Photo shows the Cold Springs Track & Field team after their championship win earlier this month.
COLD SPRINGS – It was plenty of firsts for the Cold Springs High School track and field program as they held a ceremony Wednesday morning inside Jesse George Gymnasium to recognize the accomplishment from 11 days ago of winning the Alabama High School 2A championship at Cullman's Oliver Woodard Stadium.
The Eagles are the first school in the Cullman County system to win a state championship in this spring sport. They are also the first school to win two AHSAA championships in a calendar year. The track title comes seven months after the Eagles won their second consecutive state title in the sport of cross country.
Cold Springs is the only school in the county system to claim three state championships within two years. The Eagles have back-to-back cross country titles and add the track championship to a trophy case that is full of county and sectional crows from the past decade.
During the ceremony, Coach Clayborn Campbell talked about how determined the Eagles were coming into the 2016 spring season on getting that blue trophy from the AHSAA after missing out on it the previous year by a mere nine points to sectional rival Falkville High School out of Morgan County.
In 2016, the Eagles would not be denied. Down by one point to LaFayette after the first day, Cold Springs soared to the lead right off on May 7 and never looked back.
In their final 13 events, the Eagles collected 105 points and tallied 139 in the two days of running and field competition vs. a quality list of opposition from all over the state in the 2A classification.
The Eagles wound up with a 30-point domination of runner-up Falkville and well ahead of LaFayette, the first day leader.
Plenty of people had the chance to speak to those attending and express high appreciation for the success of the Eagles and also, the Lady Eagles.
The Cold Springs girls were ninth overall in their standings and have finished in the Top 10 of the state meet for the last 10 years.
The Eagles have been consistent with an average of being in the top five during the state outdoor meet in the past decade.
It was a pleasure for school board representative Wendy Crider to see the Eagles go out in a blaze of winning glory. Crider will retire from the school board, effective at the end of the school year. She did not seek re-election in the primary race back in March.
Her husband, Tony Crider, an assistant to the staff, said how grateful he was to work with the group once again that knows what hard work means and that it pays off. Crider's son Kramer is a member of the cross country and track teams and will graduate from Cold Springs on Saturday. He has accepted a scholarship offer to run cross country next year at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The administration of Principal Tim Burleson and Assistant Principal John Hood congratulated the team on their state championship success. Both were pleased to speak of how the program is supported by the community and what the group has done in giving back to those who lend great support to the school known as "Big Blue."
Cullman County Superintendent Shane Barnette was on hand to congratulate and to speak. Barnette spoke about one of his first tasks at hand after being appointed Superintendent was coming to Cold Springs and presenting the Eagles with the county track and field championship.
He took pride in what a group of 60 people did throughout the season to become the best in their classification when the highest award was up for grabs.
Campbell thanked his coaching staff, the administration for their support and expressed how important it was to get members of the football and basketball team to come out and participate.
With the likes of quarterback Cayde Elliott and basketball standout Josh Freeman taking part in running and field events, their contributions during the sectionals and the state were needed for the Eagles to take home the blue trophy this time around.
As Campbell said goodbye to his seniors on both teams, trying to hold back the tears, the coach of four state championship teams at Cold Springs in track and cross country is getting ready for the new season that is less than three months from beginning.
The Eagles will have a training camp in July and will begin quest of a three-peat in cross country when practice starts in early August.
