State track and field: Bucs 'know how to win' in crunch time
GULF SHORES -- Hoover High School head track and field coach Devon Hind breathed a sigh of relief Saturday afternoon after the Class 7A boys 800-meter run. One of his seniors, Trent Hamner, deployed a powerful kick down the final stretch to claim a first-place finish.
His teammate, Tommy McDonough, placed seventh.
"When they crossed the line, it was over," Hind said.
The pair's pivotal performance in the second-to-last event at the 4A-7A state meet vaulted Hoover past Auburn in the team standings and ensured a Buccaneer sweep of the 7A titles. The Hoover girls already had clinched their blue map thanks to a wave of state-championship efforts earlier in the day.
"These kids are incredible," Hind said after the postmeet awards ceremony. "They know how to win."
The Hoover boys bested runner-up Auburn, 104-89, to secure their third state outdoor track and field title in four years. The Hoover girls won by a more significant margin, prevailing over runner-up Mountain Brook, 128.5-83.5.
The victory cemented their sixth consecutive state outdoor championship.
"I'm speechless," Hind said. "We're going to miss a lot of these seniors. They've set a pattern so that the young ones are already talking about what they want to do next year."
Caitlyn Little set an example for them to follow. The University of South Carolina signee scored 28 points in three individual events, and won two of them. She placed first in the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles.
"It means so much, especially with it being my last year," she said, "you know, going out with a bang."
Little clocked winning times of 12.08 (100) and 13.74 (100 hurdles) seconds. She also finished second in the 200-meter dash and ran a leg on the Bucs' runner-up 4x100-meter relay team.
"She has been focused this year and every meet has run incredible," Hind said. "She ended her career in fine fashion."
Chakiya Plummer started her career in similar form. Making her state meet debut, the Bumpus Middle School eighth-grader took first in the 300-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100 hurdles. She said she was only "kind of" nervous in the high-stakes atmosphere.
"I didn't know this was going to happen," said Plummer. "It's just unbelievable, but I did it."
Hoover's Michelle Nkoudou also contributed substantial points in those same events. She placed runner-up to Little in the 100 hurdles and placed fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Sydney Steely, Jairyn Russell and Emma Langley added to the point barrage. Steely posted a third-place finish in the 800-meter run and anchored Hoover's 4x400-meter relay, which also placed third. Langley finished two spots behind Steely in the 800. Russell placed fourth in the 100 dash, an event in which the Hoover boys also shined.
Hakim Ruffin and R.J. Nelson led the way. The duo finished fifth and sixth in the 100 and contributed to the Bucs' runner-up 4x100-meter relay team.
Nelson also placed fourth in the 200.
But it wasn't until Hamner's decisive kick that the meet's tide turned completely in Hoover's favor. He recorded a blistering first-place 800 time of 1:54.78.
"I was just trying to get the points we needed to win," he said. "It came close, so I just did what I knew I had to."
Hamner, a University of Oklahoma signee, padded his team's lead in the meet's final event. He split 48 seconds as the anchor of Hoover's 4x400-meter relay. It finished second in 3:20.25.
"Trent has been rock solid all year," Hind said. "Something clicked in indoor, and he hasn't been the same since."
The Hoover boys would not have been in striking distance Saturday afternoon without two critical performances in the morning's javelin competition. Luke Ballard prevailed, throwing 194 feet, one inch to claim his first career state title. Will Clark came in fourth at 170.
"The competition's always really good when you come to state," Ballard said, "so it usually drives me to do my best."
The same can be said for the entire Hoover program, which also swept the 7A titles at February's state indoor meet.
"It's pretty amazing," Hind said.
Spain Park
The Spain Park High School boys track and field team finished ninth in 7A with 36 points. The bulk of those came on Saturday.
Jaguar hurdlers Christian Strong and Thomas Jordan showed out in their signature events, scoring major points in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
Strong won the 110 hurdles in 14.57 seconds, and Jordan placed third in 15.29. Strong edged out Thompson's Craig Clark by less than two-tenths of a second to seal the victory.
"I've never been able to get out first or pull away," Strong said. "I'm just thanking God for letting me get this title."
Jordan had only run the 110 hurdles four times prior to the state meet. His unfamiliarity with the event didn't stop him from achieving his goal.
"I was just going for the podium from the start," he said. "It felt pretty good."
Strong and Jordan returned to the track less than an hour after their podium performances. In the 300 hurdles, Strong finished second in 39.18 seconds. Jordan finished eighth in 41.16.
Even after the quick turnaround, Strong said he entered the race eager to exert another championship effort.
"[It was] only 39 seconds of my life. I might as well give it all," he said of his mentality.
The hurdle standouts teamed up with Kameron McDaniel and Justice Canady to place eighth in the 4x100-meter relay. McDaniel also notched a fifth-place individual finish in the 200-meter dash, running 22.18 seconds.
Click here to read about the performances of Hoover and Spain Park athletes on the state meet's first day and here to read about their performances on the second day.