1 of 49

In a battle of the best athletes in Shelby County, Chelsea won the boys Shelby County Championship in outdoor track and field while Oak Mountain took the girls title. (Contributed)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – After competing throughout the outdoor track and field season, the best athletes from around Shelby County descended on Pelham High School on Wednesday, April 17 to decide who was the best in the county in the Shelby County Championships.

In the end, the Chelsea Hornets walked away as the boys champions and the Oak Mountain Eagles claimed the girls championship.

Finishing behind Chelsea’s 177 points in the boys standings was Oak Mountain in second with 125 and the Thompson Warriors and Pelham Panthers tied in third place with 114 points.

As for the girls team standings, Chelsea came in second with 152 compared to Oak Mountain’s 158 and the Briarwood Christian Lions finished in third with 121.5 points.

To start out the day, Chelsea’s Ty Cason won the girls 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:45.70. Briarwood’s Mary Grace Parker came in second with 11:48.09 and Oak Mountain’s Hayley Datema finished third with 12:03.44.

The first of many meet records came in the next race when Chelsea’s Parker Campbell set a county championship record in the boys 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:41.79.

The Hornets swept the podium with Hudson Williams earning second with a 9:47.75 and Conner Campbell taking third with a 9:53.45.

Then, in the girls 4×800-meter relay, Oak Mountain won with a time of 10:14.67 followed by Pelham in second with a 10:28.74 and Chelsea in third with a 10:39.15.

Oak Mountain also won the boys race with a time of 8:33.16, with Pelham taking second with an 8:41.92 and Thompson in third with an 8.46.09.

Chelsea’s Addison Foster won the girls 100-meter hurdles with a personal-record time of 15.58 seconds. Briarwood’s Livi Reebals followed in second with a time of 16.22 seconds and Oak Mountain’s Julia Bueche came in third with a time of 16.26 seconds.

The boys 110-meter hurdles was won by Bradley Franklin, who broke Thompson’s school record with a first-place time of 13.98 seconds. Pelham’s Anthony Sanders finished in second with a time of 15.48 seconds, and Chelsea’s Connor Burley took third with a personal-record 15.76 seconds.

Oak Mountain took another relay victory with a win in the girls 4×100-meter relay, taking first place with a time of 49.40 seconds. The Eagles just beat out second-place Chelsea’s time of 49.78 seconds and third-place Thompson’s time of 49.83 seconds.

Chelsea claimed the boys 4×100-meter relay title with a time of 42.47 seconds. Thompson finished in second with a time of 43.05 seconds and Pelham came in third with a time of 43.40 seconds.

The entire top three of the girls 400-meters set personal records as Cason won the race with a time of 57.20 seconds, Oak Mountain’s Catarina Williams earned second place with a time of 57.71 seconds and Chelsea’s Mia Dunavant took third with a time of 57.95 seconds.

The same feat happened in the boys 400-meters as Chelsea’s Owen Key won with a personal-record time of 50.43 seconds, just beating out Oak Mountain’s Cooper Jeffcoat’s personal-best run of 50.74 seconds in second place while Briarwood’s Gavin Gurtis was also close with a personal-record 50.95 seconds in third place.

In the girls 1,600-meter run, Briarwood’s Bela Doss won with a time of 5:07.33. Cason finished in second with a time of 5:12.84 and Parker took third with a time of 5:16.39.

Fresh off setting the Oak Mountain school record at the Mountain Brook Invitational, John Shoemaker set a meet-record in the boys 1,600-meter run with his time of 4:17.56. Chelsea’s Parker Campbell came in second with a time of 4:27.04 and Helena’s Aspen Warren finished third with a time of 4:28.16.

Oak Mountain’s Samantha Bennett won the girls 100-meter dash with a time of 12.44 seconds, beating out her teammate Chrislyn Gray who earned a personal-record time of 12.60 seconds to take second place. Thompson’s Cherish Brewer finished third with a time of 12.70 seconds.

In the boys 100-meter dash, Franklin and Chelsea’s Eryk Brown set personal records and meet records in their battle for the win. In the end, Brown won with a time of 10.63 seconds ahead of Franklin’s second-place finish of 10.72 seconds. Pelham’s William McGough III came in third with a time of 10.95 seconds.

Chelsea’s Addison Foster won the girls 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.63 seconds. Westminster at Oak Mountain earned its first varsity podium of the day with Elizabeth Bandura’s second-place time of 49.44 seconds. Oak Mountain’s Julia Bueche rounded out the top three with a time of 50.67 seconds.

Franklin added his second win of the day in the boys 300-meter hurdles, setting a meet record with a personal-best time of 37.63 seconds, which is the second-fastest time in the state this season and the 23rd-best in the country.

Key claimed second in the race with a time of 40.40 seconds and Pelham’s Marshall Watts finished third with a personal-record time of 41.94 seconds.

Cason set the county championships record in the girls 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.98 to win for the Hornets. Doss finished in second for Briarwood with a time of 2:17.34 and Williams earned third for Oak Mountain with a time of 2:18.37.

The meet record in the boys 800-meter run fell twice as Shoemaker and Jeffcoat both broke it for Oak Mountain. Shoemaker won with a time of 1:58.00 and Jeffcoat came in second with a time of 1:58.11. Chelsea’s Parker Campbell came in third with a time of 1:59.11.

Bennett took the girls 200-meter dash crown for Oak Mountain with a time of 25.69 seconds. Gray earned a personal-record to take second place with a time of 26.11 seconds and Brewer took third for Thompson with a time of 26.21 seconds.

Chelsea’s Brown cracked the top 100 times in the nation with his winning run in the boys 200-meter dash. He ran a personal-record 21.44 seconds which is the second-fastest time in the state.

McGough took second for Pelham with a time of 22.38 seconds and Thompson’s Kayden Washington finished in third with a time of 22.44 seconds.

Oak Mountain won the girls 4×400-meter relay with a time of 4:08.16, five seconds ahead of Briarwood in second place with a time of 4:13.71. Chelsea claimed third with a time of 4:17.53.

In the final track event of the day, the boys 4×400-meter relay, Oak Mountain also came out on top with a time of 3:28.83. That topped Chelsea’s second-place time of 3:30.68 and Pelham’s third-place time of 3:35.38.

Over in the field, Pelham’s Tyler Mason won the boys shot put with a throw of 53-05.00. Thompson’s Fabienne Shuler earned a personal record in second place with a throw of 47-05.00 and Pelham’s James Schumucker came in third with a throw that went 42-11.00.

Thompson’s Akasha Dudley set a meet record and with the second-best throw in the state this season with a distance of 40-03.00. Helena’s Brooklyn Kelley came in second with a throw of 36-11.00 and Thompson’s Alaura Myers earned third with a throw of 32-05.00.

Dudley also won the women’s discus throw with a distance of 116-01. Indian Springs’ Cara Huff took second with a throw of 112-03 and Thompson’s Jayla Forbes earned third with a throw of 93-07.

Mason earned his second win of the day in the boys discus throw with a personal-record throw of 160-03, the second-best throw in Alabama this season. Thompson’s Shuler claimed second place with a personal record of 138-08 and Aaron Glover earned third for the Warriors with a personal record of his own of 132-10.

Oak Mountain’s Sean Ray won the boys long jump with a personal record of 21-08.00. Pelham’s Kacee Owens also set a personal record in second place with a 20-08.75 and Helena’s Desmon James took third with a throw of 20-07.50.

The same three made up the podium for the boys triple jump as Ray also claimed victory in the event with a mark of 42-10.00. James earned a personal record with his second-place mark of 42-07.75 and Owens came in third with a 42-06.50.

Briarwood’s Emma Kerley won the girls triple jump with a mark of 35-02.75. The Lions also claimed second when Ava Doss record a mark of 34.01.75. Oak Mountain’s Samiah Jones rounded out the top three with a mark of 34-01.00.

Samiah Jones did come out on top in the girls long jump with a mark of 16-07.75. Chelsea’s Tamarah Rice came in second with a mark of 16-07.75 and Kerley took third for the Lions with a personal-record of 16-03.75.

In the boys high jump, Briarwood’s Charlie Thompson won by being the lone athlete to clear a mark of 6-00.00. Oak Mountain’s Paxton Haley earned second after clearing a mark of 5-10.00 and Pelham’s Anthony Sanders took third by reaching 5-08.00.

Pelham’s Emma Grace Howard won the girls high jump with a mark of 5-00.00. Chelsea’s Lauren Buchanan and Briarwood’s Kerley tied for second with marks of 4-10.00.

Oak Mountain’s Harper Richey secured a personal record to take the win in the girls pole vault thanks to her mark of 10-01.00. Helena’s Abigail Parsons took second with a mark of 9-00.00 and Briarwood’s Blakeley Margene earned third with a mark of 8-06.00.

Helena’s Michael Sestili won the boys pole vault with a mark of 13-00.00. Chelsea took both second and third as Wyatt Irvin earned second by also earning a mark of 13-00.00 and Jonathan Ludwig took third with a mark of 9-00.00.

Chelsea’s Gabe Pendley walked away with the boys javelin throw win with a mark of 180-03. Vincent’s Jackson Godwin secured second with his personal-best throw of 133-08 and Briarwood’s Max Luster rounded out the top three with a throw of 133-05.

Chelsea’s Sydney Carroll got a personal-record in the girls javelin throw with a throw of 107-04 to win the event. Oak Mountain’s Sara Cothran finished in second with an identical mark of 107-04. Westminster at Oak Mountain’s Olivia Montgomery earned third with a personal record of 103-02.

More Sports

Oak Mountain embracing challenges in first year of Harris era

Briarwood leaning on returning core to face 5A challenges

Montevallo seeks next step in Kevin Smith’s second year, jump to 5A

Playoffs Week 1 Predictions: Six home playoff games headline competitive slate