Cross country boys win state

Homewood High School’s boys cross country team, led by sophomore Andy Smith, defeated Scottsboro 33-57 to take home the 5A state championship on Nov. 9.

The girls, led by Ann Mosely Whitsett, finished fourth with their best performance of the year. The average of the top five finishers’ times, 20.37, was the fastest in Homewood history.

After a trying week of illness and injury, the girls had to fight to perform as well as they did. Their race can best be described as one full of determination and fortitude.

In the boys’ race, Andy Smith was the individual 5A champion, and Hunter Poole (16:55), Alex Ngei (16:47), Fulton Williams (16:32), Mike Rohdy (16:28) and Andy Smith (16:14) each received All-State honors.

The boys were favored to win the race after a great season. The competition, however, really stepped up the week before, and Scottsboro specifically came on strong.

During the race, the Homewood boys team moved straight to the front of the field through the mile. They took control of the race, but Scottsboro had a chase pack that placed some pressure on the team. In the end, the boys ran as well if not better than expected and won with a margin of 24 points.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Andy Smith's performance. While we, as coaches, know how talented he is, he had not placed first on the team this season. He stole the win with a monster "kick" in the last 400 meters of the race. It was an impressive showing all around.

The team is coached by Lars Porter, Rebecca Phillips, Josh Donaldson and Michael Niezgoda.

-Submitted by Lars Porter, Cross Country Coach