GHSA 1A Division II Preview 

by Frank Crippen

Intro: 1A Division II has it all this year. An Atlanta city school that specializes in classical studies, a plethora of small town rural public schools, and even a military academy. This classification is made up of the smallest schools by enrollment in the GHSA; however, I cannot think of a classification that epitomizes our diverse state more than this one. These tiny yet very mighty schools tend to compete in some of the more low-key invitationals in Georgia. Despite this, these programs are ready to bring the heat this Friday as they race on the "big stage," in what might be some of the most exciting and intriguing series of races at Carrollton.

Boys Individual

This season, Christian Baldridge of Wilcox County has the fastest personal best cross country 5K out of anyone in the field. This South Georgia native recorded a personal best of 17:23.10 in August, and has consistently raced nearly every week. Most recently, he won his 1A Division II Region 4 meet in a time of 17:45.25. There, he beat the man with the second fastest time in 1A Division II, Zach Edge of Treutlen. Edge has seldom raced; however, he has a personal best this season of 17:31.66 from the Red Flame Classic. At that race, Zach edged out (pun intended) another boys individual contender, Kevin Perez of Atkinson County who ran 17:47.32. Now, even though he has not run the fastest cross country time this season, definitely keep an eye on Julian Council of Georgia Military College Prep. So far, he has a personal best 17:59.16 from a home meet. At that home meet, he did beat 1A Division II #1 man, Christian Baldridge. Council is also the fastest 1A Division II returner based on his 1600 and 3200 track times in which he ran 4:51.85 and 10:59.45. He did not participate in his region race; however, he might be saving his energy to run a big race at the state meet. Some other names in the hunt are Guy Mastrion of Atlanta Classical Academy (17:38.24), Rigoberto Sanchez of Atkinson (17:59.24), and Diego Pryor of Aquinas (18:04.78). The race to first place is completely open. No guarantees! 

Boys Team

This will be an interesting team battle. Right now, Atkinson County has the best 1-5 average this season in 18:30.87. They have a fast 1-2 punch of Kevin Perez and Rigoberto Sanchez to help contribute to the speedy average. Now, you can never count out Georgia Military College Prep. The Bulldogs have the second fastest 1-5 team average in 18:52.56. This program has State Championship experience, and has utilized the boys' military discipline and grit to help them win state championships in the past. From 2012 - 2018, Georgia Military College Prep won five team state championships in the now defunct 1A Public classification. This winning experience might be a significant benefit to them. Even though they won their region meet without Julian Council, they will definitely need him as a low-stick if they want to win another state championship. Atlanta Classical Academy has also run well this season. The Cavaliers have a 19:01.79 team average and won their 1A Division II Region 7 meet by a decent amount. Other teams looking to podium include Wilcox County High School (19:18.76 average), Furlow Charter School (19:24.40 average), and Aquinas (19:29.03 average). 

Girls Individual

Geisha Smith who is from the furthest southwestern corner of Georgia, and attenda Seminole County seems to be the leader of the field. She leads the 1A Division II girls cross county rankings with a personal record this year of 21:08.53 which was set at the Deerfield-Windsor Invitational. She most recently won her 1A Division II Region 1 race. She also had the fastest returning 1600 meter time from track season at 5:59.97 and the second best 3200 meter time at 12:38.99. Her teammate, Leon Owens, is actually the fastest 3200 returner with a 12:05.51. Owens has not performed at nearly the same level as Smith though this season. Another name to keep an eye on is Allie Walker of Wilcox. She ran a personal best of 21:43.25 at the Red Flame Classic. She is also a region champion; however, her teammate, Isidora Catron was within 5 seconds of her. Catron has a personal record of 22:00.14 from her region meet. She is still a freshman though so we will see how she responds when she races on the Carrollton courses. Atlanta Classical Academy's Flora Tyler and Sarah Neil Kirkland will be in the mix to chase a podium spot or even better. They have personal records of 22:17.98 (Tyler) and 22:33.04 (Kirkland). Kirkland was able to win her 1A Division II Region 7 race; however, not too far off was Sirena Pridgen of Christian Heritage School. She has a personal best of 22:30.00. 

Girls Team

Speaking of Atlanta Classical Academy, they have a super legit team. Their strong classical academic IQ translates to strong race IQ as these ladies currently lead the 1A Division II girls virtual meet. They have a 1-5 average of 23:46.84 and most recently set a "perfect" 15 point score at the region meet. It should be noted that Sirena Pridgen was the runner-up in the race; however, her school did not field an entire team. Next, would be Atkinson County High School who has a 1-5 average of 24:32.37. They won their region meet in 18 points. Atkinson County will definitely have to work on their 1-5 spread as it was 5:25 at the region race. Wilcox County High School actually has a faster 1-5 average than Atkinson County High School at 24:09.77 thanks to their 1-2, Allie Walker and Isidora Catron. Based solely on personal records, they have a 4:20.32 1-5 split. This could potentially be an issue as state meet races tend to be packed. Other teams to consider are Chattahoochee County (24:53.94 1-5 average), Furlow Charter School (24:52.39), and Telfair County (26:42.98).