North Alabama schools and runners reign in AHSAA state cross-country championships

MOULTON – “A child shall lead them.”

And it was a youngster who led Huntsville’s Whitesburg Christian Academy to their second straight 4A state cross country championship Saturday.

Eighth-grader Nora Allan clocked a 15:45.31 for the 5K in the 70^th AHSAA State Cross Country Championships at the Oakville Indian Mounds State Park Jesse Owens Course.

She was joined on the podium by Warriors teammate Isabella Allen, a sophomore who finished second in 19:16.53.

On the boys’ side, in the closest race of the day over the 5K course, Ryder Linville of 5A Scottsboro was the only boys’ runner to repeat as state champion. Linville, a sophomore, led a pack of five finishers who were within 4 seconds of each other.

Linville clocked a 16:00.36, just 0.1 second ahead of Westminster senior Weaver Caldwell (16:00.46) and 0.52 second ahead of Jacksonville junior Rua Mathis. Westminster freshman Quinn McCurry was fourth in 16:03.90 and Ardmore’s Tyler Morring, a junior, clocked a 16:04.28 to take fifth.

In other results

• Lawrence County won the girls’ 5A title Saturday edging out defending champion Scottsboro.
• Brewer High School senior Rose Betts defended her 2024 title in Class 5A with a winning time of 18:33.21.
• Hartselle sophomore Grace Goldman won the girls’ Class 6A individual championship with a  18:15.34 time.
• Hamilton High School’s boys captured the 4A title for the second year in a row.
• Scottsboro won their 18th state championship, tying them with Mountain Brook for the most boys’ titles. The Wildcats have won five Class 5A championships since 2016.
• Athens Bible won the 1A/2A boys’ crown with 86 points, to take the blue map by one point over Cold Springs
• Huntsville senior Charley Pearson finished with a winning time of 15:25.85 to win the 7A boys’ individual title. His time was the best of the day among the more than 1,100 runners competing.
• Junior runner Nehemiah Johnson of Hazel Green captured the 6A boys’ individual title with a time of 15:49.85.
• DAR senior Bailey Kendrick won the 4A boys’ title in a time of 15:45.31.
• Vinemont senior Brady Johnson won the boys’ 3A crown in 15:51.42.