By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
Depth can carry a team to a successful regular season, but it is individual firepower that carries track teams in the postseason.
The T.R. Miller Tigers used both to run away with Saturday's Class 4A sectional team championship held at Mobile's McGill-Toolen High School.
The Tigers won nine events, which included a sweep of the three relay races, and placed in all 18 events to rack up a meet-high 169 points.
Last year's Class 3A state champs finished four points shy of a triple-digit margin of victory, as Alabama Christian Academy was a distant second with 73 points. W.S. Neal finished third and just missed out on the runner-up sot with 71.
Winners in the field events for the Tigers included Fred Samuel in the shot put at 44-2 1/2, Terrelle Brooks in the high jump at 6-0 and a tie for first in the pole vault between T.R. Miller teammates Dakota Shultz and Madden McCall at 10-0.
Individual winners on the track included Bradley McCreary in the 400 meters at 50.78, Youngblood in the 3200 meters at 11:37.15 and Cortez Banks in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at 43.62.
T.R. Miller won the 400-meter relay with the team of Brandon Andrews, Jamal Middleton, Travis Holland and Brandon Jackson with a time of 43.65.
The Tigers' 1600-meter relay team of McCreary, Bud Smith, Derrick Riley and Joe McCorvey prevailed at 3:40.5.
T.R. Miller's 3200-meter relay team of Youngblood, Shultz, Deonte Powell and Kelly Stallworth posted a winning time of 9:20.3.
W.S. Neal qualified for state in 10 events. The Blue Eagles got individual wins from Donald Peacock in the javelin at 145-1 and Jeremy Nicholson in the 110-meter high hurdles at 16.81.
The top four places qualify for the state meet, which will be Friday and Saturday at Gulf Shores.
Team scores
1. T.R. Miller 169; 2. Alabama Christian Academy 73; 3. W.S. Neal 71; 4. Monroe County 28; 5. Jackson 22; 6. St. James 16; 7. Trinity 14; 8. Daleville 12; 9. Brewbaker Tech 9; 10. Escambia County 8
State qualifiers and local results
Shot put: (1st) Samuel (TRM) 44-2 1/2; (2nd) Gomez (TRM) 41-0 1/2; (3rd) Reilly (T) 40-8; (4th) Stewart (D) 39-9; (5th) Howard (WSN) 39-3 1/2; (6th) Peacock (WSN) 38-5 1/2
Discus: (1st) Musselwhite (ACA) 117-6; (2nd) Gomez (TRM) 110-6 1/2; (3rd) May (ACA) 107-9; (4th) York (WSN) 105-9 1/2
High jump: (1st) Brooks (TRM) 6-0; (2nd) Jo. Alexander (WSN) 5-10; (3rd) Redfern (TRM) 5-8; (4th) Howard (WSN) 5-6
Long jump: (1st) Dread (J) 21-1 1/2; (2nd) Jo. Alexander (WSN) 21-0 1/2; (3rd) Brooks (TRM) 20-5 1/2; (4th) Hale (STJ) 20-4 1/2; (5th) M. Lane 20-2 1/2
Triple jump: (1st) Manuel (MC) 42-7 3/4; (2nd) M. Lane (TRM) 42-1 1/4; (3rd) Jo. Alexander 41-7 1/4; (4th) Hale (STJ) 41-0 1/4; (5th) T. Lane (TRM) 40-11 1/4
Pole vault: (1st tie) Shultz (TRM), McCall (TRM) 10-0; (3rd tie) Williams (ACA), Prescott (ACA) 9-0
Javelin: (1st) Peacock (WSN) 145-1; (2nd) Howard (WSN) 144-3; (3rd) May (ACA) 141-1; (4th) Sharpe (TRM) 139-2; (6th) Matthews (TRM) 119-7
100: (1st) McKenzie (EC) 11.08; (2nd) Besteda (J) 11.38; (3rd) Carter (MC) 11.4; (4th) Andrews (TRM) 11.43; (6th) Nicholson (WSN) 11.55
200: (1st) Hawthorne (MC) 22.59; (2nd) Middleton (TRM) 23.19; (3rd) McCreary (TRM) 23.21; (4th) Randolph (D) 23.53; (5th) Jackson (TRM) 24.2
400: (1st) McCreary (TRM) 50.78; (2nd) Young (ACA) 52.08; (3rd) Harris (D) 54.52; (4th) Bryant (J) 54.9; (5th) McCorvey (TRM) 55.25; (6th) Riley (TRM) 55.57
800: (1st) Young (ACA) 2:09.8; (2nd) Youngblood (TRM) 2:10.42; (3rd) Carter (TRM) 2:11.38; (4th) Stallworth (TRM) 2:11.48; (6th) Wiggins (WSN) 2:22.58
1600: (1st) Cronier (STJ) 4:55.5; (2nd) Youngblood (TRM) 5:13.72; (3rd) Wheeler (ACA) 5:16.72; (4th) Nall (ACA) 5:24.63
3200: (1st) Youngblood (TRM) 11:37.15; (2nd) Wiggins (WSN) 11:39.23; (3rd) Nelson (TRM) 12:01.37; (4th) Wheeler (ACA) 12:19.47; (6th) Weatherford (WSN) 13:04.87
110 high hurdles: (1st) Nicholson (WSN) 16.81; (2nd) Banks (TRM) 16.86; (3rd) Hendrick (T) 17.29; (4th) McBride (ACA) 19.84; (5th) Je. Alexander (WSN) 20.65
300 intermediate hurdles: (1st) Banks (TRM) 43.62; (2nd) T. Lane (TRM) 44.91; (3rd) Matthews (TRM) 46.16; (4th) Je. Alexander (WSN) 46.65; (5th) Nicholson (WSN) 47.81
400 relay: (1st) T.R. Miller (Andrews, Brooks, Holland, Jackson) 43.65; (2nd) Monroe County 44.18; (3rd) Jackson 44.73; (4th) Brewbaker Tech 47.72
1600 relay: (1st) T.R. Miller (Jackson, McCorvey, McCreary, Riggs) 3:40.5; (2nd) Alabama Christian Academy 3:44.74; (3rd) W.S. Neal 3:56.69; (4th) Brewbaker Tech 4:00.71
3200 relay: (1st) T.R. Miller (Carter, T. Lane, Powell, Shultz) 9:20.3; (2nd) Alabama Christian Academy 9:32.96; (3rd) W.S. Neal 9:50.49; (4th) Brewbaker Tech 10:05.71