Russellville outdoor track & field boys finish third, girls fifth at sectional meet

The Russellville High School varsity boys’ and girls’ outdoor track & field teams had a good weekend.

Competing at the Class 5A Section 4 championships in Scottsboro April 24-25, the Russellville boys’ team placed third out of 13 teams with 83 points while the RHS girls came in fifth place with 41 points. In the process, many Golden Tigers came away with medals and qualified for the state championships.

In total between both teams, Russellville racked up eight medals: three golds, three silvers, and two bronzes. And overall, in finals events, the Golden Tigers had 17 top five finishes.

All three RHS gold medals came in boys events. Senior Connor Devaney claimed one in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.00 seconds, sophomore Darron Jones grabbed one in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.81, and the final gold was won by the boys’ 4×100m relay team, which beat out the competition with a time of 42.83.

Silver medals were awarded to Jones and fellow sophomore Angeleah Smith. Jones secured two silver medals; one in the boys’ 100m dash where he finished right behind his teammate Devaney with a time of 11.13, the other in the 200m dash where he had a time of 22.37. Smith’s silver came in the girls’ high jump final as she reached a mark of 4-10.

Rounding out the medalists for Russellville were two bronze winners, junior Keira Cruse and sophomore Charley Johnson. Cruse finished third in the girls’ long jump final with a mark of 16-10. Johnson found her way to the podium in the girls’ shot put thanks to a throw marked off at a distance of 31-10.

Besides Russellville’s five individual medalists, other top five finishers in finals events included Lydia Racz (100m hurdles), Jamarkus Mitchell (200m dash), Skyler Ergle (110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, long jump), Jasen Noel and Gavin McDaniel (triple jump), and the girls’ 4×100m relay team.

After the sectional championships were over, Russellville head coach Deion Belue expressed his pride in his student-athletes, not just for their performances at sectionals but for how they’ve competed all season.

“Our kids were true competitors at sectionals. I could not be more proud of the boys with a top three finish and the girls with a top five finish in one of the toughest 5A sections in all events in the state,” Belue said. “The team has had a tremendous year, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. They’ve truly led our program by taking ownership of their craft and committing to the standard we expect every day.

“To match last year’s number of qualifiers speaks volumes about their consistency, discipline, and belief in the process,” he added. “What stands out most is the way they’ve represented Russellville High School with respect, pride, and a strong sense of purpose for our community.”

The Section 4 meet was just the penultimate event for many Golden Tigers this season, however. Russellville walked away from the sectional championships with 16 athletes—nine boys, seven girls—who will have the opportunity to compete at state championship meet in Gulf Shores April 30 through May 2. Those 16 state meet qualifiers are Keira Cruse, Tarus Davis, Connor Devaney, Skyler Ergle, Pascual Felipe, Charley Johnson, Darron Jones, Gavin McDaniel, Jamarkus Mitchell, Jasen Noel, Lydia Racz, Angeleah Smith, Daimar Valdez, Dalila Vidal, Hannah Waldrep and Sam Wilson.

To view the all of Russeville’s preliminary and final results from the Class 5A Section 4 meet, click HERE.