Arabia Mountain’s Jordan Barrow (left) In Class 5A and Martin Luther King’s Jhivon Wilson in Class 6A split the 100 and 200 meter dashes at the DCSD County Championships. Now both run for state gold in their respective classifications. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The 2019 GHSA Track and Field Championships get underway on Thursday in Albany, Carrollton and Rome as teams vie for the title of state champions as track finals wrap up on Saturday.
The biggest contingent for DeKalb is in Class 5A with 31 individuals (18 girls, 13 boys) and 11 relay teams (7 girls, 4 boys) head to Carrollton as the state meet start at 12 noon on Thursday with the field events and 1600m run finals.
Miller Grove won the girls’ state title in 2014 and have a strong group of eight individuals and three relay teams headed to Carrollton led by senior Emoni Coleman who swept the 800m and 1600m runs a year ago and also has a gold in 800m and silver in the 1600m in 2017 to go with a silver in the 800m from 2016.
Coleman is joined by Region 5-5A long jump and 100m hurdles champ Rasunek Taylor-Thompson as the pair look to bring a second state title to Miller Grove
Arabia Mountain follows with seven individuals and two relays led by Ravyn Jackson who won the Region 5-5A 200m dash and was runner-up in the 400m.
The Class 5A boys’ contingent is led by Arabia Mountain and Southwest DeKalb with four individuals with Southwest sending two Region 5-5A champion relay teams to the event.
Arabia Mountain is led by triple threat Jordan Barrow who won the 100m and 200m dashes and the long jump at the Region 5-5A championships in lead the Rams to the title.
Miller Grove’s Tacari Demery (left) took the baton from teammate Chance Barnes and cliched first in the 4×100 meter relay at the DCSD County Championships in March.. The pair hope to lead the Lady Wolverines to a state track championship this weekend. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Jabez Long tops the Southwest contingent coming off Region 5-5A wins in the triple jump and 300m hurdles.
Also competing at the Carrollton site will be 24 Class 6A participants and seven relay teams.
The girls are sending three individuals each from Dunwoody Martin Luther King Jr. and Stephenson along with five relay teams.
Dunwoody’s Ariel Lawrence returns to defend her 2018 long jump state title and will also compete in the triple jump after winning both events at the Region 7-6A meet. Janae Profit (discus, shot put) and Jahvene Walder (high jump, 100m hurdles) join Lawrence along with a 4x100m relay team.
Martin Luther King Jr. is led by sprinter Kayla Hunt, Region 4-6A 100m champ and 200m runner-up, and hurdler Jaili Green, the Region 4-6A champ in both the 100m and 300m hurdles.
Angelina Jackson, 800m and 1600m runs, leads Stephenson into the state meet.
Stephenson has five boys’ headed to State led by hurdlers Felipe Bembry and Dorian Helm while Martin Luther King’s contingent of four is led by sprinter Jhivon Wilson who won both events at Region and Sectionals.
Albany State Meet
The Cedar Grove Saints look to win a fifth consecutive state title leads the way into the Class 3A meet at Albany beginning with the prelims on Thursday.
The Saints have eight individuals led by sprinter Eric Jordan (100m, 200m) and hurdler Dimitri Cooper (110m and 300m hurdles). They also have their 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams competing.
Towers made a big push this year with seven individuals and their 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams making the state meet after finishing ahead of Cedar Grove in the Region 5-3A meet. The Titans are led sprinters Willie Calhoun and Bobby Watts who finished 1-2 in the 100m dash at Region.
Cedar Grove also has a strong contingent of eight girls’ headed to Albany with sights set on a state title to go with the one from 2013. Sprinter Aubrey Guyden swept the 100m and 200m dashes at the Region 5-3A meet to lead the Lady Saints to the title.
She is joined by hurdler Bobbi Turner (100m and 300m hurdles) and Antania Swain who won the shot put and discus throws at region. The two relay teams are coming off region titles as well.
Towers has two individuals headed to state along with its 4x100m relay team led by sprinter/jumper Catherine Forbes (100m, 200m and triple jump).
See link below for all DCSD state track qualifiers: