Boys’ History

The most successful athletic programs in DeKalb County Schools come from track with the boys’ (50) and girls’ (32) combining for 82 state championships.

The county boasts 598 individual championships, 148 relay titles and 120 multi-title winners between the boys and girls. The amazing numbers all started with W. H. Tanner who won the first title in 1943 as he captured the high jump with a leap of 5 feet-8 inches competing for Chamblee

Druid Hills set the tone for track in DeKalb County Schools by winning the first team title in 1948 on the way to nine titles in a 16-year span, including three in a row twice (1951-53, 1958-60). Southwest DeKalb’s 2007 state title moved the Panthers into a tie atop the state title heap with Druid Hills. Eleven of the 19 current schools have won at least one boys’ state title.

DeKalb currently has a streak of 16 consecutive years (2007-2023) with at least one state track title and a total of 22 (11 girls, 11 boys) in that period. The 2020 championships were cancelled due to the Covid Pandemic,

From 2002 to 2018 DeKalb missed out on at least one state title only in 2006 and has compiled 24 championships (13 girls, 11 boys) during this period. Eight schools contributed to this run to championships including SW DeKalb (4 girls, 3 boys), Cedar Grove (4 boys, 1 girls), Redan (2 boys, 2 girls), Dunwoody (2 girls), Miller Grove (1 boys, 1 girls), Stephenson (1 boys, 1 girls), M.L. King Jr. (1 girls) and Tucker (1 girls).

The county only brought home four titles in the 1960s, but a Lakeside win in 1970 started a run of eight titles during the decade. Six more titles came during the 1980s, including two by Columbia.

Southwest DeKalb became the dominant track school in the 1990s winning six of their titles during the decade, including a three-peat from 1995 to 1997. The Panthers lead the county with 12 total titles after winning back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023. Tucker added two more in the ’90s and Stephenson grabbed one.

Cedar Grove got into the state championship game by winning its first title in 2015 and stringing together three titles with wins in 2016 and 2017. The Saints became just the fifth boys’ program to have won 3 state titles and joined Druid Hills and Southwest DeKalb as the only programs to win 3 consecutive championships.

A fourth consecutive Class 3A title in 2018 set a new benchmark in DeKalb as the Saints are the only program to win four straight (2015-2018). Cedar Grove also became just the seventh Georgia boys’ program to win four consecutive championships.

The 2004 Redan Raider track team added the 57th state track championship for DeKalb County Schools by winning the Class AAAAA state title and made it 58 with a repeat title in 2005.

The 438 total gold medals won in boys’ track and field include 350 individual golds (226 track, 124 field, 2 wheelchair) and 88 relay titles.

The boys produced 74 multi-gold medal winners over the years, including Avondale’s Danny Buggs (1969-71) and Gordon’s James Flack (1983-85) with six each. Lakeside’s Joe Thorne (2000-02) won five titles in the distance events. There are 14 other DeKalb County Schools athletes with at least four individual gold medals.

State Titles (50)

Current Schools (42)

• Southwest DeKalb (12) – 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023
• Druid Hills (9) – 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963
• Cedar Grove (4) – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
• Chamblee (3) – 1954, 1960, 1964
• Stephenson (3) – 1998, 2002, 2021
• Columbia (2) – 1980, 1983
• Lakeside (2) – 1970, 1974
• Lithonia (2) – 1974, 1979
• Redan (2) – 2004, 2005
• Tucker (2) – 1995, 1996
• Miller Grove (1) – 2009

Schools No Longer Open (8)

• Gordon (4) – 1975, 1976, 1978, 1984
• Avondale (1) – 1971
• Hamilton (1) – 1969
• Shamrock (1) – 1988
• Walker (1) – 1985

State Titles (16)

• Lakeside (7) – 1970, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1997, 2008
• Briarcliff (3) – 1968, 1971, 1972
• Southwest DeKalb (2) – 1979, 1980
• Chamblee (1) – 2008
• Henderson (1) – 1991
• Peachtree (1) – 1973
• Redan (1) – 1988

Gatorade Player of the Year (9)
1987 – Kelly Carter, SW DeKalb, Hurdles
1990 – Hasson Graham, SW DeKalb, Sprint
1995 – Angelo Taylor, SW DeKalb, Hurdles
1996 – Angelo Taylor, SW DeKalb, Hurdles
1997 – Terrance Trammell, SW DeKalb, Hurdles
2001 – Joshua Walker, Stephenson, Hurdles/Relay
2005 – Justin Oliver, Redan, Sprint/Long Jump
2009 – Ken Gilstrap, Miller Grove, Sprint
2023 – Isaiah Taylor, SW DeKalb, Hurdles

Girls’ History

The girls’ track programs have won 32 state titles since the first state trophy in 1976 by Avondale as they close in on the boys’ record of 48.

Southwest DeKalb rose to the top of heap in DeKalb County Schools with five state titles since 1984. The Lady Panthers scored a three-peat at the state level from 2007 to 2009 in Class AAAA and reached the top of the girls’ list with the 2011 AAAA state title to add to that 1984 victory.

Avondale was the early leader for girls’ track in the county winning the first title in 1976 and adding a back-to-back title run in 1980-81 to become the first team to win three titles.

Gordon was fast on Avondale’s heels winning in 1979 and sweeping the 1982-83 titles to tie for the county lead in state titles. Columbia made it a trio at the top by winning in 1983 and then in 1995-96.

Stephenson won the school’s first ever state championship in any sport in 1997, followed it up in 1998 (along with the boys’ title) and then again in a sweep of the girls’ and boys’ titles in 2002.

Cedar Grove joined the three state title group in 2013 winning its third state title. Cedar Grove also won in 1981 and 1995. Dunwoody collected its third state title in 2019 having won in 2003 and 2013.

The county brought home eight titles in the decade of the 80’s and followed up with seven in the 90’s. The teams captured six state titles in the 2000’s (Stephenson, 2002; Dunwoody, 2003; Redan, 2005; Southwest DeKalb 2007, 2008, 2009).

Tucker got this decade off to a good start by winning the 2010 class AAAA followed by Southwest DeKalb and Martin Luther King Jr. in 2011. It was Martin Luther King’s first ever state title in any sport. Redan then took its second state title with the 2012 Class AAAA victory over defending champion Southwest DeKalb. Dunwoody (second title) and Cedar Grove (third title) won titles in 2013 and a 2014 title by Miller Grove (the first girls’ title for the school) gives DeKalb at least one state title in the past 8 seasons.

Incomplete records on individual gold medals only go back to 1975 with DeKalb athletes garnering 329, including 268 individual (track 208, field 60) and 61 relay gold medals.

Since the 1983 meet, the girls have put together 58 multi-gold winners. Chamblee’s Emily Reese moved to the top of the DeKalb list by winning her seventh and eighth gold medals in 2008 (3200- and 1600-meter runs), the fourth consecutive year she doubled up on gold medals.

Sequoyah’s Tisha Prather (1987 to 1989, sprints), Columbia’s Lasheal Johnson (1991 to 1993, shot/discus), Chamblee’s Stephanie Amey (1975 to 1977, 4 sprints/1 long jump), Stone Mountain’s Kelly Perryman (1993 to 1995, sprints) and Towers Brittany Porter (2007 to 2009, 3 long and 2 triple jump) each won five golds apiece. Chamblee’s MaryAnn Erigha (2001 to 2003, sprints) follows close behind with four total gold medals. Miller Grove’s Tiffany Flynn (2 triple jump, 1 long jump, 1 100M hurdles) and Dunwoody’s Alex Cameron (3 1600M run, 1 3200M run) joined the ranks for four-time gold winners in 2014. Fifteen other DeKalb athletes have won at least three golds.

The girls have also set 23 state records over the past 27 seasons. Chamblee’s Emily Reese holds five state records with the class AAA records in the 3200 (10:16.76) and 1600 (4:48.51), the class AAAA records in the 3200 (10:33.336) and 1600 (4:52.245) and the all-classification state record of 10:16.76 in the 3200-meter run. Martin Luther King Jr. Lady Lions set the state record in the 4×100 relay during the 2012 preliminaries with a time of 45.69. The latest record came in 2014 as Miller Grove’s Tiffany Flynn broke the triple jump record of Julienne McKee of Lassiter set in 2002 at 41-07.75 by 3.25 inches with a jump of 41-011.00.

Ashley Smith of Lithonia set and broke her own record in the 300-meter low hurdles in 1998 (44.55) and 1999 (44.20). Latoya Lagree of Stephenson also set the triple jump record in 2000 at 40-feet, 311/2 inches and broke it in 2002 with a leap of 41 feet, 33/4 inches. Reese shattered her own state record in the 3200m run by 6.3 seconds (10:33.3) in 2006 after breaking the 19-year record from 1986 in 2005 (10.39.7).

Sanaa Frederick of Druid Hills set both the Class 4A 100-meter dash (11:31) and 200-meter dash (23.39) in 2023. She teamed with twin sister Sole Frederick, Jordyn Bolden and Miya Carthan to set the 4×100-meter relay mark (45.74) in 2023 as well.

State Titles (32)

Current Schools (25)

• Southwest DeKalb (5) – 1984, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
• Cedar Grove (3) – 1981, 1995, 2013
• Columbia (3) – 1983, 1995, 1996
• Dunwoody (3) – 2003, 2013, 2019
• Stephenson (3) – 1997, 1998, 2002
• Clarkston (2) – 1989, 1990
• Redan (2) – 2005, 2012
• Lithonia (1) – 1998
• Martin Luther King Jr. (1) – 2011
• Miller Grove (1) – 2014
• Tucker (1) – 2010

Former Schools (7)

• Avondale (3) – 1976, 1980, 1981
• Gordon (3) – 1979, 1982, 1983
• Peachtree (1) – 1978

Gatorade Player of the Year (7)
1989 – Tisha Prather, Sequoyah, Sprint
1994 – Lesheal Johnson, Columbia, WT
1995 – Kelly Perryman, Columbia, Sprint
1998 – Shannon Murray, Columbia, Sprint
2002 – LaKendra McCoulmen, SW DeKalb, Hurdles
2005 – Aleesha Barber, Redan, Hurdles
2021 – Janae Profit, Dunwoody, Discus/Shot Put

Schedules

2023 (All Schedules Subject to Change. Please Check with Team/School to Confirm)

• Track and Field Schedule (2023)
• Track and Field Media Guide (2023)
• State Sectional Qualifiers (2022)

Statistics