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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

Several local Class 6A outdoor track and field athletes will get a chance to compete for state championships after stellar performances at two different section meets April 29-30.

Briarwood, Calera and Chelsea all competed at Mountain Brook High School during the two-day span, as their boys and girls teams all had highlights, while Helena and Pelham competed at Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa with similar success. 

Throughout the season, the Chelsea Hornets have turned into one of the top teams in the state, especially the girls.

That was no different in the sectional meet, as the Hornets had eight podium finishers in the girls sectional meet.

It was also an impressive day for the boys, who were just behind with six finishes on the podium.

The highlight of the event was Miles Brush, who finished on the podium in three different events, including on top of the podium twice.

He won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:26.87, he won the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:36.39, and he finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:57.31. He finished four seconds off the pace in the 800 to come up just short of sweeping the three distance races.

The boys also got a second-place finish from Matt Gray in the 100-meter dash thanks to a time of 10.95 seconds.

Gray also finished on the podium in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.42 seconds, while Alex Redd claimed a podium finish of third in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.02 seconds.

The 4X800-meter relay team also finished on the podium for the boys thanks to a time of 8:24.94.

The girls were led individually by Jadlyn Debardlabon and Alana McCulla. Debardlabon finished on top of the podium in the long jump after clearing a distance of 17 feet, 7 inches, while McCulla finished first in pole vaulting after clearing 10 feet, 6 inches.

As a team, the 4X400-meter relay team also finished first, giving the Hornets their third win. The team finished the event with a time of 4:01.62.

Nia Cummings also had a special event thanks to two podium finishes. She finished second in the triple jump behind a distance of 35 feet, 7.75 inches, while she added a finish of third in the long jump after totaling 16 feet, 5.5 inches.

Cady McPhail and Lily Rigor both finished third in their respective events, as McPhail did so in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.34 seconds and Rigor did so in the 300-meter hurdles thanks to a time of 46.66 seconds.

McPhail also finished fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.77.

The girls also added a podium finish from the 4X800-meter relay team behind a time of 10:19.60.

One of the strongest showings of the weekend came from the Pelham Panthers, who accounted for 11 total podium finishes at the Class 6A, Section 3 meet.

Seven of those podium finishes, including two wins, came from the boys.

Avery Childress continued a special season for the Panthers in the 400-meter dash. He finished in the top spot behind a time of 50.10 seconds, while he also finished third in the long jump with a distance of 21 feet, 11 inches and third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.17 seconds.

The 4X400-meter relay team also had a strong showing, winning the event with a time of 3:26.93.

Beyond that, Brayden Marlowe, Kacee Owens and Caleb Newell all finished on the podium.

Marlowe did so in the110-meter hurdles thanks to a time of 15.71 seconds, while he also finished fifth in the 300-meter hurdles.

Owens finished third in the triple jump thanks to a distance of 43 feet, 6.5 inches, while Newell finished third in the shot put with a distance of 48 feet, 3 inches.

The girls didn’t have a winner, but they did get two second-place finishes.

Elizabeth Hayhurst was the top individual for the Panthers thanks to a finish of second in the javelin throw after hitting a distance of 117 feet, 9 inches.

The 4X800-meter relay team also finished second behind a time of 10:18.49, while the 4X100-meter and 4X400-meter teams both finished third.

For the Calera Eagles, Braylyn Farrington and Jordon Bray continued a historic season.

The two have made themselves contenders for state championships throughout the season, and that was on display at the section meet.

Farrington finished first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.09 seconds, while he also finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.22 seconds. He won the prelims of the 200-meter dash and just missed out on winning in the finals.

The boys also got a finish of second from the 4X400-meter relay team thanks to a time of 3:26.87.

As for Bray, she finished first in the 400-meter dash behind a speedy time of 56.93 seconds, while she finished second in the 200-meter dash prelims with a time of 25.93 seconds.

Briarwood put together a solid outing at the Class 6A, Section 2 meet at Mountain Brook thanks to six total podium finishes as a team.

The girls accounted for four of those wins, while the boys had two and each had one sectional champion.

Briarwood’s girls were highlighted by Kate Saunders, who won the discus throw with a distance of 98 feet, 10 inches. Saunders also finished fourth in the javelin throw after reaching a distance of 90 feet.

The next highest finish came from Ansley Murphy in pole vaulting. She finished the event in second after clearing 10 feet to add another podium finish for the Lions.

Behind her, Livi Reebals finished third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.31 seconds, while the 4X800-meter relay team finished third with a time of 10:19. 75.

The boys were led by Riley Margene in pole vaulting after he cleared 12 feet, 6 inches to bring home the section championship in the event.

Jay Butler added a podium finish for Briarwood’s boys in the 400-meter dash. He finished the race in 50.85 seconds to claim third.

It was an impressive weekend for Helena as well, who competed at the Section 4 meet at Paul Bryant alongside Pelham.

The Huskies had six podium finishes at the event, while Brooklynn Kirksey accounted for three of those six.

The star athlete at Helena won the long jump thanks to a distance of 18 feet, 5.25 inches, while she also finished second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.30 seconds and second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.27 seconds.

Sydney Mason was the other highlight for the girls after finishing third in the discus throw thanks to a distance of 88 feet, 9 inches, while Lamaria Bennett finished fourth in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 100-meter dash.

The boys were led by Caden Blackman with a finish of second in the 800-meter run. He finished the event with a time of 1:59.94.

Helena’s boys also got a podium finish from the 4X800-meter relay team with a finish of third thanks to a time of 8:24.84. The 4X400-meter team finished fourth, while Aspen Warren, Christopher Wager, Michael Sestili and Sammy Ratley all had top-five finishes.