By Staff
Staff Reports, Hartselle Enquirer
The Blue Devils, fresh off a state championship in indoor track, finished second of 18 boys track teams at the Austin Invitational April 5. Falkville's 118.5 points trailed only Class 6A Bob Jones (121.5 points) in the team standings. The Falkville girls also finished strong, ending in fourth place with 80.5 points.
Brewer was ninth in the boys' rankings with 27.5 points and fifth in the girls rankings with 35 points.
Falkville had several gold-medal winners. Senior Shane Edge took first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.36 seconds and Michael Dekich took first in the javelin throw with a distance of 161 feet, 9 inches. Edge was also a member of Falkville's first-place 4-by-400 relay team, which finished the event with a time of 3:33.68. Joining Edge on that team were Shane Ellis, Jonathan McNatt and Jace Wilemon.
On the girls' side of competition, Falkville's Alisha Sparkman took first place in the pole vault with a successful clear of 7 feet, 6 inches.
Boys' medalists – 200-meter dash: Shane Edge, Falkville (second); 400-meter dash: Edge, Falkville (first); Jace Wilemon (second); 800-meter run: Edge, Falkville (second); 3,200-meter run: Justin Blanchard (third), Falkville; 300-meter hurdles: Wilemon, Falkville (third); 4-by-400 relay: Falkville (first – Edge, Shane Ellis, Jonathan McNatt, Wilemon); 4-by-800 relay: Falkville (third – Blanchard, Evan Burgess, Cory Hill, McNatt); high jump: Cody Sewell, Falkville (second); triple jump: Rodney Childs, Brewer (second); Sewell, Falkville (third); shot put: Aaron Pitt, Falkville (third); javelin throw: Michael Dekich, Falkville (first).
Girls' medalists – 300-meter hurdles: Lauren Estes, Falkville (second); Alisha Sparkman, Falkville (third); 4-by-400 relay: Falkville (second – Krystal Gibbs, Nichole Lee, Emily Robbins, Grace Wilhite); pole vault: Sparkman, Falkville (first); triple jump: Paige McCarley, Falkville (second); shot put: Courtney Scott, Brewer (third); javelin throw: Scott, Brewer (third).