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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

BIRMINGHAM – The 2021 indoor track and field season is now underway, and it kicked off with a bang at one of the first big events on the season at Birmingham’s CrossPlex on Saturday, Dec. 11, with several local teams battling in a crowded meet.

Oak Mountain’s boys put together a special showing early in the indoor season with five finishes inside the top 10.

The Eagles were led by Omar Cooks who was one of the only winners from the county during the event. He took the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 7.5 inches.

They also saw three other top-five finishes thanks to Ethan Hammett and two of the relay teams.

Hammett claimed third in the high jump, clearing a height of 6 feet, 2 inches, while the 4X400-meter relay team finished second with a time of 3:33.17 and the 4X200-meter relay team finished fourth with a time of 1:34.17.

The 4X800-meter relay team cracked the top 10 as well, finishing 10th with a time of 9:29.23.

Cade George was the other individual athlete in the top 10 for the Eagles, finishing sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.33 seconds.

Oak Mountain’s girls had one top-10 finish with the 4X200-meter relay team finishing sixth with a time of 1:51.06.

Helena was one of the most consistent teams in the event with seven athletes finishing inside the top 10 of their respective events.

The boys had five of those top-10 finishes, led by the 4X400-meter relay team with a finish of fifth thanks to a time of 3:40.20.

Aspen Warren had the next highest finish by claiming sixth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:31.06. Kenny Spears and Walter Womack also had impressive showings in the 800-meter run and 60-meter dash, respectively.

Spears finished seventh with a time of 2:04.65, while Womack finished eighth with a time of 7.20 seconds.

Desmon James also finished 10th on the dot in the triple jump with a distance of 38 feet, 10 inches.

The Helena girls had the highest individual finisher for the Huskies with Lamaria Bennet claiming fourth in the long jump thanks to a distance of 16 feet, 2.5 inches.

Brooklyn Kirksey also had an impressive day by claiming two top-10 finishes. She finished sixth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.14 and seventh in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.96 seconds.

Chelsea’s girls had a big event as well with four finishes inside the top 10 of four different events, while the boys got one top-25 finish.

The girls were highlighted by Cady McPhail, who finished fifth in the 400-meter dash to kick start the indoor season. She finished the event with a time of 59.86 seconds.

Alana McCulla was the other individual athlete with a strong finish. She claimed sixth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 9 feet, 6 inches.

Behind those two, the Hornets saw their 4X200-meter relay team finish ninth with a time of 1:52.19, while the 4X400-meter relay team finished sixth with a time of 4:26.80.

Thomas Ludwig was the highest finisher for the Chelsea boys, taking 22nd in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:35.39. 

Calera’s top two finishers were Tre Bright and Christopher Thomas, who both finished inside the top 20. Bright was the highest finisher for the Eagles, claiming 11th in the shot put with a distance of 42 feet, 8 inches. Thomas finished 19th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.68 seconds.

The Shelby County Wildcats had a few highlights as well with the boys’ 4X800-meter relay team finishing 13th behind a time of 10:19.72. For the boys, the 4X200-meter relay team finished 23rd and Luke Lewis finished 25th in the high jump.

The girls were highlighted by the 4X800-meter relay team’s finish of 19th with a time of 12:49.21, while the 4X400-meter team finished 23rd behind a time of 5:09.24.

Victoria Farrish added a finish of 26th in the shot put with a distance of 27 feet, 7 inches.

Indian Springs’ only athlete was Charlie Wilder, who finished 94th in the 1,600-meter run for the boys.