MONTGOMERY – Scottsboro High School junior Cooper Atkins breezed his way to the championship in his school’s invitational cross country meet, one of four Wildcats to finish in the top five in the 257-man field on Sept. 28 at John R. Esslinger Trail of Champions course last weekend.
    Atkins’ 15:48.38 time in the 5K was the top finish reported last week and earns the Week 6

AHSAA Cross Country Spotlight. Cooper’s twin brother, Benson Atkins, took third in the race at 16:17.88, ahead of teammates Rex Green (16:30.83) and Josue Vela Castillo (16:40.66). Zach Avenel was seventh at 16:41.58 to round out the Scottsboro finishers. Guntersville’s Sam Moultrie (16:13.60) was second.
     Coach Luke Robinson’s squad won the title in the 19-team Class 5A-7A field over Florence and Bob Jones, competing without Wildcat Hayden Judge, who has a team-best 15:29 5K this year. Judge missed the meet with an illness.
    “(Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame Coach) John Esslinger set the standard for Scottsboro,” Robinson said, “and we have a really good tradition.”
      In his fourth year at the helm, Robinson has guided the Wildcats to 10 cross country and track state championships – including the 2018 boys’ and girls’ cross country and outdoor titles. His boys’ team also won the indoor crown a year ago.
    Other top boys’ performers last week included Jace Jones of Thompson, topping the Shelby County Championship at Veterans Park in Alabaster with a 16:13:86 first-place finish; Cullman’s Will Thompson, notching a 16:15.60 in the Kudzu Hills Invitational at Cold Springs; Joseph Perry of UMS-Wright, clocking a 16:25.02 in the Battle of the Bay meet at Loxley; and Woodrow Dean of Tallassee, finishing in 16:42.32 in the Opelika Invitational.
      There was a youth movement in the top girls’ performers last week, including ninth-grader Hannah Adams of Westminster School at Oak Mountain with a 19:36.10 finish at the Oak Mountain Invitational at Heardmont Park in Shelby County; Addison Embry, an eighth-grader at Lauderdale County, finishing first with a 20:29.19 time in the Class 1A-3A division at the Warriors Invitational, hosted by Wilson High in Florence; and Mary Anna Trimble, another eighth-grader, winning the 4A-7A division of the Warriors meet with a 20:38.99 finish – just ahead of fellow eighth-grader Mallory Cole of Brooks (21:22.45).
      Many of the AHSAA’s cross country programs will head to Oakville Indian Mounds Museum and State Park to compete in the prestigious Jesse Owens Classic on Saturday.
      Results of all the AHSAA 5,000-meter races reported last week include:

 

SCOTTSBORO INVITATIONAL
John R. Esslinger Trail of Champions (Host: Scottsboro High)

5A-7A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Scottsboro 19; Florence 107; Bob Jones 124
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (257)
1. Cooper Atkins, Scottsboro             15:48.98
2. Sam Moultrie, Guntersville            16:13.60
3. Benson Atkins, Scottsboro             16:17.88

 

1A-4A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Pleasant Valley 58; Fairview 60; Westminster Christian 75
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (132)
1. Collin Mayfield, Geraldine             16:04.97
2. Peyton Bailey, Fairview                  17:35.73
3. Kyle VanKirk, Westminster           17:42.53
 

5A-7A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Fort Payne 52; Lawrence Co. 59; Scottsboro 69

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (135)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Emily Daniel, Lawrence Co.          19:38.23
2. Maggie Crow, Fort Payne               19:47.25
3. Mary Claire Ridgeway, Florence    19:59.38

 

1A-4A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Ashville 29; Pleasant Valley 44; Glencoe 107

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (105)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Taylor Knight, Ashville                  21:41.44
2. Meghan McCarthy, Ashville           22:00.18
3. Katie Giles, Glencoe                       22:29.51

OAK MOUNTAIN INVITATIONAL
Herdmont Park, Birmingham (Host: Oak Mountain High)

BOYS TEAM WINNER: Hoover 49; Randolph School 73; Catholic-Montgomery 108
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (212)
1. Walker Cole, Oak Mountain           16:18.81
2. Hollis Johnson, Catholic-Mtgy       17:06.33
3. Owen Marquardt, Hoover               17:17.20

4. Lee Thomas, Randolph                  17:17.39

 

GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Hoover 67; Oak Mountain 81; Randolph School 111

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (157)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Hannah Adams, Westminster/Oak Mtn      19:36.10
2. Evie Bell, Oak Mountain                            20:01.14
3. Hallie Porterfield, Westminster                  20:20.59

 

BATTLE OF THE BAY
Loxley Municipal Park (Host: Bayside Academy)

5A-7A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Hartselle 43; McGill-Toolen 50; Daphne 71

BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (126)
1. Ethan Rowe, Daphne                      16:37.81
2. Drew Roberts, McGill-Toolen        16:42.53
3. Myles Murphy, McGill-Toolen       17:45.29

 

1A-4A BOYS TEAM WINNER: UMS-Wright 33; St. Michael Catholic 52; Houston Acad 96

BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (101)
1. Joseph Perry, UMS-Wright            16:25.02
2. Barton Erwin, Mobile Christian     17:20.85
3. Matthew Taylor, UMS-Wright       17:37.85

 

5A-7A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: McGill-Toolen Catholic 35; Baker 61; St. Paul’s Episcopal 69

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (86)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Emily Shumock, Faith Acad                      19:48.81
2. Claire Frazier Bolton, McGill-Toolen         19:52.83
3. Anna Adams, McGill-Toolen                      21:04.63

 

1A-4A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: American Christian 31; UMS-Wright 71; T.R. Miller 76

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (53)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Olivia Blackmon, T.R. Miller         20:31.67
2. Karis Kelley, American Chr           20:43.18
3. Brenda Ellis, UMS-Wright             20:51.50
 

KUDZU HILLS INVITATIONAL
Cold Springs High, Bremen (Host: Cold Springs High)

4A-7A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Cullman 32; James Clemens 59; LAMP (Loveless) 74
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (153)
1. Will Thompson, Cullman               16:15.60
2. Matthew Hill, James Clemens        16:48.93
3. Seba Bakoyema, LAMP                 16:54.57

 

1A-3A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Cold Springs 36; St. Bernard 41; Altamont 127
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (144)
1. Caleb Guthery, St. Bernard            17:20.81
2. Jonathan Collett, Cold Springs       17:33.01
3. Ethan Edgeworth, Cold Springs     17:38.43

 

4A-7A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Cullman 30; James Clemens 49; Arab 79

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (89)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Kristin Day, James Clemens           19:48.70
2. Jennifer Aviles, Cullman                20:14.80
3. Della Kelly, Cullman                      20:30.10

 

1A-3A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: J.B. Pennington 63; Cold Springs 65; St. Bernard 83
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (95)
1. Camilla Chambers, Holly Pond      20:03.89
2. Madilyn Kerber, St. Bernard          20:37.34
3. Reagan Parris, Cold Springs           20:37.72

 

OPELIKA INVITATIONAL
Opelika Sportsplex (Host: Opelika High)

BOYS TEAM WINNER: Auburn 23; Central-Phenix City 81; Stanhope Elmore 98
BOYS INVITATIONAL LEADERS (108)
1. Woodrow Dean, Tallassee  16:42.32
2. Sean Dorrill, Central-PC    17:12.05
3. Thomas Parnell, Auburn     17:20.38

 

GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Central-Phenix City 29; Auburn 36; Beauregard 77

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (60)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Adley Burkes, Central-PC  19:34.97
2. Breckin Gould, Opelika      20:36.46
3. Abigail Garner, Central-PC            21:21.47

 

SHELBY COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
Veterans Park, Alabaster (Host: Thompson High)

BOYS TEAM WINNER: Helena 43; Briarwood Christian 65; Briarwood Jr. 85; Thompson 87
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (181)
1. Jace Jones, Thompson         16:13.86
2. Walker Cole, Oak Mtn       16:26.53
3. Brady Barton, Helena         16:58.53

 

GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Oak Mountain 40; Helena 71; Briarwood Jr. 82; Thompson 84

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (95)

GIRLS 5K RUN

1. Evie Bell, Oak Mtn             20:32.21
2. Teanna Cason, Chelsea       21:02.28
3. Emily Allen, Thompson      21:05.05

 

WARRIORS INVITATIONAL
Wilson School, Florence (Host: Wilson High)

4A-7A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Deshler 34; Haleyville 65; Rogers 75
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (70)
1. Raleigh Stamps, Rogers      17:09.90
2. Cody Hill, Deshler              17:36.18
3. Lewis Barber, Haleyville    18:29.75

 

1A-3A BOYS TEAM WINNER: Tanner 50; Hatton 56; East Lawrence 78
BOYS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (68)
1. Nicolas Ulrich, Athens Bible          17:23.06
2. Colby Corum, Lauderdale Co.       18:06.29
3. Carson Graves, Hatton                   18:10.51

 

4A-7A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Deshler 38; Haleyville 53; Rogers 55

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (40)

1. Mary Anna Trimble, Muscle Shoals           20:38.99
2. Mallory Cole, Brooks                                 21:22.45
3. Jaycee Biffle, Rogers                                  21:33.97

 

1A-3A GIRLS TEAM WINNER: Hatton 30; Colbert Heights 43; Lexington 78

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (50)

1. Addison Embry, Lauderdale Co.                20:29.19
2. Valerie Grosso, Lexington                          21:45.87
3. Kasey Ezekiel, Colbert Height                   22:03.86