By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
FALKVILLE - With a long list of individual performances Saturday at the Class 2A, Section 3 meet at South Park, Falkville proved it is ready to again challenge for state championships.
The Lady Devils finished with a 70.5 point advantage over Cold Springs to win the sectional, while the boys’ team - the defending state champions - finished second just five points behind Cold Springs.
The Lady Blue Devils had 16 athletes qualify for the state meet in 33 individual events, while the boys’ team had 11 athletes earn spots in the 1A-3A state meet May 1-2 at Troy University.
Paige McCarley finished first in three individual events - the triple jump, the high jump and the long jump - and also qualified with a second place finish in the 100.
Krystal Gibbs won both the 400 and 300 hurdles in the sectional meet. She also qualified with her third place in the 800.
Jaclyn Koerber won the pole vault.
Also qualifying for the Lady Blue Devils was Grace Wilhite (400, 300 hurdles), Areal Williams (400, high jump, pole vault), Patricia Kilgore (800, triple jump), Jessica Gibbs (800, 1600 and 3200), Crystal Carver (1600 and 3200, Natalee Estes (1600), Sarah Ayre (3200), Myka McCarley (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, javelin), Amber Riddle (100 hurdles), Hannah Blevins (high jump, long jump) and Heather Smith (pole vault).
Falkville’s girls qualified in all three relay events, winning both the 4×400 and 4×800 races.
Jace Wilemon earned the sectional’s most valuable 2A boys’ athlete with four first place finishes for 40 of Falkville’s points.
The Blue Devils finished with 194 points, just five behind Cold Springs.
Wilemon won the 400 and 800 runs, along with the 110 and 300 hurdles.
Jonathan McNatt was first in the pole vault. He qualified in four events after finishing second in the 400, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
Also qualifying for the state meet was Travis Sumeral (200), Heath Blanchard (800 and 1600), Dylan Kyle (800 and pole vault), Raymond Johnson (1600 and 3200), Steven Peebles (1600, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Austin Wilhite (3200 and pole vault), Aaron Becerra (triple jump), Blake Wilhite (shot put and discus) and Adam Dickson (shot put and javelin).
The Blue Devils qualified in three relay events. Falkville was second in the 4×400 and the 4×800, and fifth in the 4×100.
Class 5A, Section 4
Hartselle had six athletes qualify for the state meet with top six finishes in the section meet.
Savannah Huey won the javelin title and also qualified for the 4A-6A state meet in the shot put and the discus.
The Lady Tigers’ Ashton Pennington (javelin), Quanesha Burks (200 and high jump) and Elexus Bynum (discus) also qualified.
Hartselle finished fifth as a team in the sectional.
The Tigers’ Jordan Frazier and Zach Orr qualified for the state meet in two events each. Frazier will compete in the 110 hurdles and long jump, while Orr will run in the 300 hurdles and 110 hurdles.
Class 5A, Section 3
Brewer’s Emily Trotter and Elizabeth Garner qualified for the state meet with three top six finishes in the sectional.
Trotter was second in the 800 for the Lady Patriots. She also qualified in the 1600 and 3200.
Garner was second in the high jump and third in the triple jump. She also qualified in the long jump.
Also qualifying for the state meet was April Flowers, Angel Childers and Kim Roberson.
Brewer’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams finished fourth in the sectional to qualify for the state meet.
Brewer’s boys’ team had several qualifiers, including Vinny Muggeo, who earned spots in the state meet in the 400 and 300 hurdles.
Also qualifying was Will Pringle, Sam Martin, Dominique Burton and Rusty Bowling.
The Patriots’ 4×400 relay team finished second, while the 4×800 relay was fifth.
Class 3A, Section 4
Danville’s Levi George won the 200 meters at the Section 4 meet and added a third in the 100 to qualify for the state meet.
Also qualifying for the Hawks was Nathan Bridge (400), Riley Self (800), Jared Callahan (3200), Tyler Beck (high jump, javelin), Corey Tyson (discus) and Jessie Posey (300 hurdles).
Danville’s boys finished third in the 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800 relay events.
Danville’s Megan Luker won the 1600 meters and McKensie Alred claimed the 100 hurdles title.
Luker also qualified in the 800, while Alred advances in the triple jump.
The Lady Hawks’ Hannah McClung qualified in three different events - the 100, high jump and long jump.
Also qualifying for the Lady Hawks was Nylenna Cross (1600) and Hannah Duncan (3200).
The Lady Hawks qualified in two relay events, finishing third in the 4×400 and fifth in the 4×100.
Class 4A, Section 4
Priceville’s Faith McRaney won the 400 and finished fourth in the Section 4 meet in Guntersville.
Mallory Green was fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus.
The Lady Bulldogs also qualified in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Kristian Barker was third in the boys’ long jump, while Dylan Wheeler qualified in the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles.
Priceville’s 4×100 relay team qualified with a sixth place finish.