Westlake's 4x400m relay win sealed the deal for them in the team title
GHSA 7A State Meet Recap
Girls: Westlake steals one from Marietta, wins Class 7A Title.
Westlake had too many studs for anyone else to handle. Thanks to a total of 73.33 points (28 in Relays, 19 in Hurdles, 17.33 in Jumps, and 9 in Sprints), they were able to put everyone else away. It wasn't easy though...
Adyn Kinard put up important points in the 100m, 200m, and the relays. Zaniyah Jones picked up huge points in the hurdles, including a runner-up in the 300s. Zion Lockette and Caylie Jefferson were big in the Jumps. As I said in my meet preview, all roads lead to the 4x4. Westlake, down narrowly to Marietta and up narrowly over Brookwood, needed to win the 4x4 to secure the team victory... and that they did. Their time of 3:46.22 is currently the US #11 and stamped the seal of approval for another Westlake State Championship. These ladies' performances across the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 were truly instrumental. Marietta gave them all they could handle, surpassing expectations in several events to be a truly game squad throughout. Brookwood had some unfortunate luck and some injuries, but they fought to the line as evidenced by their runner-up finish in the 4x4.
Individually, we had some strong performances. Ryan Davis swept the 100/200 as expected. Sydney Harris's 52.83 catapulted her to #6 in the United States, winning the 400m. Perhaps the most impressive thing I've seen in quite some time, and what almost won Marietta the State Championship, was the performance of freshman Mary Nesmith. We witnessed the dawning of a new era as Nesmith won the distance trifecta: The 800m (2:11), 1600m (5:02), and 3200m (10:51). She also was part of Marietta's State Championship 4x8, meaning she was responsible for 32.50 points. Read it and weep, rest of 7A: Nesmith will be around until 2026. One final note is that Danah Nembhard did nearly eclipse 41 feet in the Triple Jump albeit while wind aided. Even so, that's a huge jump and further proves just how good Dacula is in the field.
Boys: As expected, Westlake prevails, completing sweep of team titles in Class 7A.
I predicted a Westlake victory with "60ish" points, and they scored 60 points en route to a 14 point victory. Sophomore Sidi Njie's 45.46 broke the state record just one year after Will Sumner did the same. Njie's mark is currently the US #1 and, at least according to the most up-to-date MileSplit data, the 16th fastest by a high schooler in the history of high schoolers. Pretty dang awesome. Westlake's 4x100m and 4x200m put up 20 points, and while the 4x4 had a little baton trouble, there was no pressure at all as Westlake already had the title in the bag. What I was not correct about was Walton as they tied Buford for 2nd with 46 points. Props to Lota Ugokwe for pulling off the upset and Joseph Minecci for two 4th place finishes (16/32).
Individually, Chris Nelson (100/200) and Ben Bergey (1600/3200) each won 2 events to give South Forsyth their 40 points. Chance Jones remains undefeated with his 800m win. Joshua Crum and Keonte Knight were separated by a mere .01 in the 110 hurdles with Crum emerging victorious. Crum also won the 300s. Buford's 3:11 in the 4x4 is the US #2 (behind another GA squad, Southwest Dekalb). Carrollton pulled off a minor upset in the 4x8, running 7:46 which is #14 in the nation. Joseph Alexander's long jump (5th nationally) and Devin Dahunsi (48-00.5, wind-aided) capped off some strong individual performances for the guys.
The coverage of this year's State Championships is unmatched. Please check out ALL the highlights throughout the State Meet Hub, and we'll see everyone at the Wingfoot Night of Champions in a few days!