Flying High

After the Hewitt-Trussville High School boys track and field team earned a runner-up finish at February’s Class 7A state indoor meet, head coach David Dobbs kept getting asked thesame question.

Could the Huskies do it again outdoors?

“I’m like, ‘It’s a whole different animal — not different events, but more of them,” Dobbs recalled saying. “I said, ‘If we get top five, I’ll be happy.’” 

Consider his team’s fourth-place finish at the 7A state outdoor meet a victory. The Hewitt-Trussville boys totaled 47 points during the May 4-6 meet at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex to cement their top-five spot. Hoover won with 104. 

“We got points where we thought,” Dobbs said. “We always want a few more, but we came in and everybody that came in we thought was going to score, scored. You can’t ask for any more than that.”

Noah Igbinoghene led the charge, collecting nearly half of his team’s points. The Hewitt-Trussville senior won the long and triple jumps and took seventh in the 100-meter dash. 

His triumphs didn’t come without drama. 

Igbinoghene waited until his sixth and final long jump attempt to clinch the title. Amid blustery conditions, he leaped 23 feet, 11 inches. Murphy’s Maurice Robinson had jumped 23-8.5 earlier in the competition and finished runner-up. 

Igbinoghene also saved his best for last in the triple jump. He soared 49-10.5 on his final attempt, breaking the 7A state-meet record for the third time in 20 minutes. He surpassed the previous record of 48-7.75 — set in 2016 by Huntsville’s Michael Wiggins — on his third leap. He then extended that mark twice in his final three attempts.

 “He’s such a technician and student of the sport,” Dobbs said. “I’m very lucky as a coach to have had someone like him come through our program. He’s a once- or twice-in-a-coaching-career-type athlete.”

Igbinoghene’s fellow senior, John Ngaruiya, performed nearly as well. He placed third in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and finished eighth in the 800 meters. 

Ngaruiya kept himself in title contention until the closing stretches of the two longer races.  He ran 4:22.51 in the 1,600 and 9:29.2 in the 3,200. 

“Being All-State in every race, yeah, I’m really excited about that,” Ngaruiya said. 

Junior Jake Diggs also scored critical points for his team. He ran 48.77 to finish second in the 400-meter dash. Stone Shelnutt placed seventh in the 300-meter hurdles, an event in which the Hewitt-Trussville girls excelledas well. 

Jada Jenkins and Aubrey Mavin placed third and fifth in the 300 hurdles, helping lead their team to an eighth-place finish. Hewitt-Trussville tallied 32 points. Hoover accumulated 128.5 to clinch the team title for a sixth consecutive year. 

Hope Igbinoghene, Noah Igbinoghene’s sister, propelled her Huskies to the top 10 showing. She finished second in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the 200-meter dash. 

“Everything’s starting to come together,” Dobbs said. “She’s starting to mature, and she’s starting to believe that she can be with these girls.”

Hope Igbinoghene, a sophomore, clocked times of 12.28 (100) and 24.79 (200) seconds in her signature events. She also contributed to Hewitt-Trussville’s fifth-place 4x100-meter relay team.

Mavin, the 300 hurdler, added to her team’s total by snagging fifth place in the 100-meter hurdles. Josie Lyster finished seventh inthe javelin. 

“We’ve had a great meet, great kids,” Dobbs said. “They did what they were supposed to do.”

6A locals stand out

While Hewitt-Trussville battled in 7A, a few local standouts showcased their talent at the 6A level. 

Clay-Chalkville’s Adrienne Lewis won in the girls triple jump, leaping 37-11.75. She also placed fourth in the long jump.

Her teammate, Miles Chaney, flashed his skill, too. He finished third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110-meter hurdles.