Hartselle’s Duncan wins all-state in cross country

Hartselle’s Jonathan Duncan, second from right, poses for a photo with the other all-state honorees during the medal ceremony. Second from the left is Brewer’s Clay Oden, who finished eighth overall with a time of 16:53. | Richard Hollingsworth

Hartselle High School freshman Johnathan Duncan was one of 15 runners to claim all-state honors in the Class 5A division of the state cross country meet at Oakville Indian Mounds and Education Center in Lawrence County on Saturday.

Haley Baker prepares to cross the finish line with a time of 22:45. | Richard Hollingsworth

Duncan finished 13th in his class with a time of 17.19. While the time was not one of his best of the season, it was good enough to land him on the all-state team. He received a medallion to commemorate the achievement.

Clay Oden of Brewer was also named an all-state runner. He finished 8th in Class 5A.

Two members of Hartselle High’s girl’s team competed at the meet. Taylor Barnett finished 55th with a time of 22:31 and Haley Baker came in 64th with a time of 22:45.

“I was proud of the way our runners competed,” said head coach Kenneth Lopez. “This gives us some momentum for the future. Our goal is to take both teams to the state meet next season.”

Winning first place team awards the 5A class were teams from Scottsboro.