Huskies cap seasons at state

The Hewitt-Trussville High School cross-country teams capped their 2017 seasons with top 10 finishes at the Nov. 11 AHSAA state meet in Oakville. The Huskies placed eighth in the Class 7A girls division and ninth in the 7A boys division. 

The eighth-place showing marked a significant achievement for the Hewitt-Trussville girls, who advanced to state for the first time since 2013. 

“They really did an excellent job,” head coach Anita Dobbs said. “We were so proud of them, because they weren’t supposed to be here.”

The Huskies finished second at the 7A, Section 4 meet on Nov. 2, totaling 74 points. Along with first-place Huntsville and third-place James Clemens, Hewitt-Trussville secured one of three team bids to state. 

Freshman Amelia Brady led the way with a seventh-place finish at the section meet, clocking a 5K time of 19 minutes, 43 seconds. Sydney Hall, a junior, and Helena Steen, a senior, also posted top 15 performances. Hall ran 20:03 to place ninth, and Steen ran 20:47 to place 15th. 

Sophomore Sarah Cannon (21st, 21:14) and seventh-grader Sophia Knox (22nd, 21:18) rounded out the team score. 

“They stepped up to the plate,” Dobbs said. 

It was more of the same at state. 

Hall and Brady ran nearly stride for stride on a cool, sunny morning at Oakville Indian Mounds Park and crossed the finish line within one second of each other. Hall placed 36th in 19:55, and Brady placed 37th in 19:56. 

Steen (71st, 21:16), Knox (75th, 21:23) and Cannon (85th, 21:40) followed in pursuit. 

“The girls have jelled as a team as the season’s gone on,” Dobbs said. “They were peaking at the right time.”

The Hewitt-Trussville boys, meanwhile, experienced a season of both peaks and valleys, as a few of the Huskies’ top runners were hampered continually by injury. 

As a result, they found themselves in a tight battle at the section meet. Hewitt-Trussville tied with Bob Jones for third place with 82 points. But the Huskies advanced because their sixth runner, Micah Smith, placed eight spots ahead of Bob Jones’ sixth finisher. 

“Kudos to Bob Jones for going after us up there,” Hewitt-Trussville head boys coach David Dobbs said. “We didn’t do what we were supposed to do when we were supposed to do it.”

Still, it proved sufficient. 

Freshman Aaron Himes paced a contingent of three Huskies runners who placed in the top 15 at sectionals. Himes finished ninth in 16:34, Josh Jenkins finished 10th in 16:40, and Thomas Wolfe finished 12th in 16:53. 

Jenkins and Wolfe are both seniors, as is Carson Spruiell. Together, the trio served as co-captains of this year’s team. David Dobbs credits their collective leadership for enabling the Hewitt-Trussville boys to advance to state. 

 “They did a great job of encouraging team, and I really think that’s what got us here, was their encouragement of the younger guys and what they could do,” he said. 

Aaron Dykes (26th, 17:31), Jacob Jones (29th, 17:41) and Smith (33rd, 17:48) completed the team score at the section meet. 

Himes, the freshman, set the pace once again at state. He placed 24th in 16:30, capping a stellar fall in which he trimmed nearly a minute off his 5K time. 

“He’s had a fantastic season,” David Dobbs said. “He’s been in our top three since about the third race. I’m really happy with his progress.”

Jenkins and Wolfe closed out their high school cross-country careers with top 50 finishes at state. Jenkins ran 16:35 to place 30th, and Wolfe ran 16:53 to place 44th. Smith (86th, 17:33) and Nathan Knox (95th, 17:40) rounded out the team score. 

Knox and Jones, who ran 17:47 at state, are freshmen like Himes. 

“The future looks bright,” David Dobbs said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board for next year and get back in the hunt.”