Sophomore surge

David Dobbs saw the potential in his current crop of sophomore distance runners long ago. 

In fall 2016, as eighth-graders, they led the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School cross-country team to the Birmingham metro title. 

“They had dominated metro in cross-country,” said Dobbs, the head cross-country and track and field coach at Hewitt-Trussville High School. “I mean dominated, and they did it with ease.”

That group of runners, which numbers more than 20, entered Dobbs’ program with high expectations the following fall. They’re now beginning to realize their potential. 

This spring, the Huskies’ class of 2021 has rounded into form on the track.

Five of them have broken 5 minutes in the 1,600 meters, highlighted by Aaron Himes’ sub-4:30 performance in March, while four have run 2:05 or faster in the 800 meters. 

Dobbs calls the group a “powerful force,” almost like a wave. 

 “I’ve never had this many guys that can go this deep with talent,” said Dobbs, whose coaching career spans four-plus decades. “It would go back to the 2010, 2011 cross-country season — where we finished second at state — that share that kind of work ethic.”

The sophomore surge underway on the oval can be traced to November, when the Hewitt-Trussville boys narrowly missed advancing to the state cross-country meet. That they hosted the state qualifier only added to the disappointment. 

“That really fired us up,” Himes said. 

Himes emerged last year as the leader of the pack. During his freshman campaign, he qualified individually for all three state meets: cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track.

Himes has built on that success with the help of his teammates. Fellow sophomore Nathan Knox has rebounded from the injuries that hampered him as a freshman and has nearly caught up to Himes. 

Knox ran 4:33 in the 1,600 earlier in the season. Another 10th-grader, Alex Jones, has run 4:47 in the 1,600 and 1:59 in the 800. 

“We’re really starting to add the pieces,” Himes said. “Last year, it was more just like I was kind of by myself.”

Himes and Dobbs both credit increased maturity for the group’s overall improvement. Each person is learning when to work and how to work, especially during crucial interval sessions on the track. 

“It’s intense,” Jones said, “but with the group that we have, we kind of get each other through it.”

Jones, Knox and Himes — along with senior Christian Nichols — form the Huskies’ 4x800-meter relay team that is ranked among the top in the state. 

Himes said a podium finish at the Class 7A outdoor track and field meet, held May 2-4 in Gulf Shores, is well within reach.

A strong performance there would provide the Huskies a boost heading into the summer. That’s when they’ll shift their focus back to the cross-country course. 

According to Knox, the goal moving forward is clear.  

“If we put in the work, we feel like we can be the best,” he said.