From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
The Hewitt-Trussville girls and boys cross country teams qualified for the state championships with outstanding showings in the sectionals at Huntsville last weekend.
The girls finished second and the boys finished third.
The top three teams advanced to the AHSAA State meet. This is the first time since 2013 that the girls qualified for the State meet.
The sectional race featured 80 runners. The Huskies had five athletes finish in the top 23 individually. Amelia Brady finished seventh, Sydney Hall finished ninth, Helena Steen finished 15th, Sarah Cannon finished 22nd, and Sophia Knox finished 23rd. The team will travel to Moulton on Saturday to compete for a state title.
Head girls coach Anita Dobbs was excited after the race. “We are so proud of the girls for qualifying for the first time since 2013. Our girls ran with heart and believed in each other. They all stepped up when it mattered most to finish in second place in a tough section. Now, on to State!”
The Hewitt-Trussville boys team qualified in dramatic fashion. Eight teams ran on Thursday but only the top three teams advanced to state. Huntsville won the boys’ division and Grissom placed second. The Huskies tied for the final qualifying spot with Bob Jones. Hewitt-Trussville advanced because its No. 6 runner (Micah Smith) finished higher than Bob Jones’ No. 6 runner.
The Huskies had five athletes place in the top 30 individually. Aaron Himes finished ninth, Josh Jenkins finished 10th, Thomas Wolfe finished 12th, Aaron Dykes finished 26th, and Jacob Jones finished 29th. The team will compete for a state championship when they travel to the Jesse Owens Course in Moulton.
Head coach David Dobbs said, “I am very proud of our guys. We didn’t have a great race but our No. 6 guy stepped up for us. Finishing third wasn’t the goal, but we advanced and we are looking forward to State.”