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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
The Homewood Patriots cross country boys team earned the Class 6A boys state championship title during the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
The Homewood Lady Patriots take off from the start line in the Class 6A girls race during the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Members of the Homewood Lady Patriots cross country team smile for a photo following the acceptance of the Class 6A state title during the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
The Homewood Lady Patriots accept the Class 6A state championship trophy at the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Members of the Homewood Patriots boys team, Jon Fielding Stogner and Carson Bedics, earned first and second place spots in the Class 6A boys race at the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Homewood’s Lainey Phelps leads the Class 6A girls as she makes the final stretch to the finish line in the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Homewood’s Lainey Phelps leads the Class 6A girls as she makes the final stretch to the finish line in the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Homewood’s Jon Fielding Stogner makes his way to the finish line during the Class 6A boys race during the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
The Homewood Lady Patriots huddle before the start of the Class 6A girls race in the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
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Photo by Erin Nelson Starnes Media
Homewood State Cross Country
Homewood’s Jack Harchelroad pushes through the final stretch to the finish line in the Class 6A boys race during the AHSAA State Cross Country meet held at Oakville Indian Mounds Park on Saturday, Nov. 09, 2019. Photo by Erin Nelson
DANVILLE — Leading up to the state meet, Homewood High School cross-country coach Josh Donaldson posed a question to his team.
He asked the 20 boys and girls who were slated to toe the starting line on Saturday morning at Oakville Indian Mounds Park about the legacy they wanted to leave.
In response, the Patriots let their feet do the talking.
Paced by a pair of top performances from two individuals, junior Jon Fielding Stogner and senior Lainey Phelps, the Homewood boys and girls teams raced to resounding victories in Class 6A. The boys placed four runners in the top seven to defeat second-place St. Paul’s Episcopal 38-80, while the girls put four in the top 10 to beat Fort Payne 33-68.
It was the second year in a row that the teams swept state.
“I told them beforehand and I tell them every race, I say, ‘I’m proud of you before the race, during the race and after the race,’” Donaldson said. “‘As long as you give everything that you have, there’s nothing that I can ever ask more of you.’ And they did that today.”
With the win, Homewood’s boys have captured eight straight state championships. If they continue the streak next year, they will tie the record for most consecutive state boys cross-country titles. The Randolph School in Huntsville won nine in a row from 2005-13.
As for the Homewood girls, Saturday’s triumph secured their second straight championship and third in four years.
Donaldson attributes the program’s sustained prominence — and dominance — to a succession of invested athletes.
“I think the big thing is that when kids come into our program, they see success,” he said, “but they also see leadership in those that have gone before them.”
Stogner saw it in guys like Will Stone, a three-time state cross-country champion who graduated last spring. His departure, along with that of others in last year’s senior class, left a hole that needed to be filled for the Patriots to keep their momentum rolling.
So Stogner stepped in and stepped up.
Over the summer, he worked harder than he ever had, logging more miles more consistently. That laid the foundation for a breakout junior campaign in which he shaved 65 seconds from his personal-best 5K time and vaulted to the top of the state podium.
On Saturday, he led through the first mile, withstood a surge from Cullman’s Will Thompson in the second mile and then made one final surge.
“The last mile, it was just everything we had left,” he said.
Stogner crossed the finish line in 15 minutes, 51.82 seconds. His senior teammate, Carson Bedics, sprinted across a few moments later to place second in 15:57.96 after passing Thompson down the final, tree-lined straight.
It was a gritty finish to a resilient season for Bedics, who dealt with a foot injury that sidelined him for part of the summer.
Bedics and Stogner’s performances helped Homewood compensate for the loss of Crawford Hope. He was the team’s frontrunner for most of the season but missed the final two meets.
“We’re a really good family, so we knew we could count on one another to get the job done,” Bedics said. “We just had to buckle down even more.”
Jackson Merrell and Jack Harchelroad joined in delivering clutch races. Merrell placed sixth in 16:11.68, while Harchelroad was seventh in 16:16.7. Sam Gray, a freshman, rounded out the team’s scoring by finishing 23rd in 17:07.85.
Their collective effort ensured that a sparkling season met a worthy end. This fall, the Patriots won the prestigious Jesse Owens Classic and Coach Wood Invitational, while dipping four runners under 16 minutes and eight under 16:30.
“It’s the top team in Homewood history, for sure,” Donaldson said.
As the Patriots boys cemented their legacy, Phelps and the Homewood girls solidified theirs on Saturday as well. Phelps, a senior, won her third state cross-country title in the same fashion as she earned the first two: a runaway.
She bolted from the start, created an early gap and then chased the clock. She finished in 18:14.69, far ahead of runner-up Isabel Valenzuela of St. Paul’s.
“I didn’t quite hit the 2-mile time I wanted,” Phelps said, “but I picked it up that last mile, so it worked out in the end.”
Phelps ran her first state meet at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in 2014. Even though she was only a seventh-grader at Homewood Middle School, she still placed second. Individual and team victories followed in 2016 and 2018 — and then again on Saturday.
“Last one, best one,” she said.
Her teammates made sure of it.
Marin Poleshek, Celie Jackson and Victoria Thompson finished in the top eight, running 19:12.64, 19:30.69 and 19:47.2, respectively. Sydney Dobbins rounded out the scoring by placing 16th in 20:02.82.
It was a showing that left nothing to chance, and that answered Donaldson’s pre-race question with a definitive statement.
“It’s truly remarkable what these kids can do and what they accomplished today,” Donaldson said. “Credit goes to them, for sure.”