Alabama XC Championships: Storylines

By ARTHUR L. MACK for DyeStat

A very fast eighth-grader ... two very long winning streaks ... powerhouses competing in new classifications ... those are some of the things to watch for in Saturday's Alabama High School Athletic Association Cross Country Championships at the Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Oakville.

A total of 12 races will be contested in Classes 1A-2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A on a course that has been described as challenging but fast.

Teams such as Mountain Brook, Auburn, Opelika, Scottsboro, Mobile's UMS-Wright, Huntsville Randolph, and Daphne's Bayside Academy are teams to watch in their respective divisions.

Here is a preview of what to watch for:

Class 7A: Auburn's boys and Mountain Brook's girls are the favorites in this class, a newly created super class that has the 32 largest schools in the state.

For Auburn's boys, who won the Class 6A title last year, it should be another solid performance. The Tigers have been running consistent all season long, and led by Paul Rolader and Paul Barlow, could very well dominate the meet.

If Auburn falls short, then Hoover, led by Carson Tullo, or Mountain Brook, led by freshman Charlie Slaughter, could hoist the blue trophy. Both teams had solid performances at their sectional meet, and could provide a big surprise.

On the Class 7A girls side, Mountain Brook is seeking its 12th straight title. The Spartans won 11 straight Class 6A titles, and led by seventh-grader Lily Hulsey, could give the rest of the field, particularly Huntsville and Mobile's McGill-Toolen Catholic, a very hard time.

Class 6A: This is one of the more intriguing divisions in the meet, especially on the boys' side.

Homewood, led by Andy Smith, and Opelika, led by Ben Bryant, are the two favorites coming into the meet. Both Smith and Bryant are among the top five runners in the state and have run sub-16-minute races on several occasions. Bryant, in fact, ran 15:30.28 at his sectional meet. But Homewood won the Class 5A title last year, and would love nothing more than to add a Class 6A title to its collection.

Some of the principal challengers could be Scottsboro, Birmingham's John Carroll Catholic, and Spanish Fort.

Like their male counterparts, Homewood's girls won a Class 5A title last year. The Patriots, led by seventh-grader Laney Phelps, should get some solid competition from Scottsboro, led by Alicia Atilano; John Carroll Catholic, and Spanish Fort.

Class 5A: This division, though weakened considerably by some of the former Class 5A teams being bumped up to 6A, still could have some solid competition.

Lawrence County is considered to be the favorite in the boys and girls.

On the boys' side, Lawrence County is led by Caleb Lipsey, and ran very strong in its sectional race. But keep an eye out on Huntsville Randolph, which was in Class 4A last season and has traditionally had strong programs; and Mobile's St. Paul's Episcopal, led by Reece Stevens, who individually could get a top three finish.

Lawrence County's girls, led by Kelsey Graham, has been solid for most of the year, but could face a strong challenge from St. Paul's, led by seventh-grader Isabel Valenzuela, who has run under 19 minutes this season, as well as Randolph, which has a young, but talented team.

Class 4A: Expect a tight battle on the boys and girls' side.

Mobile UMS-Wright, led by one of the top runners in the state in Robert Hope, is one of the favorites in the boys' competition, as well as LAMP (Loveless), Sipsey Valley, and Westminster Christian Academy, led by Ryan Ford.

UMS-Wright's girls, who are vying for a sixth straight 4A state championship, is sure to have its hands full with Wilson High, led by sisters Cele and Phoebe Moon, and Rogers of Florence. The runner to watch in this division, though, is Catholic-Montgomery's Amaris Tyynismaa, an eighth-grader who has run under 18 minutes three times.

Class 3A: A new team in this classification—Montgomery Academy—could be the team to watch on Saturday.

Montgomery Academy, defending 1A-2A champions, is now in a competitive 3A boys' division which includes American Christian Academy, led by Jesse Kelley, who ran 16:14.77 in his sectional meet; Mobile's Cottage Hill Christian Academy, and Daphne's Bayside Academy.

On the girls' side, Montgomery Academy is favored to win, but could get a serious challenge from Bayside Academy, T.R. Miller, and American Christian, led by Kaitlin York.

Class 1A-2A: On the boys' side, it could be a battle between Whitesburg Christian Academy, Cold Springs, Westminster at Oak Mountain, and St. Bernard; while on the girls' side, Whitesburg Christian Academy, Westminster at Oak Mountain, and St. Bernard are considered some of the favorites.