Homewood girls win area opener; track heads to state championships

The Homewood girls beat Pelham 55-28 to advance to the Class 6A, Area 9 final on Friday at 6 p.m. vs. John Carroll. The game will be at Homewood. Ajah Wayne was the leading scorer with 12 points and seven rebounds. Hannah Barber had a game-high eight assists to go along with nine points. The Lady Patriots improved to 24-4 for the season.

The Homewood boys and girls indoor track teams will be competing in the state championships at Birmingham CrossPlex on Friday and Saturday, looking to bring home the ninth and 10th blue state championship trophies in the program’s history.

Last weekend Homewood earned top three finishes in both the girls and the boys. The Last Chance Invitational was the largest meet in the history of Alabama and one of the largest in the country with 137 schools and 2,200 athletes. The girls placed second, only three points behind Hoover, and the boys were third behind Auburn and Opelika. Opelika is in the same 6A division as Homewood, so Homewood will have to be at its best this weekend to win their third straight boys championship. Pelham is expected to be the girls’ main competition, but other teams will also be in the mix.

Kiara Williams led the girls team again by winning both the long jump and the 60m hurdles. Williams also placed second in the triple jump. Elysa Griffin also had a tremendous meet by placing third in the long jump and breaking her own school record in the 60m dash. Griffin was also the first leg of the 4x400m relay team that broke the school record and placed third. Hunter Midgett, Kristie Looney, and Ann Mosely Whitsett were the other relay team members. The 4x200m relay team of Griffin, Williams, Christian Hill, and Midgett also broke the school record but placed fourth against tough competition.

The varsity boys were led by Alazae Hester-Taylor who won the high jump and set a new school record with a jump of 6-5. Hester-Taylor was also second in the triple jump and fourth in the 60m hurdles. The 4x800m relay team ran well and placed second with Logan Sadler, Davis Platt, Hunter Poole and Alex Ngei.