Track and Field Blog: GAC and Cambridge girls prepare for Sectionals after tying in Region 6 Championship

In Class 5A, Region rivals Greater Atlanta Christian and Cambridge finished first and second place on the girls side last year. The Spartans finished with 61 points and Cambridge tallied 54.50 for the runner-up total. These two state championship hopefuls squared off last week in the Region 6-5A championships and finished in a tie for first place with 146 points each. These two teams will compete this Saturday at Evans in the Class 5A Sectional A and will be one of the most intriguing storylines within the action.

In Class 7A, Westlake took last year’s boys state title with 60 total points and were led by Class of 2025 star Sidi Nijie, who is back to defend his 400 individual state title and anchor the Lions’ relay teams. Walton and Buford both tied for second place with 46 total points and will be major contenders this year. Walton Is coming off a Region 5-7A sweep last week and the boys earned 51 of their 211 points in the Distance and also showcased depth at the Sprints (43), Throws (39), Jumps (31), Relays (31) and Hurdles (16).

On the girls side, Westlake narrowly won last year’s state crown with a 73.33 total to edge Marietta (70) and Brookwood. All three of those teams are fresh off of region championships and Marietta returns Mary Nesmith—who has established herself as the top distance runner in the state regardless of classification. Last year, Nesmith won the 1600 and 3200 to help the Blue Devils earn the team title. Westlake’s Jaden Billings ran the 10th fastest 100 hurdle time in state history in the Region 2 championship with a 13.64 and Walton’s Somto Igwilo finished with the fourth fastest 100 meter time with her 11.38.

In Class 6A, Hughes won its first-ever boys state title last year and did it with a 59-point effort. Runner-up North Atlanta and third-place Etowah (49.5) have also had successful seasons. Etowah was topped by Allatoona in the Region 6-6A championship last month and the Bucs have emerged as another contender on the boys side. Hughes looks like the team to beat in the relays again this season and clocked a 1:25.01 in the 4x200 meter relay for the fourth fastest time in state history. Additionally, Malachi Yehudah secured a 7-1 in the high jump for 10th all-time and will be critical in the Panthers’ gaining valuable points outside of the relays. On the girls side, Woodward Academy (89.5) defeated Alexander (70) for last year’s state crown and there was a tie for third with Alpharetta and Marist both finishing with 44.

REGION CHAMPIONSHIP TAKEAWAYS

On Saturday, Class 7A, Region 2 crowned the Westlake girls and Carrollton boys as its champions at Grisham Stadium. The Westlake girls outscored Carrollton 194.50 to 164 and East Coweta came in a close third with 160.5. On the boys side, Carrollton scored 223 points and runner-up Westlake’s 167.50 points was followed by East Coweta’s 155. The Carrollton boys dominated the Jumps category with 67 points and were even more impressive in the Distance with 72 points. The success in the Jumps and Distance events helped the Trojans overcome Westlake’s 54-15 advantage in the Sprints and 40-19 edge in the Relays. On the girls side, Carrollton outscored Westlake 62-to-11 in the distance, but the Lady Lions excelled in the Jumps (56.5), Sprints (48) and Hurdles (42).

In Class 6A, The Etowah girls (197) topped Allatoona (102) and the boys saw Allatoona (146.50) defeat Etowah (128.50) for the Region 6 title. The Etowah girls excelled in the Sprints (52), Jumps (44) and Relays (38). Sophomore Ewomazino Edet (12.04)and senior Kamryn Peeples (12.51) clocked a 1-3 finish in the 100 meter dash for 16 points and Kira Stevenson added another two with her seventh-place time of 13.06. The trio performed even better in the 200 meter dash with Edet (24.81) placing first, Peeples clocking third (26.06) and Stevenson earning sixth (27.07) for an additional 19 points. Peeples—who finished third in both the 100 and 200, conquered the 400 meter dash with a top finish of 58.20. Freshman Sophia Wasdin and sophomore Kamryn Williams finished sixth and seventh—respectively and helped account for a 15-point team output in the 400. As a result, Etowah had three sprinters earn points in the 100, 200 and 400. Stevenson—who placed in the 100 and 200 meter earned a first-place finish in the girls triple jump with a 38-6.50 and Williams picked up six points with a third-place 36-6.75. In the long jump, Etowah junior Gabbi Crane finished first with a 18-1.50 and Williams picked up five points with a fourth-place finish and 16-9.50 leap.

Woodward Academy swept the Region 3 with a commanding 243.50 output by the girls and 190-point performance by the boys. The Lady War Eagles outscored second-place Rockdale County’s 129 and the boys narrowly edged the Bulldogs’ 179.50. The Rockdale County boys were unable to pick up any points in the Sprints and the War Eagles 32 points, and subsequent 32-point swing in that category was crucial in earning them the total team victory.

In Class 5A, the Loganville girls (179.50) narrowly defeated Heritage-Conyers (173.50) and Jefferson (161) for the title and the Jefferson boys (176) topped runner-up Heritage (150) for the title. Buck Godfrey Stadium in the heart of DeKalb County was host to the Region 6 Class 4A action this week and the titles went to the Westminster girls and Stephenson boys. The Lady Wildcats (211) cruised past Druid Hills (125), while the Jaguars (206) outscored runner-up Westminster’s 176 on the boys side. Westminster’s 66 points in the distance were the most gained in any category on the boys side, but Stephenson’s dominance in the Sprints (53), Jumps (46) and Relays (38) was more than enough to earn the team title. In Region 7-5A, Calhoun swept the titles and Cartersville earned second-place finishes in both the boys and girls category. The Lady Yellow Jackets tallied 185 points to the Canes’ 137 and the boys held on for a 201-188 victory. Region 7 in Class 4A saw a dominant sweep by Central-Carroll and the runner-ups went to the Heritage-Catoosa girls and Cedartown boys. The Lions showed dominance in the Distance and Jumps with the girls earning a combined 113 and the boys picking up 111 in the two categories. Athens Academy swept the Region 8-Class 2A title on Wednesday at East Jackson High School and Region 7 saw a 1-2 battle between Rockmart and Model for bragging rights. The Rockmart girls (205) out-gained Model (196) for the title and the Model boys (203) out-scored runner-up Rockmart’s 175. Powerhouse Landmark Christian swept the Class 2A Region 5 championship this week with the girls outscoring second-place Towers’ 213-132 and the boys outscoring Towers 178-131.

SET FOR SECTIONALS

The next checkpoint of the 2024 Track and Field Season will be this Friday, May 4 as the statewide sectionals take place. There will be 16 separate sectionals—with two occurring within each classification. The Class A Division I Sectional A (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4) and Sectional B (Regions 5, 6, 7, 8) will be at East Dublin and Mableton, respectively this Friday. Class A Division II is divided into Region 1, 2, 4 and 6 for Sectional A (Albany) and Region 3, 5, 7 and 8 for Sectional B at Carrollton.

Here is the region breakdown and location for Class 2A-7A

Friday, May 4

Class 2A

Sectional A: Regions 1, 3, 4, 8 (at Commerce, Ga.)

Sectional B: Regions 2, 5, 6, 7 (at Rockmart, Ga.)

Class 3A

Sectional A: Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 (at Fort Valley, Ga.)

Sectional B: Regions 4, 6, 7, 8 (at Carnesville, Ga.)

Class 4A

Sectional A: Regions 1, 2, 3, 6 (at Milledgeville, Ga.)

Sectional B: Regions 4, 5, 7, 8 (at Bogart, Ga.)

Class 5A