Alabama high school cross country wraps regular season as sectionals begin Thursday

Spanish Fort's boys and Fairhope's girls won Baldwin County titles and St. Paul's swept the McGill-Toolen Relays as Alabama cross country teams head into sectionals.

By James Bullard

October 28, 2026 · 9:38 am Updated October 30, 2026 7 min read

Runners compete in a high school cross country race.

Alabama high school cross country teams closed out the regular season over the past week with a final slate of meets that delivered fast times, county championship drama and at least one finish decided by less than half a second. A state title was also awarded, and the sport now turns to sectional competition beginning Thursday, including several races in Daphne.

At least four county championships were contested in the final round of regular-season meets. Several team races were tightly fought, and at least two runners posted times ranking among the top five in the state.

How cross country scoring works

For readers new to the sport, team scoring in high school cross country is based on finishing places. Typically, a team’s top five runners score points equal to their place in the race, and the lowest total wins. A perfect score is 15, which a team earns by sweeping the top five spots. A team’s sixth and seventh runners do not add to its score but can push opponents’ runners down the standings, and the sixth runner is commonly used to break ties.

Spanish Fort boys, Fairhope girls win Baldwin County titles

Spanish Fort’s boys and Fairhope’s girls claimed team championships at the Baldwin County Championships on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Live Oak Landing in Stockton.

The Toros ran away with the boys’ title, placing six runners in the top 10 and scoring 27 points. Gulf Shores was a distant second with 94 points, and Foley finished third with 96. Robertsdale’s Noah McDaniel won the individual race in 16 minutes, 27.42 seconds.

On the girls’ side, Fairhope scored 50 points to top Bayshore Christian, which had 74. Spanish Fort was close behind in third with 76. St. Michael Catholic’s Emily Friedel won the individual title in 18:45.27.

St. Paul’s sweeps McGill-Toolen Relays

St. Paul’s Episcopal won both the boys’ and girls’ varsity divisions at the McGill-Toolen Relays on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Medal of Honor Park in Mobile.

The meet used a relay format in which each runner covered two miles, and runners were matched against others with the same seeding from opposing teams. Each team’s No. 5, 6 and 7 runners raced together in Flight 1, the No. 4 runners ran in Flight 2, and so on, with each team’s top runners facing off in Flight 5. Team champions were decided by the fastest combined times.

William Gill led the St. Paul’s boys with the fastest time of the day, 10:57.08, as the Saints scored 20 points. McGill-Toolen Catholic was second with 65, and UMS-Wright finished third with 70.

In the varsity girls’ race, seventh-grader Julia Tindle posted the top time, 13:03.21, to lead St. Paul’s past McGill-Toolen Catholic 33-40. UMS-Wright was third with 47 points.

Covington County Schools Meet No. 5

Straughn’s boys and Andalusia’s girls won team titles Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Covington County Schools Meet No. 5, held at the Covington County Track Facility in Andalusia.

Quinn Dixon was the top individual finisher at 17:58.34, leading the Straughn boys to a 32-47 win over Andalusia. Zion Chapel was third with 104 points.

Andalusia’s girls came within two points of a perfect score, totaling 17 to defeat Zion Chapel, which scored 69. Florala finished third with 72. Straughn’s Kaitlyn Bybee won the individual race in 20:24.41.

County championships across the state

Cullman County: Host Cold Springs won both team titles Oct. 20 at the Kudzu Hills course in Bremen. The Cold Springs boys beat West Point 28-49, while Good Hope finished third with 55 points behind individual winner Drake Nichols, who ran 17:05.95. The Cold Springs girls posted a perfect 15, led by individual champion Gemma Swidecki in 19:02.85. Holly Pond was a distant second with 56, and Fairview was third with 66.

Jefferson County Schools: Host Gardendale edged Fultondale 33-39 on Oct. 20 at Gardendale’s Celebration Park. Oak Grove placed third with 48 points, paced by individual winner John Luke Bray in 18:21.36. In the girls’ race, Shades Valley was the only team to post a score, finishing with 15 points. Center Point’s Zarya Taylor was the top individual finisher in 23:15.00.

Calhoun County: Oxford won the boys’ title Oct. 21 at the C5 course at Fort McClellan in Anniston, scoring 40 points to beat Alexandria (55) and White Plains (57). Jacksonville’s Rua Mathis turned in one of the week’s standout performances, winning in 15:42.55. The girls’ race was even tighter. Oxford and Jacksonville each finished with 54 points, and Oxford won the title on the tiebreaker because its sixth runner finished ahead of Jacksonville’s. Alexandria was third with 57 points, and White Plains was fourth with 58. Jacksonville’s Rachel Sloughfy was the individual winner in 19:14.09.

Etowah County: Results were not available for the Etowah County Championships, which were scheduled at the Vivian Maddox Sports Complex in Rainbow City.

Photo finish at Oakville

The closest finish of the week came Oct. 22 at the Oakville XC Invitational at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. Guntersville’s Kyle Zeisset edged Hewitt-Trussville’s Noah Jordan by fifteen hundredths of a second, 15:50.57 to 15:50.72.

Hewitt-Trussville still won the boys’ team title with 26 points, well ahead of St. John Paul II Catholic (89) and Randolph School (93). The Huskies were equally dominant in the girls’ race, where Mary Durham (19:07.09), Hadley Turner (19:27.67) and Leah Anderson (19:34.47) swept the top three spots. Hewitt-Trussville beat St. John Paul II Catholic 23-91, and Jasper was third with 101.

More results from Oct. 22

Last Chance Invitational: Scottsboro’s boys and Whitesburg Christian’s girls won team titles at the Esslinger Trail of Champions in Scottsboro. The Scottsboro boys beat Huntsville 62-81, with Vestavia Hills third at 92. Hazel Green’s Nehemiah Johnson kept up his string of fast performances, winning in 15:12.96. Whitesburg Christian freshman Nora Allan won the girls’ race in 17:56.75, leading her team past Oak Mountain 51-73. Vestavia Hills was third with 78.

Lincoln In-School Invitational and Talladega 5000m: Lincoln’s boys and Central-Clay County’s girls took team titles at Stemley Park in Lincoln. Lincoln beat Central-Clay County 32-51 in the boys’ race, while Pell City was third with 63, led by individual winner Reid Furguson in 17:19.06. In the girls’ division, Central-Clay County topped Lincoln 30-80. Chelsea Middle School was third with 89, and its runner Bailey Legg won the individual title in 21:09.19.

Northwest Alabama Championship: Lawrence County’s Tristan Evans (16:30.17) and Landon Smith (16:35.76) finished first and second to lead their team to a 36-81 win over Brooks in the boys’ race at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Moulton. Athens Bible School was third with 149. Hartselle won the girls’ title with 65 points behind individual winner Grace Goldman, who ran 17:42.72. Lawrence County was second with 100, and Florence was third with 146.

Run the Hunt and the ACAA state meet

Endurance XC dominated both varsity divisions Oct. 24 at Run the Hunt, an open-division race at John Hunt Running Park in Huntsville. Athan O’Neill (16:51.96), Will Bullen (17:03.57) and Caleb Havrilla (17:20.28) went 1-2-3 as Endurance XC beat the Tennessee Heat 12-28 in the boys’ race. Endurance XC was the only scoring team in the girls’ race, led by Adah Seibert in 21:10.25.

Providence Classical School won both varsity titles Monday, Oct. 26, at the Alabama Christian Athletic Association state meet, also held at John Hunt Running Park. Under ACAA rules, only the top four runners on each team score, making a perfect score 10.

The Providence Classical boys scored 10 points, helped by a 1-2-3 finish from Charlie Rosema (19:19.18), Ethan Martin (19:24.81) and a teammate identified as Doiron (20:53.44). Tuscaloosa Christian was second with 34.

The Providence Classical girls also posted a perfect 10, as Kate Wessel (23:35.53), Caroline Wessel (23:55.99), Anna Holland (25:01.76) and Karlie Branscomb (26:25.89) took the top four places. Victory Christian Academy was second with 32, and Tuscaloosa Christian was third with 50.

Sectionals begin Thursday, with races in Daphne

Sectional competition begins Thursday across the state, with two sectionals scheduled for Friday. South Alabama runners will be busy close to home, with multiple races at the Bayside Academy 64 Sports Complex in Daphne.

Private-school sectionals (Thursday)

Section 1, Single A and Double A: Bayside Academy 64 Sports Complex, Daphne, 8 a.m.
Section 2, Single A: Munford High School, 11:30 a.m.
Section 2, Double A: John Hunt Running Park, Huntsville, 8 a.m.
Section 3, Single A: 8:40 a.m.

Class 1A-2A (Thursday)

Section 1: Covington County Schools Track, Andalusia, 10 a.m.
Section 2: Point Mallard Park, Decatur, 3:30 p.m.
Section 3: Kudzu Hills, Bremen, 9:30 a.m.
Section 4: ToKnowHim trails, Pisgah, 10 a.m.

Class 3A (Thursday)

Section 1: Covington County Schools Track, Andalusia, 11 a.m.
Section 2: Kudzu Hills, Bremen, 10:30 a.m.
Section 3: Munford High School, 9:30 a.m.
Section 4: John Hunt Running Park, Huntsville, 9:20 a.m.

Class 4A

Section 1 (Thursday): Covington County Schools Track, Andalusia, noon
Section 2 (Thursday): Kiesel Park, Auburn, 10:20 a.m.
Section 3 (Friday): Choccolocco Park, Oxford, 9:30 a.m.
Section 4 (Thursday): Esslinger Trail of Champions, Scottsboro, 10 a.m.

Class 5A

Thursday: Bayside Academy 64 Sports Complex, Daphne, 10:45 a.m.; Munny Sokol Park, Tuscaloosa, 9 a.m.; Munford High School, 10:30 a.m.; Kiesel Park, Auburn; and Point Mallard Park, Decatur
Section 6 (Friday): Choccolocco Park, Oxford, 9 a.m.

Teams and spectators headed to the Class 5A sections in Auburn and Decatur should confirm start times with the host sites.

Class 6A (Thursday)

Section 1: Bayside Academy 64 Sports Complex, Daphne, 10:45 a.m.
Section 2: Kiesel Park, Auburn, 9 a.m.
Section 3: Munny Sokol Park, Tuscaloosa, 9:40 a.m.
Section 4: Esslinger Trail of Champions, Scottsboro, 10:30 a.m.

Sectional meets determine which teams and individual runners advance to the state championships, making this week’s races the next major step for Baldwin and Mobile County programs such as Spanish Fort, Fairhope, St. Paul’s and McGill-Toolen.