Dwight Phillips from Pebblebrook running a 10.26 in the 100m earlier this season at the Cobb County Championships
GHSA Track & Field State Championships Previews - 7A Boys
Event by Event Previews (again - in order of contested FINALS)
Thursday:
Field Events (NOTE: ALL Field Events are contested on Thursday at State this year!)
Discus: We kick things off with one of the most interesting matchups of the entire "Slate" with newcomer Jordan White of Carrollton squaring off against the grizzled veteran in Max Herman of Marietta. White began the season at 102 feet and has improved by an astonishing 60 feet to be over 162 for the season. Herman, on the other hand, has been doing this seemingly since birth. He won State in 2021 by eclipsing 160 feet, so if he can rediscover the magic, he could win his 2nd title in 3 years. Donningtun Walters (Mill Creek), Caleb Hamilton (Parkview), and James Young (Lowndes) could threaten should the top 2 falter.
Team Implications: Marietta and Carrollton strike first from a team perspective. Numbers say 50 points could be enough for the team title, and Carrollton has more "m&ms in the jar" than Marietta does. Mill Creek and Parkview both have some solid talent sprinkled throughout the meet though, so if they can put up a score here, they could become an early factor.
Pole Vault: Will Frederick (Marietta) is a foot clear of the next closest contender and has consistently been over 15 feet for the last month with the exception of Sectionals. He was 6th at State last year, and if he's on, he should repeat. Timothy Lamb (Mill Creek) will try and make it interesting as he recently eclipsed 15 feet for the first time. Connor McLain (Walton) was 4th at State last year and also eclipsed 15 feet for the first time this season. These two are Frederick's biggest threats for the title.
Team Implications: Marietta really needs Frederick to win this event to try and frontload some points on Carrollton, Westlake, and Brookwood. Mill Creek could keep pace with Marietta here, and Brookwood could sneak a point or 2 which could mean a lot more later.
Long Jump: The long jump has a pretty deep field this year as all have gone 21-6 or further with 10 of them over 23 feet. Campbell's Justin Walker is undefeated thus far and leapt 24 feet in his Cobb County victory. Kennesaw Mountain's Korbin Brown has been over 23 feet twice in his last 3 meets, so he's coming on at the right time. Camden County's Deonte Cole hasn't gone over 23 feet since last year, but he was 3rd at State and is the top returner. This'll be Tag City, but all of these remaining athletes have cleared 23 feet at some point in their careers: Mill Creek's Joseph Alexander, Marietta's Isaiah Sanders, Newton's Kam' Aron Patterson, Milton's Devin Dahunsi, Marietta's Will Frederick, Osborne's Josh Horton, and South Gwinnett's Pierre Ford. With the top 10 all being within a foot of each other, this one could be anyone's event to win and could be a huge team point swing event.
Team Implications: This event is fairly wide open due to its depth, and Mill Creek and Marietta should score good points here. They'll need to as neither Carrollton nor Westlake feature in this event. It's another opportunity for MC and Marietta to stack up some field event points.
High Jump: I've often called the High Jump a crap shoot in terms of trying to predict outcomes, and this year is no different. Six inches separate first from last in this event this year. Everyone's cleared 6-0, and nobody has gone higher than 6-6. Korbin Brown (Kennesaw Mountain) has the best mark at 6-6. He was the Cobb County Champion in the event and has a further 4 victories to his name. There is then a clog of guys at 6-4 such as Jalen Hilliard (McEachern), Ifeanyichukwu Ezegbo (Hillgrove / top returner from last year at 4th), Elijah Milliner (Brookwood), Kendall Johnson (North Gwinnett), and Elijah Callahan (Archer). Another tight competition with huge point ramifications
Team Implications: The High Jump is brutal, but within this brutality is a smorgasbord of podium contending teams such as Brookwood, Mill Creek, Carrollton, Camden, and Archer. With so little distance separating the top from the bottom, the High Jump is, as always, a swing event.
Shot Put: It seems like a relatively weak year at the top in the Shot Put this year, but that just means more athletes have a chance at the win! Throws mainstay Max Herman (Marietta) enters as the favorite at 53-5. He also didn't compete in the event last year though he's very experienced. Many, many others will be lurking behind him seeking their first State Championships. Keyshaun Palmore (Colquitt) is the only other one over 52 feet, and he appears to be a newcomer to the event. Starting at 41 feet during the first week of March and adding over 10 feet of distance to the cannon ball in 2 months is pretty impressive; can the senior rookie win the title in his debut? Joshua Haynes (Parkview), Andrew Walker (Carrollton), Lota Ugokwe (Walton), and Robert Salhub (Carrollton) have all gone over 51 feet and will look to threaten in this wide-open event.
Team Implications: The cannon ball could really sink a couple battleships should the studs from Marietta or Carrollton falter here. The margin is razor thin top-to-bottom, and teams like Parkview and Walton could make up some ground with big performances here. Carrollton features 2 while Marietta features the narrow favorite. Yet another field swing event.
Triple Jump: Devin Dahunsi of Milton was 3rd in the Triple Jump last year, is the top returner from the event, and has the best mark entering the 2023 State Championships at 47-2. The place he went 47-2? McEachern. The other time he went over 47 feet? McEachern. He jumps well here, and he's the favorite. Wait a second though... *checks notes*... Who the heck is Josh Horton? Where did he come from? And how is he so good? Josh Horton of Osborne appeared at Region like a magic trick for Osborne and went 47-1 a couple weeks later at Sectionals. He's listed as a senior, and with him being only one inch south of Dahunsi, we could have another rookie upsetting the seasoned veteran in a field event.
Team Implications: Another big field event opportunity for MC Baby as Lawler has a shot to win. Carrollton and Walton both have athletes competing here and could sneak in a few much needed points to swing the team point fortunes into their favor.
Running:
4x800m Finals: Following the 4x200m qualifying is the first running finals of the State Championships - the 4x800m! Fun fact: In the inaugural 4x800m State Championship (2021), all 8 medaling teams had to break 8:00. This year? Guess how many 7A Boys teams have broken 8:00? Exactly zero. Uhh... yeah... that's gonna change. The top 14 teams have all gone between 8:00 and 8:13, so expect the opening leg to be akin to navigating the Mall of GA food court on a Saturday afternoon. Archer and West Forsyth have both gone 8:00 - with Archer, off the backs of Steven McCartney and Conner Robbins, doing so at Sectionals. West Forsyth may not be at 100% at the moment as their time was far earlier in the season. Hillgrove, Carrollton, and Marietta all come in at 8:03, 8:03, and 8:04 respectively. You've got a squad who has looked strong on the track this season in Hillgrove mixing it up with two heavy hitting cross country squads. The 4x800 is always a difficult one to predict as some teams simply don't run their A squads until State, or if they do, they still aren't "all out" as it's the first event in a traditional track meet. Case/point: Last year. Everyone's favorite super stud in Will Sumner closes out the victory after entering as the last seed. That tells you all you need to know. Just... be there for this race. It'll be special.
Team Implications: Well, when the last place seed won the whole thing last year, how in the world can I make a sensible team implication prediction here? Westlake, Carrollton, Hillgrove, Marietta, Mill Creek, Parkview, Lambert, Brookwood, and Walton all in theory have enough gas in the tank to not only power themselves to the top of this event but towards the podium and beyond as the chips fall into place. Another major swing event.
Friday:
3200m Finals: The only Final on Friday is the 3200m set to go in traditional order right before the 4x400m Q. The 1600m naturally is the most loaded event and then it becomes a game of who will focus on what. 7A is pretty deep with talent this season, so both the 3200m and the 800m feature some heavy hitters. Ben Bergey (South Forsyth) appears healthy and ready to let it rip something fierce this weekend. Rumors abound range from just winning to trying to hit the ever-elite sub-9:00 mark. Can anyone hang with him if he's on? It's been a couple years since Jared Fortenberry (Marietta) hit his career PR of 9:14, but it doesn't mean he can't do it again. We'll know pretty quickly if this is a race for second or if Bergey is going to take a swing and the rest concede. Fortenberry, Jackson Hogsed (Lambert), and Kushan Patel have all gone sub-9:20 with Noah Martinson (Carrollton), Ben Winn (South Forsyth), and Luke Kalarickal (Mill Creek) within five seconds. And then there's the reigning XC champ in Memphis Rich of Richmond Hill. Can he pull off more heroics when it really matters?
Team Implications: The two big team favorites - Westlake and Carrollton - really don't match up all that well, do they? So far, there's only one relevant event (the 4x8) that they seem to heavily feature in. Carrollton can really help themselves out if they can outscore their projected 4 points. Lambert has two that are projected to score, and Fortenberry has scored a bunch of points for Marietta in his career. This is a big opportunity to continue to stack points against Westlake who will be very obvious contenders in multiple events on Saturday. Anyone who wants to beat Westlake better have a good lead on them by this point.
Saturday: ALL remaining Running Finals!
110m Hurdles: Four athletes enter this event at sub 14.5, giving it a bit of depth assuming all goes 'chalk'. The top 3 returners from last year are among these 4 as McEachern's Daniel James was 4th, Parkview's Keonte Knight was 3rd, and Brookwood's Joshua Crum was 2nd. Throw rapidly improving Cameron Guadiano of Westlake into the mix, and you've got yourself a potential showdown that may get dangerously close to 14.00.
Team Implications: Guadiano can strike first blood on Finals day for Westlake with a good showing. Note that Brookwood and Parkview, both with various opportunities to shine, feature big here. James can throw up a 10 spot for McEachern who could be a dark horse to throw off some other teams.
100m: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a rematch on our hands! Pebblebrook's Dwight Phillips and South Forsyth's Chris Nelson gave us a race for the ages last year with Phillips nipping Nelson by a mere .02 en route to victory. Both are back, and both are in great form as they each won their Sectional. They met once earlier this year at - wait for it - the McEachern Invitational, and Phillips again won it by .02. When looking at career PR? You guessed it - a .02 split in favor of Phillips at 10.26 to 10.28. Can Nelson finally gain the upper hand? Can someone like Deonte Cole (Camden) or Joshua Goffe (East Coweta) spoil the party? My guess is no, but that's why we race.
Team Implications: Neither heavy hitters seem to be a huge factor in the team standings (though if Nelson can win his events and Bergey can win his events, all of a sudden South Forsyth bullies their way up the field), but Buford can do some damage here, and one of Westlake's studs in Antwan Smith can chip in some points as Westlake looks to continue mounting a comeback on Finals day.
4x200m Relay: New to the State Slate last year was the 4x200m, and boy was it fun. What used to be a relay-meet attraction has now become a test of sprint depth. Westlake's 1:24.79 is downright nasty and is currently #8 in the United States. The likes of Sidi Njie, Avieon Terrell, and Antwan Smith are likely to feature on this team. They are also within .10 of the State record for the event (Southwest Dekalb back in March of 2016), so one would assume that they will be chasing history. Marietta, Hillgrove, and Pebblebrook have all gone under 1:27 so expect them to be stalking in the shadows should Westlake be shaky on a handoff or 2.
Team Implications: Yup. Here comes Westlake proper. Marietta and Hillgrove will need to pull off monster upsets to offset the likely 10 point slam dunk for Westlake here.
1600m Run: Woof. A 1600m run in 80+ degrees isn't super fun, but as they say, "it be what it be." This race could be as hot as the weather as only 12 seconds separate 1st from 16th, meaning just about everyone is capable of top 8. Can anyone catch Ben Bergey (South Forsyth) though? We already mentioned Jared Fortenberry (Marietta) and Kushan Patel (Lambert) as being the next likely contenders, but one can also assume Cory Chambers (Milton) will toss his name in the hat, too. The aforementioned Noah Martinson (Carrollton), Jackson Hogsed (Lambert), and Luke Kalarickal (Mill Creek) have gone under 4:22, and again, every single other runner is within 4 seconds of 4:22. Will it be a clump early, or will it be like it was last year where it strung out big time early? Unless the weather slows things down, expect a sub 4:20 to be needed to score here.
Team Implications: Another big opportunity for Marietta to score some points off the back of Fortenberry. Patel and Hogsed can once again help Lambert overcome some of the odds stacked against them, and Carrollton really could use two scorers and 6 or more points to maintain a (projected) lead on Westlake.
4x100m Relay: If you can go sub 40.5 in the 4x100m, you are really good. This year, we have 2 here in Westlake (40.29) and Pebblebrook (40.44). These 2 teams are currently #2 and #3 all time only behind Buford (40.05 - last year at Christian Coleman). Distance runners hate the heat. Sprinters THRIVE in the heat. Can we see a sub-40.00 for the first time?? It should also be noted that Westlake is the current National #5 while Pebblebrook is the National #7 for 2023. It'll be another Sidi Njie and Antwan Smith sighting for Westlake with Dwight Phillips and Keyawn Spencer leading Pebblebrook. Sparks will fly on this one. Be ready.
Team Implications: Pebblebrook likely doesn't have enough "umph" in other events to be a team factor (certainly can go into the top 10), but Westlake can flip another dime into the fountain and start to show that they're the team to beat.
400m: We could see the crowning of an another all-time great here. We've talked at length about Chris Nelson and Dwight Phillips over the last year in these articles, but now that Sidi Njie and Westlake are in 7A, they've become the largest classification's biggest new problem this Spring. This dude won the 6A 400m Title last year as a freshman and enters here not only as the #1 runner in all of GA but also the National #4. This could be a really special next 3 years. There are several others in the field though that could be rolling their eyes at me right now. Ervin Pearson (Buford) is undefeated in the 400 this year and just went 46.44 at Sectionals. Rickey Williams (Camden) won the prestigious Christian Coleman Invitational in 46.59. Devin Clark (Marietta) went 46.79 to win the Cobb County Championships earlier this year, and while he hasn't been at that level since, he can get there again. If Njie does something crazy like go sub-46, then it's a race for second. If this thing creeps up closer to 46.5, then it opens the door for these other 3.
Team Implications: Another event where Carrollton can't do anything about a likely 10 point pounding from Westlake. Njie may make a habit of helping Westlake contend for State Championship. Buford, Marietta, and Mill Creek can score big points here to help their podium prospects.
300m Hurdles: Friend or foe? Perhaps both? The Brookwood duo of Bryce Dopson and Joshua Crum enter cleanly as the top 2 seeds with Dopson's 37.16 ranking 11th in the United States. Crum has defeated Dopson this season though, so while his PR lags about a half second behind Dopson, you better believe he's going to be gunning for the victory. He is, after all, the defending State Champion in the event. Cameron Guadiano (Westlake) and Sean Dyer (Grayson) have been sub-38.50, but this likely is a race for 3rd and beyond if the two Broncos take care of business.
Team Implications: If Brookwood is going to podium, I believe they must put up the projected 18 points here. Guadiano, if he just does his job and puts up 6 (or close to it), does more damage for Westlake. Grayson has some depth here and could help themselves become a top 10 team off the backs of their hurdlers. Henderson isn't projected to score for Carrollton here, but sometimes these are the types of athletes that become heroes by putting up a point or 2.
800m: This will begin to become a war of attrition as there will be some kids here in their 4th event (assuming 4x800m, 1600m, and 800m Q). The most consistent runner of the year though, and the favorite, is Chance Jones of Dacula. Jones has run under 1:55 five times in his career including 1:53 twice this season. He is undefeated this season and won the 6A State Title last year. Someone is going to have to challenge Jones from the gun to have a chance (haaaaaa). The best option for this task is Matthew Miller of Lambert. Miller has improved a ton over the last year and did sneak under 1:54 at McEachern, so he appears to be the favorite to upset Jones. Others to look out for include Conner Robbins (Archer), Owynn Brown (Grayson), Will Jennings (Carrollton), the Parkview duo of David Garcia and Kadin McAllister, and Keeyari Thompson (Westlake).
Team Implications: Carrollton and Westlake both have an athlete here, so it'll be nice to see them go at it in the team fight. Parkview has two who could score, so any podium prospects that they have need to be realized here.
200m: Here comes another showdown between two likely "all-timers" when we look back at history down the road. Chris Nelson (South Forsyth) vs. Sidi Njie (Westlake). The Tale of the Tape: Nelson (5-0 in open 200s this year). Njie (6-0 in open 200s this year). Nelson (1 individual State Championship last year). Njie (1 individual State Championship last year). Excited yet? You should be. These two heavyweights are on a collision course for the championship, and I for one am excited to see it. Obviously, the track has 8 lanes, and among those who should be featured in the finals are a trio of others who have broken 21.50 including Antwan Smith (Westlake), Jeremiah Colbert (Buford), and Devin Clark (Marietta)
Team Implications: Nelson and Bergey have a chance to put up 40 between them which could be dangerous. Westlake though is supposed to put up 14 here which could be devastating to Carrollton and anyone else trying to do enough to win the State Title. Buford, Marietta, and Brookwood have talent here, but they'll need to come up big and offset some projected Westlake points.
4x400m: "All roads lead to the 4x400m". This has a pretty impressive level of depth with 7 teams having broken 3:20 and everyone in the field has eclipsed 3:25. Buford and Westlake sit atop the stack at 3:13 and 3:15. I've said the names Sidi Njie and Antwan Smith (Westlake) a lot, and we have to assume they'll be called upon for one more round here. Avieon Terrell adds a bit of depth for the 7A newcomers, too. Can Buford get big enough performances from the likes of Ervin Pearson and Alexander Knight to get there? Grayson, South Gwinnett, Valdosta, Meadowcreek, and Lowndes are the remaining sub-3:20 teams. What a way to end the meet!
Team Implications: Carrollton isn't projected to score here, and they may need to beat Westlake head-to-head to win the team title. Statistically, this event could be dessert for Westlake. They just have too much on the track today for anyone to do anything about. I predict this, at the very least, wins Westlake the team championship, and more likely, just solidifies a 60ish point performance and the 2023 State Championship.
Thank you for reading; I hope to see you guys out at McEachern! Swing by and say 'hey'... I'll almost certainly be wearing an orange visor per my norm...