Central, Smiths Station show out at state track meet

Track athletes from Central and Smiths Station finished the spring season on the right note this weekend, putting up several strong performances in the Class 7A state track meet in Gulf Shores.

The Central boys tied for fifth at the end of the day Saturday, while the Lady Red Devils took home 11th. Smiths Station’s girls, meanwhile, took home sixth, while the boys tied for seventh place.

Russell County girls also competed in the Class 6A meet and finished 26th.

Central track coach Charles Fortune said the weekend’s start was not ideal, which he chalked up to some athletes being nervous performing on the big stage. However, the team rebounded on the final day, leaving the Red Devils and Lady Devils with their heads held high.

“Overall, all of our kids did well,” Central track coach Charles Fortune said. “We had a few setbacks on Friday where we didn’t really perform as well as we thought we should have. We had the efforts, and the kids came back strong on Saturday and did real well.”

The Central girls’ 4x400-meter relay squad entered as the defending champions after setting a new Class 7A state record, and the team members came back with another solid showing. The team -- comprised of Vennessa Frank, Monica McNeil, Kinadee Kinard, Samiah Love -- won the event once again, coming in with a time of 3:54.99.

The victory only extended what has been an impressive run for the relay squad.

“The girls have actually won three of the last four state 4x400s, if you include the indoor season from last year,” Fortune said. “We got tripped in the 2017 indoors, but we were able to come back outdoors and get the win again.”

Smiths Station’s Alonie Sutton delivered both of the Lady Panthers’ victories in the finals. She showed out in the long jump and the triple jump, walking away with wins in the long jump and the triple jump.

Central’s male counterparts in the 4x400 relay came through as well. This time, it was the boys who set a new state record thanks to the work of Peter Parrish, Tyrone Davis, Quandavous Gilliam and Quantavious Dixon. They finished the event in 3:19.94.

Central senior Karon Delince did his part to go out on top in the 200. Fortune said Delince had used last year’s event as motivation throughout the year. Delince had been in position to win for the second consecutive year, but a stumble late in the goings ruined his chances.

Delince came through this time around, winning the event and breaking his own state record in the process.

“He’s a good kid, and he’s always been competitive,” Fortune said.

Fortune spoke highly of his team’s performances, especially after a Friday to forget. The team’s close to the state meet displayed its drive and determination, something he and the other coaches have worked on throughout the year.

“It means a lot,” Fortune said. “We try to help our kids understand that you get good results from hard work. We expect to win because of that. I think we’ve developed a lot of respect from other teams as well.

“I’m very proud of them.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Central, Smiths Station show out at state track meet."