By Cole McNanna
Sports Editor
cole@gulfcoastmedia.com
The Bayshore Christian Eagles repeated as the boys’ cross country state champions, Foley senior Nick Hamby broke a school record and Orange Beach seventh-grader Brooke Barnett became the first Mako to earn all-state honors at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state meet Saturday, Nov. 5, at Oakville Indian Mounds Park.
Seven more teams finished in the top 10 of their respective team competitions and 11 more local runners recorded top-15 individual finishes against the best in Alabama to garner all-state distinction. Of the 2,017 total state competitors, 150 ran for teams from Baldwin County which marked 7.43% of the final field.
Hamby’s time of 16:01.78 broke the Lions’ previous-best 5,000-meter time set by Augie Funk in 1999 by nearly nine seconds to also earn all-state distinction. At the 2019 running of the Fairhope Pirate Invitational, Hamby set the program record for the 4,000-meter race as well.
Orange Beach seventh-grader Brooke Barnett also made program history after she became the first Mako cross country runner to earn all-state honors following her ninth-place individual finish in the Class 4A girls’ championship race. Her time of 20:33.45 was also the second-best in Orange Beach history, behind only Kristina Hankinson’s record set in 2019.
After being promoted to the Class 3A following last year’s team title, Bayshore Christian hoisted another Blue Map trophy behind three top-12 finishers, who also earned all-state honors.
Caden Phillippi finished fifth in 17:07.92, Ezekiel Dernlan was right behind in sixth at 17:12.75 and Conrad grabbed 12th with a time of 17:48.41. Bayshore Christian’s girls’ team finished fifth overall thanks in part to Allie McTaggart’s fifth-place finish in 20:39.93 to secure all-state distinction as well.
Also in a new classification, both Bayside Academy teams finished in the top three of their respective team competitions where the girls’ team finished as state runners-up and the boys’ squad took third. Five Admiral runners represented their schools with all-state honors, including Annie Midyett, Catherine Doyle, Ty Postle, John Thomas Neill and Kyle Cooper.
The Spanish Fort Toros had two all-state representatives, including the top individual finish among the Baldwin County competitors. Winston McGhee came in fourth place with a time of 16:15.29 in the boys’ Class 6A title race to mark the highest individual finish. He was joined by Alexiana Hinote, who registered eighth in the girls’ state championship in 19:24.83.
St. Michael Catholic joined Bayshore Christian and Bayside Academy in having both teams finish in the top 10 of their respective competitions. The boys’ team registered sixth place thanks in part to Patrick Andrews’ 16th-place finish and the girls’ team grabbed 10th with its top two runners (Elisa Christensen and Sofia Prouty) in the top 40.
Below are results from all 12 of Baldwin County’s schools represented at the AHSAA state cross country championships.
Class 7A women’s championship
Fairhope
- Regan Hadley – 21:09.21; 79. Shea Fagan – 21:12.33; 84. Lynley Grace Anderson – 21:22.99; 87. Anna Bowler Conyers – 21:27.70; 88. Delaney Hart – 21:28.02; 125. Ella McDowell – 22:24.93; 126. Emerson Davis – 22:29.84; 146. Jenna Rogers – 23:05.99; 156. Tommi Fahy – 24:04.56; 159. Josie McKenzie – 24:12.60
Daphne
- Sophie West – 19:38.55; 83. Chloe Glass – 21:22.45; 139. Annaleigh Miller – 22:55.30; 147. Abigail Norman – 23:21.25; 149. Emily Walstad – 23:30.05; 155. Isobella Lord – 23:51.12
Foley
- Audrey Sullivan – 21:11.16
TEAM
- Chelsea – 35; 2. Auburn – 60; 3. Vestavia Hill – 114; 4. Huntsville – 145; 5. Oak Mountain – 197; 6. James Clemens – 202; 7. Hewitt-Trussville – 202; 8. St. Paul’s Episcopal – 208; 9. Smiths Station – 220; 10. Enterprise – 283; 11. Central Phenix City – 307; 12. Fairhope – 319; 13. Sparkman – 363; 14. Florence – 378; 15. Baker – 382; 16. Daphne – 392
Class 7A men’s championship
Daphne
- Will Stephens – 16:26.86; 105. Chase Tews – 17:56.00; 149. Jonah Sanders – 19:11.28; 164. Aaron Voeltz – 20:08.98; 167. Sam Sternberg – 20:13.14; 173. Tyler Gossen – 20:59.61; 176. Nathan Thompson – 21:57.21; 177. Jannes Westmeier – 22:08.87
Foley
- Nick Hamby – 16:01.78; 93. John Spillers – 17:41.70; 119. Peter Eckhof – 18:21.02; 125. Richard Etheridge – 18:36.73; 135. Andrew Storey – 18:50.88; 142. Rylee Gee – 19.05.38; 146. Brady Jordan – 19:08.46; 155. Alexander Krasilnikov – 19:30.60
Fairhope
- Lane Watson – 17:24.18
TEAM
- Vestavia Hills – 60; 2. Huntsville – 60; 3. Auburn – 113; 4. Hoover – 120; 5. James Clemens – 135; 6. St. Paul’s Episcopal – 155; 7. Hewitt-Trussville – 177; 8. Spain Park – 184; 9. Smiths Station – 294; 10. Opelika – 298; 11. Enterprise – 334; 12. Foley – 350; 13. Grissom – 351; 14. Bob Jones – 404; 15. Daphne – 424; 16. Davidson – 443
Class 6A women’s championship
Spanish Fort
- Alexiana Hinote – 19:24.83; 32. Kate Miller – 20:47.42; 77. Caterina Granato – 22:45.75; 101. Ree Sasser – 23:44.99; 135. Ellie Richerson – 24:45.54; 149. Dixie Clayton – 25:14.99; 151. Sadie Brown – 25:21.86; 191. Alaina Hons – 27:42.49
Robertsdale
- Zoe Galloway – 22:09.26; 73. Ryan McGilvray – 22:41.00; 93. Kinsley Stevens – 23:29.12; 98. Laila Cooper – 23:35.15; 148. Brenna Stevens – 25:09.93
Baldwin County
- Kailee Cox – 25:03.37
TEAM
- Mountain Brook – 33; 2. Homewood – 88; 3. McGill-Toolen – 104; 4. Briarwood Christian – 147; 5. Saint John Paul II – 205; 6. Fort Payne – 213; 7. UMS-Wright – 230; 8. Pelham – 272; 9. Saraland – 274; 10. Randolph – 277; 11. Northridge – 282; 12. Spanish Fort – 294; 13. Cullman – 324; 14. Athens – 337; 15. Robertsdale – 385; 16. Hartselle – 387; 17. Pell City – 471; 18. Helena – 503; 19. Stanhope Elmore – 527; 20. Gardendale – 564; 21. Pike Road – 630; 22. Wetumpka – 670
Class 6A men’s championship
Spanish Fort
- Winston McGhee – 16:15.29; 68. Jonathan Mason – 18:14.68; 150. Gersan Gamez – 19:58.71; 155. Reilly Burgess – 20:06.98; 182. James Carl – 20:51.80; 221. Jacob Marshall – 23:09.39; 227. Bryson Holston – 23:19.78; 232. Jeremiah Smith – 23:50.58; 233. John McClellan – 24:03.00
Robertsdale
- Noah McDaniel – 19:15.35; 119. Ian Brown – 19:19.46; 139. Ben Earls – 19:46.23
Baldwin County
- Drew Dykes – 20:03.57; 176. Byron Rodriguez – 20:38.35; 178. Ben Selph – 20:39.53
TEAM
- Mountain Brook – 47; 2. Homewood – 65; 3. UMS-Wright – 144; 4. Randolph – 199; 5. Oxford – 204; 6. Helena – 215; 7. McGill-Toolen – 234; 8. St. John Paul II – 247; 9. Cullman – 268; 10. Fort Payne – 293; 11. Wetumpka – 308; 12. Briarwood Christian – 314; 13. Athens – 319; 14. Buckhorn – 333; 15. Northridge – 359; 16. Pell City – 387; 17. Saraland – 389; 18. Spanish Fort – 423; 19. Pelham – 501; 20. Pike Road – 586; 21. Gardendale – 677; 22. Russell County – 725
Class 5A women’s championship
Bayside Academy
- Catherine Doyle – 19:11.93; 10. Annie Midyett – 19:33.84; 19. Grace Dawson – 20:49.49; 22. Shelby Fargason – 21:10.81; 34. Amelia Wells – 21:44.13; 45. Presley Putnam – 22:11.03; 66. Virginia McCrory – 23:16.67
Elberta
- Aubrey Faino – 21:40.59
Gulf Shores
- Jacey Hughes – 22:49.94; 57. Bryanna Borders – 22:54.33; 68. Maggie Snider – 23:28.78; 119. Rhyleah Gleber – 26:39.96; 126. Emma Lloyd – 28:12.46; 134. Autumn Brandon – 31.20.27
TEAM
- Lawrence County – 27; 2. Bayside Academy – 78; 3. Scottsboro – 107; 4. Westminster – 111; 5. Brewer 198; 6. Southside-Gadsden – 215; 7. Faith Academy – 217; 8. American Christian Academy – 228; 9. Arab – 244; 10. Demopolis – 262; 11. Lincoln – 270; 12. Central Clay County – 299; 13. Gulf Shores – 317; 14. Montgomery Catholic – 332
Class 5A men’s championship
Bayside Academy
- Ty Postle – 16:28.19; 13. John Thomas Neill – 16:35.57; 15. Kyle Cooper – 16:43.25; 33. Nolan Tkac – 17:39.77; 49. Trey McKean – 18:03.09; 67. Ashton Rowland – 18:38.26; 84. John Normann – 19:11.17; 92. Wright Fargason – 19:27.73; 117. Jack Koch – 20:05.05; 119. Caleb Crum – 20:07.01
Gulf Shores
- Beck Montiel – 17:26.18; 32. Kevin Ellis – 17:34.86; 37. Ethan Sharkey – 17:42.66; 81. Harrison Wright – 19:00.97; 85. Daniel Dumas – 19:12.23; 123. Mason Nettles – 20:25.13; 137. Tiffin Gillilan – 21:27.11; 140. Crew Duncan – 21:32.89; 154. Ethan Giangrosso – 24:25.19
Elberta
- Charlie Woerner – 19:29.43; 121. Christopher Medolla – 20:21.45; 129. Joe Maya – 20:49.93; 138. Emmanuel Lemus – 21:29.54; 139. Brody Davis – 21:32.47; 141. Kyler Lightkep – 21:36.50
TEAM
- American Christian – 38; 2. Scottsboro – 54; 3. Bayside Academy – 99; 4. Southside-Gadsden – 118; 5. Lincoln – 124; 6. Westminster – 157; 7. Ardmore – 166; 8. Gulf Shores 216; 9. Lawrence County – 248; 10. Elmore County – 313; 11. Faith Academy – 316; 12. Fairview – 375; 13. Montgomery Catholic – 379; 14. Central Clay County – 380; 15. Shelby County – 428; 16. Elberta – 439
Class 4A women’s championship
St. Michael Catholic
- Elisa Christensen – 22:10.35; 39. Sofia Prouty – 22:11.30; 76. Natalia Pyatt – 23:48.39; 77. Alexandra Kruse – 23:49.11; 79. Izzy Garriz – 23:50.65; 82. Anna Kiernan – 23:54.11; 95. Zoe DeSalvo – 24:19.31; 106. Margie Cowles – 25:04.20; 11. Laura Schott – 25:17.64; 123. Sophie Blythe – 26:57.79
Orange Beach
- Brooke Barnett – 20:33.45; 32. Libby Tierce – 21:53.62; 47. Claire Atkins – 22:42.54; 49. Addison Davis – 22:50.80; 59. Perry Webb – 23:08.07; 78. Teigan Buhta – 23:50.19; 125. Brylee Thompson – 29:05.38
TEAM
- Providence Christian – 69; 2. Houston Academy – 88; 3. Priceville – 128; 4. Hamilton – 129; 5. Orange Beach – 160; 6. White Plains – 174; 8. Deshler – 180; 9. Jacksonville – 190; 10. St. Michael Catholic – 242; 11. Asheville – 281; 12. DAR – 305; 13. Bibb County – 317; 14. Oneonta – 328; 15. Haleyville – 370; 16. Corner – 412
Class 4A men’s championship
St. Michael Catholic
- Patrick Andrews – 17:30.59; 21. Ryan Lankford – 18:00.77; 39. Jake Andrews – 18:36.32; 54. Samir Crooker – 19:01.22; 79. James Oliver Hemby – 19:51.19; 87. Max Kleban – 19:57.50; 88. Asheton Sawyer – 20:00.18; 91. Benjamin Crooker – 20:03.18; 118. Marshall Pitre – 21:03.48; 127. Jonah Calvery – 21:29.84
Orange Beach
- Aaron Tierce – 19:38.80; 85. Eli Haber – 19:56.31
TEAM
- Providence Christian – 48; 2. Hamilton – 106; 3. LAMP – 137; 4. Priceville – 161; 5. Asheville – 162; 6. St. Michael Catholic – 165; 7. Westminster Christian – 178; 8. White Plains – 203; 9. Handley – 234; 10. Wilson – 248; 11. Oneonta – 274; 12. Cordova – 281; 13. Deshler – 291; 14. Haleyville – 320; 15. Northside – 353; 16. Satsuma – 419
Class 3A women’s championship
Bayshore Christian
- Allie McTaggart – 20:39.93; 27. Rebecca Dernlan – 22:00.58; 51. Emily Adamson – 23:08.29; 54. Megan Adcock – 23:18.98; 74. Anne Adamson – 24:14.09; 80. Maysie Key – 24:40.11; 83. Mary Ellen Cook – 24:53.54; 92. Mary Frances Key – 25:21.55; 107. Margaret Wheeler – 26:11.87
TEAM
- Altamont – 55; 2. Whitesburg – 82; 3. Glencoe – 132; 4. Montgomery Academy – 153; 5. Bayshore Christian – 157; 6. Prattville Christian – 163; 7. JB Pennington – 171; 8. Plainview – 192; 9. Cottage Hill Christian – 209; 10. Saint James – 256; 11. Lauderdale County – 270; 12. Straughn – 328; 13. Fayette County – 352; 14. Winfield – 363; 15. Colbert Heights – 413
Class 3A men’s championship
Bayshore Christian
- Caden Phillippi – 17:07.92; 6. Ezekiel Dernlan – 17:12.75; 12. Andrew Conrad – 17:48.41; 18. Boaz Dernlan – 18:06.65; 19. Jack Wheeler – 18:08.98; 23. Jonah Elliot – 18:23.54; 32. Henry Barber – 19:10.56; 47. Asher Hilbun – 19:43.60; 70. Caleb Heger – 20:22.55; 86. Brooks Hauge – 20:47.62
TEAM
- Bayshore Christian 55; 2. Trinity Presbyterian – 64; 3. Altamont – 104; 4. JB Pennington – 105; 5. St. Bernard – 150; 6. Montgomery Academy – 213; 7. Vinemont – 214; 8. Hokes Bluff – 232; 9. Madison Academy – 250; 10. Cottage Hill Christian – 261; 11. Plainview – 265; 12. Whitesburg – 274; 13. Prattville Christian – 322; 14. Mobile Christian – 351; 15. New Brockton – 435