The State Meet starts on Friday! This is such an exciting week where we're all in countdown mode. Make sure you check back all week with the state meet hub for all of our updates as we go through the weekend with great races.

State Meet Hub

Both 1A races are on Saturday this year and in the morning which is new and exciting for some of these kids who are used to going last. It'll be interesting to see how they respond, but either way there are some heavy favorites in these races.

1A Division 1 Boys Individual

This race might be the most exciting part of all of the 1A races this weekend, and I could easily see a few different boys taking hoe the win. As always with this classification there are some unknowns as you have runners from rural areas, so there's always something we can't predict only looking at regular season results. On paper, the favorite coming in is Rush Hatcher, but Jack Harrell has beaten him head to head and looks stronger in bigger races. Hatcher had a rough outing the last time they raced but should be able to bounce back at state if he runs well. It's also a bad idea to count out anybody with Gibbs in their last name, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Brody Gibbs come away with the win here. Ultimately Harrell has the strongest resume overall and I think he gets the job done, but any of these 3 could win and we could also see a surprise upset from guys like Alex Everett and Juan Luna as well. This one could also turn into a kickers race and I think we will have a pack of at least 5 guys together through the halfway, so if that happens all bets are off here. 

Prediction
1. Harrell
2. Gibbs
3. Hatcher
4. Everett
5. Luna

1A Division 1 Boys Team

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Bleckley County will get the win. I know, that's a reach, isn't it? All joking aside this is yet again a strong program that has really good runners up front and the depth to survive even if a couple of those runners have an off day. They're supposed to win by almost 100 points, and while I don't expect it to be that much of a victory, it should be a pretty safe win for them. But, this is state, and anything can happen at state. Armuchee has shown the ability to run their best when it truly counts, so if anybody was to knock them off, that would be my prediction. Armuchee lacks a true front runners, but on a course like Carrollton you can have a strength guy show up and have his best race of the year on the hills. Barrow Arts has the front runner, but is hurting with depth on paper. That just means they have the most room for improvement. All if takes is one guy to have a big day and they drop a bunch of points. But Fannin County has run well here lately, and with how they look on paper, they'll be tough to beat in the runner up spot. 

Prediction
1. Bleckley
2. Armuchee
3. Fannin County
4. Barrow

1A Division 1 Girls Individual

On paper this one has a huge favorite. And Lily Farrell deserves the right to lay claim to that title. But, here's the thing, she's still running against Ella Gibbs. And while Gibbs appears to be returning from injury, you can't ever count her out at the state meet. Last year Gibbs had a big lead on separation slope and it looked like it was over, but Farrell came roaring back and by the time they started running down the final hill I thought for sure Farrell was going to get her. Gibbs found something special in the last 100m and was able to hold on for the win. She can compete at the state meet and even though she's not in the mix on paper, I would not be surprised to see her get the win here. But Farrell has been on a heater this entire season and could just be too strong for anybody coming off an injury. Ultimately I think she's just been too good and too consistent this year for anybody to challenge her. Natalie Kitchens has also been killing it all season and I mean seriously, how does a school this small keep producing sub 19 minute (and sub 20 minute) girls this frequently? There's something in the water down there, I swear. Kitchens is a the favorite for runner up, but she'll be challenged by Ansley Moore who ran well at state last year and has had a better season so far this year. Rounding out the favorites here are a couple of mainstays with Sarah Schabort and Alishia Cook, but Claira Lynch and Gemma Baskin are right there with them and should challenge as well. It'll be tight for the remainder of the top 5. 

Prediction
1. Farrell
2. Kitchens
3. Moore
4. Gibbs
5. Lynch

1A Division 1 Girls Team

So if my individual prediction isn't enough of a hint of who the favorite is here, it's Bleckley County. Maybe they won't put 4 in the top 5, but they're good enough to pull it off. And it's borderline impossible to beat a team that does that. They're the class of the field here and I would be surprised if anybody even challenged them through the mile. No offense to our other teams here, Bleckley is just that good. And it's almost kind of scripted after that too. Bremen appears to have a big enough lead as the 2nd best team that they should be very confident going into the meet, and Fannin County should feel good about their chances to take 3rd place. Both teams also have enough depth to survive a bad race. So we will see how it all plays out in the end, but I feel good about those 3 picks. The battle for the final trophy will be tricky though as Jeff Davis has a small lead on paper over Armuchee. But small leads on paper don't always mean victories, and Armuchee runs well at state every year. This one could go either way.

Prediction
1. Bleckley
2. Bremen
3. Fannin
4. Armuchee

1A Division 2 Boys Individual

This is another one that feels like it could already be settled. Ian Burke has shown all season that he deserves to be the favorite here. And I have no reason to doubt him as he's been top dog and very consistent. I think he comes away with the win as long as nothing bad happens to him. Sanders Hearne is probably the favorite for runner up, likely benefitting form being able to train with Burke every day. Good training partners always make you better. Ibis Gonzalez won't just give it to him though and on paper there's very little to separate the two, this could come down to which one has the better kick, something I can't really measure based on XC results. Teammates Esau Rodriguez and Jack Kalmanowicz are likely the next two who will cross the line and that again could come down to the better kicker. But Kalmanowicz has proven himself at this meet in the past so that's who I would bet on in this scenario. And it wouldn't surprise me to see him go up front and race Hearne and Gonzalez for runner up.

Prediction
1. Burke
2. Gonzalez
3. Hearne
4. Kalmanowicz
5. Rodriguez

1A Division 2 Boys Team

Atlanta Classical was the favorite coming in last year, and I thought they had it. But Georgia Military had other things on their mind and scored the upset win despite not even being a favorite for the podium on paper. I love to say that anything can happen at state, and that's still true, but this year I feel much more confident about Atlanta Classical. they should have no problem getting the job done here this year as the heavy favorites. After that? It's wide open. Don't be surprised to see GMC on the podium again, but the favorites to round out the trophy winners are Furlow Charter, Lake Oconee, and Baconton Charter. Your guess is as good as mine in terms of who gets which trophy, but that's why we run the race. Trophies aren't won on paper, they're won head to head on the same course on the same day, which is what makes sports so great. 

Prediction
1. Atlanta Classical
2. Lake Oconee
3. Furlow Charter
4. Georgia Military

1A Division 2 Girls Individual

This one is as close to a sure thing as you'll get in this sport. I originally typed that it was a foregone conclusion, but then I remembered that I've seen kids with (and without) giant leads struggle neat final hill before and get a DNF (or almost get a DNF) for a variety of reasons. Nothing is a certainty at Carrollton until you cross that finish line. That being said...Averi Lowen is going to win this race. She's clearly the best runner in Georgia history and has her eyes on bigger and better prizes. I suspect she will tempo this race as more of a formality as she gets ready for nationals. After Lowen, it'll be a while, but it should be a pretty good race between a pack of 4-5 girls. Mary Elizabeth Kirkland and Arden Huffman will look to provide some low sticks for Atlanta Classical while Vera Carter and Abbigail Stucker will try to stop them. 

Prediction
1. Lowen
2. Kirkland
3. Carter
4. Stucker
5. Huffman

1A Division 2 Girls Team

Atlanta Classical will have to rely on some experience to get the job done here. They're the favorites, sure, but definitely the smallest favorite in all of 1A. And they should come in very cautious given what happened with their boys last year. But they're well coached and should be firing on all cylinders. If they do that, it'll be hard for anybody to beat them. But this is state, and Carrollton can destroy your soul sometimes and break your heart in the end. We will see. Lake Oconee is their biggest challenger and should be excited about the challenge. If they can show up and perform well, they could go home with the biggest trophy. Furlow Charter is the favorite for 3rd while Georgia military will have their hands full trying to hold off Wilcox County for the final trophy. 

Prediction
1. Atlanta Classical
2. Lake Oconee
3. Furlow Charter
4. Georgia Military