Falkville track shines at Austin

By Staff
Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
DECATUR - Falkville athletes won eight individual events - including five from the Blue Devils’ defending state championship track team - at the Austin Invitational Friday.
Falkville’s boys finished third behind Bob Jones and Oxford, two Class 6A teams.
The Blue Devils got individual wins from Justin Blanchard (800 meters), Anthony Stidham (300 hurdles), Steven Lindsey (high jump), Jonathan McNatt (pole vault) and Michael Dekich (javelin).
The Blue Devils finished with 103 points, just six points out of second place.
Falkville earned seven points in the 400 meters afer Jace Wilemon (52.94) and Justin Blanchard (53.94) finished fifth and sixth overall.
Blanchard also finished third in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:51.39.
In the 110 hurdles, McNatt was sixth (16.68), while Anthony Stidham was seventh (16.70).
Stidham (41.13) and Wilemon (41.66) took the top two spots in the 300 hurdles.
Falkville’s 4×100 relay team of Kyle Dickson, Shane Ellis, Austin Murphy and Noah Sims was 12th overall. Hartselle’s team - with members Matthew Bynum, Kyle Davis, Colin Morrow and Zach Orr - was 17th.
Falkville’s 4×800 relay team of Heath Blanchard, Evan Burgess, Cory Hill and Eric Huff was 11th.
Lindsey cleared 6-6 in the high jump to take top honors, while Bynum finished fifth to pick up four points for Hartselle.
Brewer’s Travis Holloman was sixth in the 3200 meters at 11:31.30.
McNatt’s height of 10-6 won the pole vault title, while teammate Dylan Kyle was eighth at 8-6.
Lindsey also picked up a point for the Blue Devils with his eighth place finish in the long jump (19-03). He was second in the triple jump after going 37-04.
Falkville’s Aaron Williams finished second in the discus, while Brewer’s John Tallent was sixth.
Falkville girls fourth
Falkville’s girls’ team finished overall behind Bob Jones, Oxford and Huntsville - all Class 6A programs. The Lady Blue Devils finished with 61 points.
Paige McCarley led Falkville with top finishes in the long jump and the triple jump.
The Lady Blue Devils’ Alisha Sparkman also finished first in the javelin. She picked up 10 team points with a throw of 97-09.
Other scorers for the Lady Blue Devils were Lauren Estes in the 200 meters (seventh, 28.22), Krystal Gibbs in the 800 meters (fourth, 2:39.91), Sparkman (sixth, 18:30) and Alesia Smith (seventh, 18:52) in the 100 hurdles, McCarley in the high jump (second, 5-feet).
Sparkman also finished seventh in the pole vault after winning a jump-off at 6-06. Heather Smith was ninth overall and picked up one point.
Estes finished sixth in the triple jump to team with McCarley for 13 points in the event.
Brewer’s girls finished 14th overall with four points.
The Lady Patriots’ Emily Trotter finished fifth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:41:51.