By Gary Lloyd
The Pinson Valley boys’ cross country team on Thursday won its first ever sectional race, claiming the Class 5A, Section 3 race in Trussville.
Pinson Valley was followed by Center Point, Moody, Mortimer Jordan and Eufaula.
Luis Gonzalez placed second individually in the 5K run for Pinson Valley. Victor Larry took fourth and Slade Shelnutt finished eighth. Ty Jenkins finished 12th, Lance Crawley took 13th and and Jordan Bryant took 19th. Connor Sullivan placed 27th, followed by Will Price in 28th for Pinson Valley. Skylar Gardner finished in 44th place and John Dobbs took 45th.
The Hewitt-Trussville girls placed second behind Mountain Brook in the Class 6A, Section 3 run. Veronica Lyle won the individual race and Alexandra Pidcock placed fifth. Lauren Smith finished 10th, and Isabella Calma, Audrey Bland, Marlee Mason and Ashlyn Wiggins took the 16th through 19th spots, respectively. Olivia Pidcock placed 21st, Mary Caroline Lesley took 22nd and Alexandria Calma finished 24th.
Clay-Chalkville’s girls did not place in the top six but Jessica Ray was the school’s top finisher, placing 46th. Other Clay-Chalkville finishers were Sara Dubois (62nd), Mary Jane Cook (63rd) and Taylor Girouard (67th).
The Hewitt-Trussville boys also placed second behind Mountain Brook. Clay-Chalkville finished eighth. Austin Norwood was Hewitt-Trussville’s top finisher, placing second. Benjamin Knox finished eighth, Josh Dowds 12th, Hunter Thomason 13th, Sean Williamson 15th and Campbell Holley 23rd. For the Huskies, Tyler Jackson placed 26th, Damon Purdy 27th and Eli Czermak 29th.
Clay-Chalkville’s top finisher was Tyler Verner, who placed 32nd.
The Pinson Valley boys and both Hewitt-Trussville teams qualify for the state meet in Moulton next Saturday.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.