Jets’ Luke Alverson places runner up in AHSAA state cross country championships
MOULTON – One step. A fraction of a second. Those were the differences in determining the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) state champion at the 69th Cross Country Championships at the Oakville Indians Mounds Park in Moulton.
James Clemens senior and soon-to-be signee to the University of Michigan Luke Alverson needed that one step and precious portion of a second if he were to capture the 2024 Class 7A individual state title, but the talented senior, who is listed as All-American, came up just that much short of the state championship to Huntsville’s Eric Moore who won the event with a time of 14:52.81 among 179 competitors. Alverson’s time was 14:53.58.
Second finisher for the Jets was Andrew Gohlich, a senior, who posted a finish time of 16:14.43 placing him at 16th place.
Alverson’s runner-up spot is the highest in school history and his All-State placement was his fourth consecutive time to earn the State Meet honor. Gohlich’s finish time was his best ever at a State Meet.
Moore delivered the fastest time of the day and helped Huntsville take home the Class 7A boy’s team title with 48 points while James Clemens finished ninth with 278 points. The Jets completed the event with an average of 17:10.87.
Bob Jones finished tenth overall with 313 points and posted a 17:29.84 average. Additional top five scorers for the Jets included Michael Class 17:57, Cooper Tyler 18:05 and Hudson Parker 18:42. For Bob Jones, the top five scorers included Caleb Johnson 17:01.39, Roman Hanson 17:17.04, Luke Allen 17:38.60, Jake Bryan 17:43.79 and Owen Johnston 17:48.38.
In girls, Ella Carter, a junior, from James Clemens posted the best time from local schools finishing at sixteenth with a time of 19:33.14. Top finisher for Bob Jones was Molly Halter, a senior, who was No. 24 with a time of 19:46.67. Additional scorers for the Lady Jets were Claire Colo 20:15, her fastest performance at a State Meet, Brooke Bogardus 21:40, Molly Herndon 22:10 and Evrette Ragus 22:39.
For the Lady Patriots of Bob Jones, the remaining top five runners scoring for the team were Ami Marks 19:51.34, Sarah Allison 20:29.24, Aaliyah Wright 21:57.49 and Elise Marks 22:21.49.
In the team standings, the final results were 8. Bob Jones 252 (20:53.25 avg.) and 10. James Clemens 296 (21:15.65 avg.).
