State track and field: Patriots positioned well after Day 1

GULF SHORES -- A team's finish is deemed more important than its start. On Thursday, the Homewood High School girls excelled at both ends of the spectrum.

Freshmen Lainey Phelps and Celie Jackson kick-started the Lady Patriots at the Class 4A-7A state outdoor track and field meet with a one-two sweep in the 1,600-meter run. Caroline Lawrence, a senior, capped the opening day's festivities with a first-place showing in the high jump. 

The start-to-finish effort has Homewood positioned in first place through four events at the championship competition, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

Homewood leads second-place Opelika, 34-22. 

"Overall, I feel really good about it," Homewood head coach Tom Esslinger said. "We're really proud of the kids, especially given the conditions out here today and the wind and the rain delay and all that. It took a lot of mental fortitude."

Storms delayed the start of the meet by three hours -- from 9 a.m. to noon -- and a band of afternoon showers forced another hour-long reprieve.

Winds swirled constantly, but Homewood fought through the gusts.  

Phelps and Jackson picked up 18 points in the 1,600, which was the meet's first track event. Phelps led from the gun and won in 5 minutes, 2.75 seconds. Jackson tore down the final straight to take second in 5:17.52, less than a step ahead of John Carroll's Lindsey Granier. 

The time lowered Jackson's personal best by more than five seconds. Edie Smith nabbed eighth place in 5:33.3.

"Lainey and I, we've been racing since we were little bitty," Jackson said, "so it's so fun to compete together and finish first and second together."

Lawrence cleared 5 feet, 4 inches to win the fourth state high jump title of her career. She's placed first at the state indoor and outdoor meets each of the last two years.

Lawrence was one of four athletes on Thursday to clear 5-4, but she sealed the gold because she took the fewest attempts. She didn't miss a jump until the bar climbed to 5-6. 

"I think it speaks to how calm she is, and her preparation," Esslinger said. 

Aiya Finch (fifth) and Kayla Micula (eighth) contributed points in the triple jump to round out the team's Day One scoring. Jasmine Griffin (100-meter dash), along with the 4x100-meter relay squad, qualified for Saturday's finals. 

On the boys side, the distance trio of Will Stone, Paul Selden and Pierce Jackson racked up significant points in the boys 1,600-meter run. Stone placed third in a personal-best 4:21.66 behind Opelika's Ben Garner and Southside-Gadsden's Hunter Nails. Selden and Jackson finished fifth and sixth, respectively. 

"It's really where we wanted to be," Esslinger said of the top-six finishes.

Stephon May jumped 6-2 to finish fifth in the high jump. The Homewood boys trail Cullman in the team standings, 24-17. 

The Homewood Star is in Gulf Shores for this week's Class 4A-7A state meet to bring you up-to-the minute coverage of the Patriot track and field teams. For live updates, follow @sam5k on Twitter and visit thehomewoodstar.com.