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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Shelby County will be well-represented when the starting gun fires in July for the annual North-South All-Star cross country meet as five different local runners were selected to represent the North.

Chelsea’s Ty Cason and Hudson Williams, Oak Mountain’s Cooper Jeffcoat, Spain Park’s Remi Richards and Briarwood Christian’s Lena Anne Parker each received North All-Star spots when the rosters were released to the media on Tuesday, March 25.

The rosters, which were compiled by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association (AHSADCA), showcase some of the best rising seniors in the Class of 2026 as they compete against one another ahead of the fall season.

Of the four area schools represented, Chelsea is the only school to have two runners and one in both the boys and girls races with Cason in the girls race and Williams in the boys race.

Cason is a two-time Shelby County champion and won the Southern Showcase Blue race in 2024. She finished in the top five in the Class 7A state championship race her freshman and sophomore years before being forced to miss the finals in her junior season.

She is also a four-time state champion in track and field as she won the 2025 Class 6A indoor 400-meter and 800-meter titles as well as the 2024 Class 7A indoor 1,600-meter run and 2024 Class 7A outdoor 800-meter run.

Williams had a strong close to his cross-country season in 2024 as he placed 10th at the Class 6A state championship with a time of 15:59.34. He also placed fourth in the indoor track and field state championship in the boys 3,200-meter run.

Jeffcoat will represent the Oak Mountain Eagles at the North-South meet after he finished in 25th place in the Class 7A cross-country state championship with a time of 16:22.07, helping the Eagles finish in fifth place in the team standings.

He is also a state champion in the boys 800-meter run from the 2025 indoor track and field state championship.

Jeffcoat will look to follow in John Shoemaker’s footsteps after he won the North-South meet in 2024 with a time of 15:39.27, 24 seconds off the best North-South time in the meet’s seven-year history.

Spain Park’s Richards will look to follow up her big season in 2024 at the North-South meet. She finished runner-up in the Class 6A state championship meet with a school-record time of 18:15.55. Richards will be the fastest runner back in Class 6A next year after the state champion, Homewood’s Emma Brooke Levering, graduates in May.

Lena Anne Parker will be the second-straight runner from her family to compete in the North-South meet after her sister Mary Grace Parker represented Briarwood in the 2024 edition of the meet.

Lena Anne earned 11th place in the Class 6A state championship meet with a time of 19:05.50 and will look to keep improving as the 2025 season draws near.

The race will be held at Montgomery’s Gateway Park during the AHSAA’s annual North-South All-Star Week in July. A date and time will be announced in the coming months.