Parker and Olivia Moore went 1-2 in the high jump, clearing 5-6 and 5-4 respectively. 

“The girls, they kept plugging away,” Galle said. “Brenda Ellis had a big day, and Dorsey Parker and Olivia Moore in the high jump, they’ve been strong all year going 1-2 in the high jump. The team just bought into it all year — we had to sit out last year (due to the COVID-19 crisis), and they were hungry and into the meet the whole time.” 

The other big story was Montgomery Brewbaker Tech’s Chanice Spicer setting three new meet records — in the 100, 200, and 400. Spicer broke the 100 record in the prelims, running a wind-aided 11.51 before winning the finals in 11.83. In the 200 finals, she ran a meet record 23.57, and won the 400 in a state meet record 53.87.

“Breaking three records was my goal coming into the meet,” Spicer said. “In 10th grade, I broke the 100 and 200-meter records, and I wanted to come in here and break my record. In the 400, the record was 55.1, and I ran faster than 55.1, so I had had to execute and break that record. I was very excited to have a state meet, because last year I missed out on that, and there was a lot I had to do. I was very excited to have my senior year saved.” 

CLASS 4A RESULTS: Bibb County defeated Anniston 80-68 to win the boys’ title, while Randolph was third with 51 points. Oneonta (48) and Etowah (42) rounded out the top five. Bibb County was led with a 1-2 finish in the triple jump by Letrell Morrison (43-4.75) and Omar Caddell (42-5.75). 

Notable performances came from Brooks’ Drew Skipworth in the discus (161-10), Haleyville’s Matthew Coleman in the javelin (174-7), and Etowah’s Martavious Davis in the 100 (10.82) and 200 (21.35). 

Brooks defeated Randolph 75-65.5 to win the girls title, with Montgomery Academy (65), Saint James (53), and White Plains (45.5) rounding out the top five. One of the standout performances came in the javelin, where Deshler’s Maddie Roberts set a new record, throwing 143-0). 

White Plains' Savannah Yates won the pole vault (11-0), while Montgomery’s Saint James Presley Miles won the 3,200 (11:47.79).