AHSAA STATE TRACK MEET: Auburn High finishes second; Opelika third

GULF SHORES – Auburn High boys track and field coach Dan Norton wasn’t surprised by the Tigers’ strong showing at Saturday’s Class 4A-6A state championships at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium.

The Tigers finished in second place behind presumptive favorite Hoover with 79 points. Opelika finished in third with 78 points while Central High finished 10th (18) and Smiths Station came in 22nd (4).

“When we started the season, I thought we had a team that would be in the top two or three in the state,” Norton said. “This was one of the best second-day performances we’ve had in my years of coaching. They decided they wanted to accomplish something and did everything they could to try to get there. I’m very proud of that effort.”

Auburn finished first in the 4x100 meter relay and Dequavious Cobb was tops in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.59.

A number of other local athletes collected state titles Saturday.

Opelika’s Corey Grant won the 100m dash (10.51), and teammate Quitaze Baker took home state titles in the 200 (21.57) and 400 (48.06). Orlando Ezell placed first in the long jump (23-10) for the Bulldogs as well.

Valley High’s Quant Lockhart finished first in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles for the Rams, who finished third overall in 5A with 76 points. Enoch Jones won the shot put with a 48-5.25 toss.

Beauregard’s and Tallassee’s boys finished eighth and 10th, respectively.

On the girls’ side, Tallassee’s Jalisa Henderson finished first in the javelin throw with a 129-2 heave.

The Tigers finished sixth overall with 30 points while Beauregard and Valley finished 11th and 18th, respectively.

Smiths Station’s girls finished fourth overall in 6A with 49.5 points and were led by its first-place 4x400-meter relay team of Sherricka Cowels, Janisha Davis, Brittany Lyles and Sheila Perry.

Auburn’s Mary Ashton Nall finished first in the pole vault with a state-record jump of 11-7.25. The Tigers finished 15th overall while Opelika’s girls placed 12 and Central came in 18th.

Other Auburn boys to place were: Patrick Gomez (second—800m; second—1600m; fourth—3200m), Howard Graves (second—3200m; fourth—1600m), Chance Jackson (second—300m hurdles), Tony Holland (third—high jump), J.T. Brooks (fourth—high jump) and Jamichael Payne (eighth—shot put). Auburn’s 4x800m relay of Graves, Jason Miller, Adrian Quicke and Elgerondo Williams placed third.

Other Opelika Boys to place were: Grant (second—200m), Javarious Hughley (sixth—400m), Tyler Agee (fourth—110m hurdles), LaDecker Johnson (seventh—high jump), Josh Rowe (third—shot put) and Jerome Burroughs (seventh—discus). The 4x400m relay team of Phillip Baker, Quitaze Baker, Hughley and Vashaun Landers finished seventh while the 4x800m team of Quitaze Baker, Hughley, Clayton Humphries and Evanderliss Ross placed sixth.

Other Opelika girls to place were: Jasmine Beavers (fourth—200m), Alicia Beasley (seventh—400m), Mauri Tickal (eighth—3200m), Kimaya Johnson (fourth—100m hurdles), Kim Allen (third—discus) and Ambriea Williams (eighth—javelin).

Auburn’s Desni Scaife finished eighth in the long jump while the Tigers’ 4x800m relay team of Haley Davies, Abby Farrow, Lauren Jones and Courtney Ruggles finished sixth.

Other Smiths Station girls to place were: Yalonda Taylor (sixth—400m; eighth—800m), Amanda Daniel (third—100m hurdles; third—300m hurdles; third—long jump; second—triple jump), Renee Usher (seventh—high jump) and Erika Jones (fifth—shot put).

Other Beauregard boys to place were: Darius Cook (eighth—high jump), Chris Wilder (third—pole vault), Von Gibson (second—triple jump), Shaq Williams (eighth—triple jump), Cody Jenkins (seventh—shot put) and Patrick Lockhart (fifth—discus).

Other Beauregard girls to place were: Laveeta Bellamy (sixth—200m, eighth—long jump; fifth—triple jump), Kaley Glover (sixth—800m; seventh—1600m; sixth—3200m), Jasmine Fears (sixth—discus) and Valeeta Bellamy (sixth—triple jump).

Other Valley boys to place were: Enrique Florence (third—400m), Antonio Presley (third—110m hurdles, fourth—300m hurdles), Devonta Staples (fifth—110m hurdles), Antonio Gooden (third—long jump), Quant Lockhart (fourth—javelin) and Brent Osborn (seventh—javelin).

Tallassee’s Joel Langley finished sixth in the 400m. The Tigers also placed fourth in the 4x100m relay, second in the 4x400m relay team of Jaleel Foster, Tecumseh Huitzil-Brown, Langley and Dijon Paschal and seventh in the 4x800m relay with Chris Adams, Tray Adamson, Foster and Kyle Hammock.

Central’s Deonte Swinton finished second in the 110m hurdles and third in the 300m hurdles and the Red Devils’ 4x100m relay team finished fifth.

Smiths Station’s T.J. Hogan finished seventh in the pole vault and eighth in the 300m hurdles. The Panthers’ 4x400m relay team of L.J. Graves, Chance Hudson, Cedric McCoy and Quincy Smith finished eighth and so did the 4x800m team of K.P. Weeks, Andy Henderson, McCoy and Smith.

Central’s girls’ 4x400m relay team of Erynne Byrd, Kristen Ghant, Teisha Huff and Alessiya Johnson finished fourth while the 4x800m team of Huff, Brandi Jackson, Stephanie Jackson and Sankeia Maddox placed eighth. Byrd placed sixth in the 200m as well.

Tallassee’s Henderson also placed second in the discus while Sarah Thomas finished fourth in the 200m and fifth in the 400m. The Tigers’ 4x100m relay team finished sixth.

Valley’s girls’ 4x100m relay team finished in third while the 4x400m relay team finished fifth.