GULF SHORES, ALABAMA — Most of the favored teams led after Day 2 of the Alabama State Athletic Association’s Track and Field Championships in Classes 4A through 7A.

 

In addition, the record-breaking binge continued, with 14 more records broken and one tied on Friday.

 

After Day 2, in somewhat of a surprise, Hewitt-Trussville had a 76-71 lead over defending champion Auburn, while Vestavia Hills and Hoover were tied for a distant third with 37 points.

 

Auburn’s chances of repeating took a severe hit when Deonte Tolbert, who was favored to win the 100, 200 and 400, was injured qualifying for the 100 and did not compete in the 400 meter finals or the 200-meter semis. It means that the Class 7A boys’ team battle may very well be wide open.

 

Meanwhile, Hoover had a narrow 69-67 lead over Mountain Brook after eight events. Mobile’s McGill-Toolen Catholic was third with 51 points while Smiths Station was fourth with 41.

 

In Class 6A, Opelika and Homewood were tied for first with 51 points after nine events, while Scottsboro was third with 37. The story of the division, though, came from Spanish Fort, which picked up 20 points on Friday with wins from Stephan Holcombe in the 400 meters (47.60 seconds), upsetting notables such as Opelika’s Nathaniel Huggins, who managed only fourth in 48.35; and a big win in the triple jump from Javon Brown, who went a personal best 50 feet, 5 inches on his final jump of the competition.

 

For Brown, it was especially a sweet win for two reasons — he wanted to break the 50-foot mark and vowed to get it after coming close in his sectional meet (49-8); and also because his prom date, Savannah Lee, won the girls’ triple jump (38-4).

 

“I felt good, and when the crowd started clapping it got me pumped up,” Brown said. “I had to move my steps three times just to get it right on the last attempt. I was trying (also) to go for the meet record (52-0) but that’s way out there. My prom date (Lee) won the 6A girls’ triple jump, and we motivated each other. We said that we were going to the (winner’s) podium together.”

 

Class 5A boys saw a tight four-way battle for first after Day 2, with Beauregard ahead of Tuscaloosa’s Alabama Christian 33-32. But defending champion Mobile St. Paul’s Episcopal was not far behind with 28 points while Huntsville Randolph was fourth with 26.

 

St. Paul’s could very well pick up some crucial points in the 100, triple jump, the 110-meter hurdles, 800, and 300-meter hurdles.

 

St. Paul’s girls were in a tight battle with defending champion Beauregard. St. Paul’s had 66 points, but Beauregard solidified the second spot when Sam Dailey led a 1-2-3 finish in the discus to finish the day with 62 points.

 

In Class 4A, Mobile’s UMS-Wright had comfortable leads in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions. UMS-Wright had a 71.50 to 43 lead over Northport Northside, with Brooks of Killen third with 30. On the girls’ side, UMS-Wright led Brooks 77-41 despite Brooks going 1-2-3 in the pole vault. Florence-Wilson was third with 40 points.

 

UMS-Wright’s girls padded their lead in the second day when Aryn McDowell and Gracie Hunt went 1-2 in the long jump. McDowell jumped 17-11 while Hunt, who won the high jump the day before, was second (17-9). Kelana Floyd of East Brewton W.S. Neal was third (17-2).

 

“We had a good tailwind,” said McDowell. “The way we were seeded, I was actually supposed to come in fourth.”

 

“Yesterday, we had somewhat of a crosswind,” said Hunt. “But today, the wind helped us.”

 

Floyd, despite finishing third, said that there was a lot of competition, and it was one of the things that helped her to get a medal.

 

“I was trying to do my best, because I knew I had a lot of competition,” she said. “This year’s meet brought out the best in the athletes.”

 

Once again, a ton of records were broken in Day 2 of the meet. Class 7A had the most records broken (8). Alabaster Thompson's Emmanuel Tate broke the state meet record in the 110 meter high hurdles, running 13.90 to break the record of 14.12 he set last year.

 

In the 3,200-meter run, Hewitt-Trussville's Benjamin Knox broke his second meet record, running 9:20.40 to break the old record of 9:34.02 set by Oak Mountain's Cole Stidfole last year. Knox's teammate, John Ngaruiya, along with Hoover's Tommy McDonough, were also under the old meet record, running 9:26.00 and 9:26.86 respectively.

 

In the boys' discus, Auburn's Michael Robinson led a trio of throwers that broke the old meet record of 154-02 set by Hewitt-Trussville's Jaison Williams. Robinson threw 167-6, Huntsville's Dontavius Jowers threw 162-2, and Zach Hancock of Madison-James Clemens threw 161-1. Williams, the previous record holder, managed only fourth (149-6).

 

Huntsville's Michael Wiggins set a new state record in the triple jump, going 48-7.75 to break the old record of 47-1.75 set last year by Hoover's Bradrick Shaw. In the boys' 400, Harvest-Sparkman's Charles Lewis' winning time of 47.94 broke the old record of 48.22 set last year by Hoover's Joshua Hall.

 

As they say, there's even more. State meet records in the 4x800-meter relay were broken as well. In the girls 4x800, Hoover broke its own state record of 9:23.42 set last year with a time of 9:16.77; while in the boys 4x800, Auburn broke its own record of 7:59.62 that it set last year, winning in 7:58.18. Second-place Hoover was also under the old meet record, running 7:59.21.

 

Mobile Baker's Destiny Davis went under the old state record in the girls' 200, running 24.56 into a headwind. The old record of 24.85 was set by Hoover's Caitlyn Little. Harvest-Sparkman's Lauryn Hall and Hoover's Brittley Humphrey were also under the old record — Hall running 24.65 and Humphrey running 24.68.

 

One other 7A record was tied in the boys high jump. Chase Fiddler of Madison-Bob Jones and Mobile-Baker's Melvin Hill both tied the record of 6-6 set last year by Hill, but Fiddler won on fewer misses.

 

In Class 4A, Huntsville-Westminster Christian Academy’s Ryan Ford broke his second record in as many days, running 9:25.26 in the 3,200 and breaking Huntsville Randolph's Eshan King's record of 9:40:42 set in 2014. James Patrick Brinyark of Northside was also under the old record, running 9:30. 29.

 

Meanwhile, in the girls shot put, Munford's Esherika Hawkins threw 42-8.50 to set a new meet record. Hawkins broke a 23-year-old record of 38-11.50 set by Nikita Burnette of Lincoln in 1993. Erin Jewell of Brooks also bettered the old record with a heave of 40-1.50.

 

Catholic-Montgomery's Patrick O'Mara got into the record-breaking binge, running 48.42 in the 400 to break a record that stood since 1991. The old record of 48.89 was set by Larry Powell of Brewton-T. R. Miller.

 

Florence-Wilson's girls 4x800 meter relay broke its own record of 9:55.80, running an impressive 9:44.09. In the boys 4x800, Northside's 8:10.89 broke the old record of 8:20.30 set by Madison County back in 1999.