2023 GHSA 6A Boys And Girls State Track & Field Meet Preview

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GHSA 6A State Meet Preview

Track and Field is often thought of as an individual sport. Now, I would agree it is not a team sport in the sense that football or soccer is a team sport. In those sports, you are depending on your other teammates to be in position and do their job so you can be successful. In track and field, your individual performance has a lot to do with you any only you. So, from that perspective I can understand why track and field gets the reputation of being an individual sport. However, any coach or athlete who has won a team state championship knows that it takes a true team effort to do so, and they have experienced the sport in a way that not many have had the opportunity to experience. In this preview, I hope to bring some of the team drama to light and give a different perspective for you to follow this weekend!

Boys Team Preview

As I looked through these entries, I was left with one thought - 6A is LOADED! Pick any event and you will not only find the top athletes in 6A, but you will probably also be looking at some of the top athletes in the entire state, and in some events the entire nation. GHSA 6A Region 5 sprints were off the charts. If you have some free time, go check out those results and race videos as they produced state leading and nationally ranked performances. Now that I have that out of the way, let's get to the boy's team race.

The battle for top team honors looks to be between Langston Hughes and Shiloh. Langston Hughes has the slight advantage as they have the potential to score 70+ points. If they can reach the 70-point total, they will be hard to beat. Anyone who has kept up with our sport this season knows that Langston Hughes has dominated the sprint events at every meet they have been to, and the state meet will be no exception. Maurice Gleaton will look to lead the way where he is projected to score in 3 events - the 100, 200 and 400. If he can navigate prelims successfully and have enough energy for the finals, he could play a huge role in the team title race. Maurice is only a sophomore and already has PRs of 10.37, 20.52 and 48.51. By the time his HS career is over, he might establish himself as the best to ever do it in our state. Looking to add to the team point total will be Dmitry Wells who is ranked second in the 300 hurdles, Malachi Yehudah who is ranked second in the high jump, Dorian Page who is ranked 4th in the 200 and Jaden Barnes who is ranked 7th in the 100. Add in a 4x100 and 4x200 that is ranked #1, a 4x400 that is ranked #4 and a 4x800 that is ranked #6 and you find a recipe for 70+ points and a team state title.

Looking to chase them down will be the Generals of Shiloh. As expected, Shiloh will rely heavily on their always strong hurdle program. George Benjamin is the top seed in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. Bryce Southerland will look to join him in both hurdle events as well along with Eric Barker in the 300 hurdles too. 3 athletes in the top 8 of an event is crazy and could be the event that tips the team points in their favor. Eric is also seeded 4th in the high jump. Corey Harris will look to add points in the 800 while Marcus Thompson and Azwan Nembhard-Belcher will look to add points in the triple jump. Like Langston Hughes, Shiloh also has 4 relays that are projected to score. I could very easily see this team title come down to the 4x400, which is exactly how the state championship should end!

Alexander is always in the mix come the second weekend in May. While they have a definite shot at a team trophy, it looks like they do not have enough firepower to challenge for top honors. They are led by superstar Eric Singleton who has burst on to the scene this year. Don't get me wrong - he was good last year with PRs of 10.69, 21.91 and 49.01. But this year he has put himself in the conversation for not only the best sprinter in the state but one of the best in the entire country. Eric will look to score in the 100, 200 and 400 where he has PRs of 10.32, 20.72 and 46.21. He is the top seed in the 100 and 400 and the second seed in the 200. I could very easily see a scenario where he wins all 3. Looking to add points to the team total will be Josh Sleight and Marcus Guidry in the 800, Kelechi Ihekwereme in the discus and Raymond McKoy in the high jump. Add in a 4x400 and 4x800 relay that will both be in the mix to win, and you are looking at a surefire podium finish.

The battle for the final podium spot will be very close between Etowah, North Atlanta and Marist. Etowah and Marist are new to 6A after the reclassification while North Atlanta has been a 6A mainstay. These 3 teams are separated by a mere 4 points when looking at their projected finishes. 

Etowah and North Atlanta are at a virtual tie with Etowah projected 46.5 points and North Atlanta projected 46 points. Etowah will look to grab a team trophy with only 3 athletes, showing that if you have a few very good athletes, you can make some noise at the state track meet. Luke Stradley will look to get the Eagles off to a fast start on Thursday as he is projected to score in 3 field events. He is the top seed in the triple jump at 47-5.25, the 5th seed in the high jump at 6-6 and the 4th seed in the long jump at 23-2.5. If he can manage the hectic schedule, then he will get Etowah off to the quick start they will need. Looking to keep the momentum going on the track will be Andrew Balogh will look to lead the way in the distance events. He is the top seed in both the 800 and 1600 with PRs of 1:52.73 and 4:11.58. These two races will be key races to watch in the battle between Etowah and North Atlanta as Sumner Kirsch of North Atlanta is the second seed in both events right behind Andrew. The third and final athlete for Etowah is Zane Gibson in the pole vault. Zane finished 3rd at last year's 7A state meet and will look to win an individual state title in his final HS season. He is tied for the top seed at 15-6 and 10 points from him might be the difference between a 4th and 5th place team finish.

North Atlanta comes into the weekend a little more balanced than Etowah which might be the difference maker. As mentioned previously, Sumner Kirsch will look to add major points in the 800 and 1600 where he is the second seed. If he can beat Andrew in either event, that might tip the scales in the Warriors favor. Carl Murray will look to represent on the sprint side as he is seeded 4th in the 100 at 10.59 and 6th in the 200 at 21.59. Other athletes looking to contribute will be Truman Thompson in the 3200 and Sidney McReynolds in the 400. North Atlanta also has all 4 relays projected to score this weekend which will help close the gap on the Etowah trio.

Marist might not have enough firepower to grab a top 4 spot, but they will not be going down without a fight. As expected, they are led by their strong distance program. Tommy Latham is the top seed in the 3200 and the 3rd seed in the 1600. Anyone who follows cross country and distance running will remember how dominant he was in the fall so he cannot be counted out in either event. Liam Hanemann will look to add valuable points in the 800 and 1600 along with Ian Gaffney in the 800. In the field events, JZ Achindu will look to add points in the triple jump while Jonah Peterson will look to represent in the pole vault. Add in a 4x800 relay that is seeded 2nd and you have a team that will potentially score 40+ points. The question is, will this be enough for a top 4 finish? We will have to wait until Saturday to see.

Athletes to Watch

Jaylen Scott of Mundy's Mill will look to finish in the top 3 in the 100 as he is the third seed at 10.53.

Ben Akomolafe of East Paulding will look to score in 3 sprint events - the 100, 200 and 400. He is the 2nd seed in the 400 at 47.74, the 3rd seed in the 200 at 21.41 and the 6th seed in the 100 at 10.61. 

Tucker Wright of Rome HS has had an outstanding senior season and will look to cap it off with 2 podium finishes at his home track. He is the 4th seed in the 1600 at 4:17.74 and the 2nd seed in the 3200 at 9:21.59.

Conner Proffitt of Gainesville HS has had a breakout junior track season. He is the 5th seed in the 1600 at 4:19 and the 3rd seed in the 3200 at 9:24.99.

Kalib Branch of Lovejoy will look to break up the Shiloh 1-2 sweep in the 110 hurdles. He is the 2nd seed at 13.83.

Nicolas Crosswhite of New Manchester HS will look to win 2 individual state titles this weekend. He is the top seed in the long jump at 23-10.5 and the 2nd seed in the high jump at 7-0. He will also look to add a third podium finish in the 100 hurdles where he is seeded 6th.

Jaylen Woolfork of Lovejoy will be one to watch in the long jump. He comes in as the second seed at 23-5 where he will be looking to improve on his 5th place finish from last year.

Riyon Rankin of Brunswick is one to watch in the boys' high jump where he might produce the performance of the meet. He is the top seed in the high jump at 7-2. This ranks him as #1 in Georgia this year and #3 in the US, and only 1.25 inches away from a US #1 performance. 7-2 also moves him up to a tie for 5th on the GA All time list. 

Ethan Crite of Roswell will look to end his senior season in style with a potential state title in the triple jump. He is the 2nd seed and only 0.25 inches away from the top seed. He finished 4th at the 7A state meet last year so he knows how to compete when it matters. 

Brandon Peeples of Houston County is tied for the top seed in the pole vault at 15-6 and will be looking to improve his 4th place finish from last year's state meet.

Tahir Hines has been dominant all season and I do not see that changing this weekend. He was runner up in the discus and 6th in the shot put at last year's state meet. This year he is the top seed in the discus by over 15 feet with a PR of 173-11. He is the top seed in the shot put by a foot and a half with a PR of 56-4.

Jack Woods of St. Pius has not lost a shot-put competition this season. He has a PR of 54-9 that is about a foot and a half behind Tahir so he will need a PR this weekend to keep up his winning streak.

Girls Team

The girls' team race will be a little more competitive as there are two teams who have the potential to score 70+ points. Woodward Academy and Alexander girls both have the potential to put up some serious points this weekend and are only separated by 3 points in the virtual meet. Both teams are well balanced teams with points in most of the event disciplines. The main difference is that Woodward Academy will be relying more heavily on their sprints while Alexander will be relying more heavily on their distance group. 

Woodward Academy has 4 athletes who are projected to score in two individual events. Leading the way in the field events is Peyton Funderburk in the long and triple jump where she is seeded 6th and 8th respectively. Olivia Powell will look to follow her up with 2 individual state titles in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles where she is the top seed. Chelsea Williams will look to challenge for top honors in the 100 and 200 as she is the 2nd seed in the 100 and 3rd seed in the 200. The fourth and final athlete looking to score in two individual events is Sydney Glee in the 400 and 200 where she is seeded 4th and 5th respectively. Add in Kenyah Conner in the 400 along with a 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 that are all projected 3rd or better and you have a team that could score close to 80 points. 

The question is, will it be enough to stop the girls from Alexander. Alexander comes into the meet with a chance to score close to 76 points and they will need every one of these points to keep pace with Woodward Academy. Alisa Gordon will look to get Alexander off to a fast start in the field events as she is the favorite to win the triple jump and seeded 2nd in the long jump. Where Woodward Academy has Olivia Powell who is favored to win the 100 and 300 hurdles, Alexander has Victoria Teasley who is favored to win the 100 and 200. Other athletes looking to add to the point total are Aseye Srigboh in the triple jump, Cortney Adams in the 800 and Kinsley Williams in the shot put. Add in all 4 relays, with the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 all seeded 2nd and you have a team that will be fighting every event to land themselves atop the podium and repeat as team champions. Just like the boys team race, we could see the girls team race come down to the 4x400!

Looking for a team podium finish is Grovetown. They do not look to not have the firepower to compete for a team title, but they do have enough point scoring opportunities for a team trophy. Grovetown will look to do this with 2 athletes and 1 relay team. Paris Ivery is projected to finish no worse than 2nd in 3 field events. She is the top seed in the long jump, the 2nd seed in the triple jump and tied for 2nd in the high jump. Being able to manage the overlapping events will go a long way in her team's podium chances. Joining Paris in 3 individual events is Maddison Brister who is projected to score in the 100, 200 and 400. She is the 5th seed in the 100, the 2nd seed in the 200 and the 400 with the potential to bring home 20 huge points.

The battle for the final podium spot looks to be between Marist and Lakeside Evans both with the potential to score over 30 points.

Marist will look to use their strong distance program to bring home another team trophy. Ruby Little leads the way seeded 4th in the 1600 and 3200 and is joined by Kate Selover who is projected to finish 5th in the 1600 and 6th in the 3200. Other athletes looking to add to the team total are Ansley Cho who is seeded 2nd in the pole vault, Lexi Kurtz who is seeded 6th in the triple jump, Mia Perea Berdiel who is tied for 5th in the pole vault and Stella Chambless who is seeded 8th in the 800. Add in a 4x800 relay and these girls will have the chance to land on the podium at the end of the weekend.

Where Marist will look to use their numbers spread out over the events, Lakeside Evans will look to grab the final team trophy using 2 athletes and 2 relays. Kennedy Myers will look to score in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles where she is seeded 3rd and 5th respectively. Jada Ray will look to add to the point total in the 100 and 200 where she is expected to finish 6th and 4th respectively. They add in a 4x100 and 4x400 relay that they will need to finish in the top 3 for a chance to outscore Marist.

Athletes to Watch

Maddison Brister of Grovetown will look to score in the 100, 200 and 400 where she has PRs of 12.09, 24.30 and 55.84 which rank her 5th, 2nd and 2nd respectively.

Yasmine Martin of South Cobb is the favorite in the 400 with a PR of 54.80 and is the only girl who has gone under 55.0 seconds.

Oluwatosin Awoleye of South Cobb is the heavy favorite in the 800 where she owns a PR of 2:07.43. This time ranks as the top time in Georgia and #7 in the country. 

Claire Petersen of Blessed Trinity has the chance to score in two events - 800 and 1600. She is the 2nd seed in the 800 at 2:17.54 and the 6th seed in the 1600 at 5:07.41.

Katelynn Dollar of Creekview has bounced back very strongly after an injury and will look to claim the top spot in both the 1600 and 3200. She is the top seed in both events with PRs of 4:55.83 and 10:39.06.

Claire Shelton of Dunwoody was a force in cross country, and she has carried that over to the track. She has not raced much this season, but she is ranked 2nd in both the 1600 and 3200 with PRs of 4:58.10 and 10:49.00.

Hannah Schemmel of St. Pius has also bounced back nicely from an injury and is the 3rd seed in the 1600 and 3200 with season best times of 5:00.93 and 10:50.97. Hannah was the 2021 5A state champ in the 3200 and 1600 runner up so she has the experience to finish atop the podium.

London Ray of Blessed Trinity cannot be overlooked. She has a PR of 11:02.27 in the 3200 which would compete in most other classifications for the top spot. 6A girls is absolutely loaded with the top 3 seeds all under 11:00, a feat no other classification can boast. However, London has had a strong season and will be right in the mix for a spot in the top 4 to 5.

Sole Bailey of Jackson County has a chance to score in 2 events where she is seeded 2nd in the 100 hurdles at 14.44 and 6th in the 300 hurdles at 44.88.3

Ashari Pearson of New Manchester HS will look to win her first individual state title in the high jump after finishing 6th last year. She is the top seed with a PR of 5-7.

Maren Cline of Roswell is only 1 inch behind the leader in the high jump. She grabbed the last podium spot at last year's 7A state meet and will look to challenge for the top spot in 6A this year. 

Keira Hight of Sequoyah has the top mark in the pole vault at 12-4 and is the favorite to win after a runner up finish last year.

Raina Massey of New Manchester is the top seed in the discus with a mark of 136-11. She finished 7th at last year's state meet and will look to make a big improvement on that performance this weekend.

Skylar Soli of Douglas County will look to challenge for the top spot in both the shot put and discus. She is the second seed in the discus by a little over a foot and she is the top seed in the shot put by more than 2 feet. 

Maya Steins of Alpharetta will look to score in both throwing events where she is seeded 3rd in the discus with a PR of 134-7 and 6th in the shot put with a PR of 39-8.75.

Kyndal McKinney of Woodstock is a dual threat scorer in both the shot put and discus. She is seeded 6th in the discus at 128-0 and 2nd in the shot put at 43-11.