Photo courtesy of Homewood Athletics.
The Homewood High School boys track and field team won the state outdoor meet on May 2 in Gulf Shores.
Homewood High School claimed the Class 6A boys team title at the state outdoor track and field meet with 76.5 points while also finishing fifth in the girls standings with 54 points. John Carroll added its own contributions to a strong showing at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores.
The Patriots' boys championship was built on individual excellence across a remarkable range of events. Davis Griffin set the tone early, winning the Class 6A javelin with a throw of 178 feet, 4 inches, the sixth-best mark in Alabama this season. Tomon Felton swept the sprints and jumps, winning the long jump with a leap of 23-9.25. John Esslinger complemented Felton in the jumping events, finishing third in the long jump at 22-8 and fifth in the triple jump at 46-6. John Martin was fifth in the high jump at 6-2 and seventh in the triple jump at 45-8.
The distance corps delivered as well. The boys 4x800-meter relay won the Class 6A title with a time of 7:49.85, the fastest in Alabama and 36th-fastest in the country this season. Henry Siegel placed fourth in the 3,200 meters in 9:38.74, a personal best, while Isaiah Davis finished sixth in the 800 meters in 1:57.28. Charles Stone placed eighth in the 1,600 in 4:25.14.
Levi Derriso and Clayton Coltrin finished third and fourth, respectively, in the boys pole vault, both clearing 13-6. Jonas Harrison took sixth in the 200 meters in 22.62 seconds. Ty Thomas placed 10th in the javelin at 149-5, a personal best. The boys 4x100 relay finished fourth in 42.54, and the 4x400 relay placed sixth in 3:22.35.
On the girls side, Claire Mitchell was Homewood’s top individual performer, placing third in the 300-meter hurdles in 44.40 seconds, a personal best, and third in the 400 meters in 56.77. Ma'eva Fortson placed fifth in the girls javelin at 114-8. Mirai Aaron took fourth in the girls shot put at 37-4.50. The girls 4x800 relay finished third in 9:44.76, a season best, and the girls 4x400 relay placed fourth in 4:04.20.
Evelyn Buckner turned in an impressive double in the distance events, finishing fifth in the 1,600 meters in 5:14.73 and third in the 3,200 meters in 11:05.76, a personal best. Maggie Moore added a seventh-place finish in the 3,200 in 11:24.33, a personal best. Lexie Fowlkes placed eighth in the 800 in 2:24.79 and eighth in the 1,600 in 5:16.10. Chloe Warren placed ninth in the girls shot put. Keely Chadha, Eloise Delk and Kate Northington placed fifth, sixth and seventh in the girls pole vault, clearing 11-0, 10-6 and 10-6, respectively.
John Carroll contributed points of its own. Pryce Smith reached the finals of the 300-meter hurdles, finishing ninth in 40.25, a personal best. Anna Cate Coyle placed fifth in the girls high jump, clearing 5-2. Hugh Tighe took 10th in the boys shot put at 45-3.25. The boys 4x800 relay finished seventh in 8:19.85.
