Pelham junior David Clyburn defended his county high jump crown as the Panthers won their second straight title at the Shelby County track and field championships Monday at Pelham High School.

Clyburn, who cleared the bar at six feet to win the high jump, also won the 110 meter hurdles, finished third in the 300 meter hurdles, third in the triple jump and fourth in the pole vault to claim MVP honors in men’s competition.

With a core of senior athletes and a junior group that isn’t used to losing, Clyburn said the Pelham team felt like the championship was theirs to win from the onset.

&uot;My class has won every year,&uot; he said. &uot;From eighth grade, to ninth, tenth and now our junior year. We kind of felt like it was ours to take.&uot;

Clyburn’s strong showing in the field events – along with solid performances from Pelham throwers Bob Kress, Daniel Bell and Ben Johnson – gave the Panthers an early lead heading into the track events.

&uot;As long as I’ve been coaching track I’ve said it’s the field events that win you championships,&uot; said Pelham coach Patrick Kellogg.

Bell took second place in the discus, javelin and shot put with Johnson and Kress also exhibiting strong arms in the three throwing events.

The senior trio helped set the tone early for the Panthers’ title run later in the afternoon.

&uot;I think that lets our runners know they’re not going to have to carry the load,&uot; Kellogg said. &uot;It takes a lot of pressure off of our sprinters and especially our distance runners.&uot;

Juniors Montez Billings and Jason McMillan put icing on the Pelham lead, each winning three events for the Panthers.

McMillan finished first in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs while Billings won county championships in the triple jump and both the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Pelham finished first in team points with 205, followed by Oak Mountain, 146; Briarwood Christian, 64; Calera, 55; Vincent, 53; Thompson, 28; and Montevallo, 1.

Women’s Varsity

Mary Grace DeCastra placed first in three events and second in two others to lead Oak Mountain to a Shelby County championship and earn MVP honors in women’s competition.

DeCastra won county championships in the 100 meter hurdles, pole vault and triple jump while finishing second in the 300 meter low hurdles and javelin.

The Eagles placed first in eight different events on their way to the title.

&uot;Oak Mountain is a tremendous competitor,&uot; said Kellogg, whose Pelham team finished third in women’s competition.

&uot;Coach (Marty) Springfield’s girls are well-coached, well-prepared and have a lot of depth. They’re going to be a force to be reckoned with for the next couple of years.&uot;

Oak Mountain finished first with 198 team points, followed by Vincent, 79; Pelham, 78; Briarwood, 75; Thompson, 53; and Shelby County, 25.

Men’s Junior Varsity

Riley White took first place in the 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter intermediate hurdles and the 200 meter dash to help lead Oak Mountain to victory in junior varsity scoring.

The Eagles’ middle-school squad finished first with 158.6 team points followed by Briarwood Junior High, 118; Riverchase Middle School, 112.33; Thompson Middle School, 80; Vincent Middle School, 24; Calera Middle School, 6; Pelham Junior Varsity, 1; and Chelsea Middle School, 1.

Women’s Junior Varsity

Oak Mountain’s Sarah Bond placed first in the 100 meter dash, 100 meter hurdles, 300 meter low hurdles, long jump and the 200 meter dash as the Eagles dominated women’s junior varsity competition.

Oak Mountain Middle School placed first with 244 team points, followed by Thompson Middle School, 97; Riverchase Middle School, 95; Calera Middle School, 29; Pelham Junior Varsity, 2; and Columbiana Middle School, 1.

Men’s Varsity Results

100 METER DASH: Montez Billings, Pelham, 10.87; James Hope, Oak Mountain, 11.12; Peyton Mosley, Oak Mountain 11.15. 110 METER HURDLES: David Clyburn, Pelham, 15.92; Khoury Wood, Oak Mountain, 17.11; David Rogers, Pelham, 17.30. 1600 METER RUN: Jason McMillan, Pelham, 4:46.00; Davis Hurst, Pelham, 4:55.00; Matt Mansell, Oak Mountain, 4:59.00. 300 METER INTERM. HURDLES: Nick Lambert, Oak Mountain, 42.34; David Rogers, Pelham, 43.12; David Clyburn, Pelham, 44.96; 3200 METER RUN: Jason McMillan, Pelham, 10:35.00; Davis Hurst, Pelham, 10:44.00; Mark Fleming, Oak Mountain, 11:03.00. 3200 METER RELAY: Oak Mountain, 9:21.00; Thompson, 9:39.00; Pelham, 9:45.00; 400 METER RELAY: Pelham, 45.43; Briarwood Christian, 45.52; Vincent, 46.68. DISCUS: Manny Godoy, Calera, 119-6; Daniel Bell, Pelham, 119-0; Nick Ray, Calera, 115-7. JAVELIN: Simeon Castille, Briarwood Christian, 166-0; Daniel Bell, Pelham, 161-6.50; Ben Johnson, Pelham, 142-0. SHOT PUT: John Post, Briarwood Christian, 41-6; Daniel Bell, Pelham, 41-2; Tony Myers, Thompson, 40-11. HIGH JUMP: David Clyburn, Pelham, 6-0; Michael McClellan, Oak Mountain, 5-10; Glynn Dowdell, Calera, 5-6. POLE VAULT: Dan Brislin, Oak Mountain, 12-6; John Scruggs, Briarwood Christian, 10-6; Brad Passen, Oak Mountain, 10-6. LONG JUMP: Glynn Dowdell, Calera, 20-4; Will Post, Briarwood Christian, 20-2; Darnell Kelley, Vincent, 19-9.50. TRIPLE JUMP: Montez Billings, Pelham, 43-10; James Oden, Vincent, 41-3.50; David Cyburn, Pelham, 40-8. 400 METER DASH: Nick Lambert, Oak Mountain, 50.67; Will Post, Briarwood, 51.88; Glynn Dowdell, Calera, 53.36. 800 METER RUN: Jason McMillan, Pelham, 2:02.00; Nick Lambert, Oak Mountain, 2:03.00; Chris Ramer, Oak Mountain, 2:09.00. 200 METER DASH: Montez Billings, Pelham, 22.33; Peyton Mosley, Oak Mountain, 23.40; Darnell Kelley, Vincent, 23.64.

Women’s Varsity Results

100 METER DASH: Gabby Williams, Pelham, 12.59; Randi Reeves, Shelby County, 12.93; Bailey Jones, Briarwood Christian, 12.98. 100 METER HURDLES: Mary Grace DeCastra, Oak Mountain, 17.18; Hannah Farmer, Oak Mountain, 17.56; Kate Norton, Briarwood Christian, 18.09. 1600 METER RUN: Sarah Jane Brock, Briarwood Christian, 5:49.00; Melissa Holloway, Pelham; 5:53.00; Lauren Cready, Oak Mountain, 5:56.00. 300 METER LOW HURDLES: Kate Norton, Briarwood Christian, 52.62; Mary Grace DeCastra, Oak Mountain, 52.90; Erica Lambert, Oak Mountain, 57.25. 3200 METER RUN: Nicole Smith, Pelham, 14:15.00; Laura Kapp, Oak Mountain, 14:31.00; Heather Tucker, Thompson, 16:31.00. 3200 METER RELAY: Oak Mountain, 10:49.00; Briarwood Christian, 11:06.00; Thompson, 12:22.00. 400 METER RELAY: Oak Mountain, 54.43; Thompson, 55.52; Vincent, 57.41. DISCUS: LaShae Hicks, Vincent, 75-8; Tyonda Turner, Vincent, 71-2; Mandi Aiken, Thompson, 67-7. JAVELIN: Bailey Burgraff, Oak Mountain, 95-8.50; Mary Grace DeCastra, Oak Mountain, 73-8; Mandi Aiken, Thompson, 63-0. POLE VAULT: Mary Grace DeCastra, Oak Mountain, 8-6; Hannah Farmer, Oak Mountain, 7-6; Sammy Funkhauser, Oak Mountain, 7-0. SHOT PUT: LaShae Hicks, Vincent, 28-4.50; Tyonda Turner, Vincent, 21-6.50; Courtney Wallace, Vincent, 20-11. HIGH JUMP: Erica Lambert, Oak Mountain, 4-8; Hannah Farmer, Oak Mountain, 4-8. LONG JUMP: Hannah Farmer, Oak Mountain, 15-8; Bailey Jones, Briarwood Christian, 15-3.50; Keri Riggins, Vincent, 14-8. TRIPLE JUMP: Mary Grace DeCastra, Oak Mountain, 32-6; Hannah Farmer, Oak Mountain, 31-3.50; Joycelyn Hawkins, Thompson, 30-6.50; 400 METER DASH: Gabby Williams, Pelham, 1:00.59; Candace Beasley, Oak Mountain, 1:02.30; Bailey Jones, Briarwood Christian, 1:04.90. 800 METER RUN: Melissa Holloway, Pelham, 2:31.00; Lauren Cready, Oak Mountain, 2:35.00; Nicole Smith, Pelham, 2:39.00. 200 METER DASH: Gabby Williams, Pelham, 26.46; Randi Reeves, Shelby County, 27.20; Bailey Jones, Briarwood Christian, 27.68. 1600 METER RELAY: Oak Mountain, 5:03.00; Vincent, 6:10.00