Indoor team earns first sweep
BIRMINGHAM – It was the indoor track and field team’s turn.
The Homewood High School cross-country teams and the outdoor track and field teams had accomplished the boys and girls sweep before, but it wasn’t until Saturday that the indoor team joined the party.
The Patriots swept the boys and girls Class 6A state titles at the AHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Championships, held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 2-3, at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
“It’s one of the most exciting days in our program history,” said Tom Esslinger, the track and field director at Homewood.
The competition had no chance over the weekend, as the Patriots combined to win both titles by a total 142.5 points. The girls team racked up 167.5 points, as Pelham finished second with 72.5 points. The boys team also eclipsed the century mark, posting a score of 103.5 to 56 for Opelika.
The Patriots are no strangers to state championships, but to win both on the same day in such dominant fashion turned the competition into a race for second rather quickly.
“We feel fortunate to work with such a talented group of kids, but it goes beyond that,” Esslinger said. “They’ve kind of carried on the tradition set by some older kids from years past. They’ve learned how to be leaders and they are leaders now and we hope they keep that going.”
Making the performance even more impressive is the fact that Homewood didn’t start clicking on all cylinders until the week before the state tournament. It wasn’t smooth sailing for the duration of the season, but the Patriots certainly peaked at the right time.
“It’s been a bit of bumpy road,” Esslinger said. “I felt really good about it last weekend. That was the first time everything came together.”
In all, 12 individuals made it to the podium for Homewood, many representing the Patriots in multiple events.
Jasmine Griffin took home the top honor in three events, winning the 60-meter dash (7.62 seconds), 60-meter hurdles (8.95) and the 400-meters (57.47). Makiyah Sills joined Griffin on the podium by placing third in the 60 hurdles after posting a time of 9.33 seconds. Joshua Thomas finished third in the boys 60 hurdles with a time of 8.79.
Lainey Phelps pulled in a pair of individual first-place finishes, as she continues to add to her already impressive resume. Phelps came home first in the 1,600-meter run in 5:12.49, and won the 3,200 in 11:11.3. She placed second to Pelham’s Katie Strozier with a time of 2:17.47 in the 800.
Celie Jackson stood by Phelps on the podium twice, as Jackson placed second in the 3,200 (11:24.69) and third in the 800 (2:22.29).
Will Stone also excelled in the distance races, winning the 1,600-meters in 4:24.39 and the 3,200 in 9:37.03. Logan Justice, who helped Homewood rally to win the 4x800 relay, won the 800-meter run in 2:02.62.
Homewood won three of the six relays. The girls took home the crown in the 4x200-meter relay (1:43.56) and the 4x800 (9:49.08). The boys won the 4x800 in 8:30.07. The Patriots finished third in the boys 4x200 and girls 4x400.
In the field events, Alex Brooks won the girls pole vault title, as she cleared 10 feet. Eli Brooks won the boys title after he cleared 13 feet. Anna Grace Gibbons cleared 9 feet to place third on the girls side. Justice finished third in the pole vault.
Aiya Finch won a pair of events, the triple jump (37-3) and long jump (17-2). Christian Hill, who finished second in the long jump (17-1), joined Finch on the podium for one of those.