James Clemens brings home gold from State Track and Field Championships
James Clemens track and field team pictured (Record Photo/Contributed)
MADISON- James Clemens’ track and field team was unbeaten during meets in the regular season. At the state championships on Saturday May 2 the team kept up their outstanding performances winning four gold medals.
“I’m really proud of our team. The competition at 7A is fierce,” said James Clemens Track and Field Coach James Bell.
James Clemens had competed in the toughest meets all season traveling the state from Mobile to Mountain Brook and hosting three large meets at home.
The Jets first struck gold in the Men’s 100M Dash with Josh Burks winning.
Burks then took second in the 200M Dash. Jarek Taylor from Bob Jones was third.
James Clemens next scored with a first place finish in the boy’s 4×400 relay. The team of Josh Burks, Anthony Bolden, Austin Caudle, and Aaron Anderson set a new state record of 3:21.31.
Bell said that the Jets supporters and large crowd at Gulf Shores cheered loudest during the relay race which came down to James Clemens and Hoover.
“The crowds were amazing and really got behind our team when the boys beat Hoover in the last race of the day claiming the 4×400 state championship.”
On the girls side, Kayla Williams set the pace in the field events. She finished first in Girl’s Long Jump with 18 feet and first in Triple Jump.
Kayla Williams
Williams struck silver with a second in the 100M Dash.
Williams, a junior, won all three medals within a 45 minute period. She will be the top returning athlete next year on another strong Jets team.
“Kayla is one of the strongest girls in 7A. She leads by example not words,” Bell said. “Our future is bright. One example is the 4×400 had an eighth grader (Audriana Blakely) and two ninth graders (Uriah James and Zada Campbell).”
The 4×400 team finished second.
Dekonte Gistarb saved her best run of the season for the championship as she finished third in the girl’s 300M Hurdles. Bob Jones Anna Gierow finished sixth.
In the Girl’s 100M Hurdles, Hoover’s Brittley Humphrey finished first. Gistarb finished seventh and Gierow eighth.
James Clemens girls were strong in the relay races. The team of Dekonte Gistarb, Kayla Williams, Uriah James, and Shayla Gholston finished second in the 4×100 Meter Relay.
Gierow was strong in her field events. She finished second in Long Jump and second in High Jump.
In the field events James Clemens team scored with Kennedy Reece third in the Girls Shot Put, Jordan Sogers third in Discus, and Devonte Vincent third in high jump.
Austin Caudle also finished a respectable fifth in the Boy’s 110M Hurdles.
Bob Jones Boy’s 4×100 relay team finished third.
Bell said that the team can still improve in years to come.
“I wanted to be in the top three. We were real close.”
Hoover won the Boy’s 7A team standings followed by Auburn, Hewitt-Trussville, and James Clemens. Bob Jones finished 13th.
Hoover also won the girl’s team standings. James Clemens finished fifth with only six points separating them from second place Mountain Brook.
