The high school cross country season will come to an end this weekend at the GHSA Cross Country State Championships, presented by Atlanta Track Club, at the Carrollton cross country course at Carrollton High School.
Three programs, McIntosh in Class AAAAA, Marist in Class AAAA and Westminster in Class AAA are trying to defend on both the girl’s and boys’ sides.
For the boys: In the state’s highest classification, Milton is looking to defend its title after winning the first-ever title last year. While it could be hard to replicate Milton’s dominance last season, senior Luke Bonneville and sophomore Hayden Marshall will try to do just that.
Cambridge also won its first-ever title last year in Class AAAAAA and will look to defend. Top-ranked Pope is a likely contender this year and it enters state undefeated. The Greyhounds are a favorite entering Friday morning.
In Class AAAAA, McIntosh will try to defend and earn its fourth title after winning in 1996, 2012 and last year. After wining the Class AAAA title last year, Marist looks to add to its storied history again this year and a victory would mark 13 cross country title. Westminster’s history for producing championship cross country teams defines the sport in Georgia. The Wildcats have won 25 after last year’s AAA title. Banks County returns after winning the AA title last year, its first-ever state championship. In Class A-Private, either Hebron Christian or Landmark Christian have won the championship. Landmark won in 2013, 2015-16. Hebron, which hopes to defend, won in 2014 and last year. Georgia Military has won four of the last six Class A-Public championships and will look to make it three-consecutive wins after last year’s title.
The Past Boys Champions: Milton (Class AAAAAAA), Cambridge (Class AAAAAA), McIntosh (Class AAAAA), Marist (Class AAAA), Westminster (Class AAA), Banks County (Class AA), Hebron Christian (Class A-Private) and Georgia Military (Class A-Public).
For the girls: Since its creation in 2012, Class AAAAAAA has produced a different champion each year. Brookwood won the inaugural AAAAAAA title with Peachtree Ridge (2013), Northview (2014), Mill Creek (2015) and South Forsyth (2016) each claiming a title before Marietta thrust itself onto the scene last year with its first-ever championship.
In Class AAAAAA, Harrison added its first-ever cross-country title and will look to defend this year against the likes of Cambridge, Pope, and Creekview. In region week, Pope beat Cambridge and Harrison beat Creekview and both competitions were decided by less than four points. Each program should bring quality competition to the state meet with each having a decent shot at the AAAAAA title.
Before last year, McIntosh’s most-recent title was a 2005 AAAA title, the state’s second-highest class at the time. The 2017 AAAAA championship marked the third for the Chiefs, its first coming in 1998. McIntosh returns, and they are a deep group which impressed in awful weather at the 3-AAAAA meet. Woodland and Starr’s Mill should challenge the defending champions.
Marist’s AAAA title last year marked its tenth-consecutive championship. Overall, Marist has won 19 titles. The last AAAA champion that wasn’t Marist? Chapel Hill in 2007. Westminster has won, or had a hand in, the past five championships across two classes. In 2013, Westminster shared the AA title with Wesleyan before its reclassification to AAA. Since then, Westminster has won four-straight in Class AAA and will be hunting another this year. Bleckley County has won the past two and will be hunting the three-peat this year. Landmark Christian has won the past four titles and six of the last seven in Class A-Private – in 2011 it won in Class A. In Class A-Public, Telfair County won its first-ever championship last year which ended Towns County’s streak of five-straight A-Public titles from 2012-2016.
The Past Girls Champions: Marietta (Class AAAAAAA), Cambridge (Class AAAAAA), McIntosh (Class AAAAA), Marist (Class AAAA), Westminster (Class AAA), Bleckley County (Class AA), Landmark Christian (Class A-Private) and Telfair County (Class A-Public).
Live Results will be provided by Perfect Timing Group HERE
You can view the course map by clicking HERE
When: November 2-3, 2018
Where: Carrollton Course, Carrollton High School, 202 Trojan Drive, Carrollton, GA
GHSA Cross Country Championship Schedule
Friday, Nov. 2
9:00 a.m. - 6A Boys
9:45 a.m. - 6A Girls
10:30 a.m. - 5A Boys
11:15 a.m. – 5A Girls
Noon – 1A Private Boys
12:45 p.m. – 1A Private Girls
Saturday, Nov. 3
8:00 a.m. – 7A Boys
8:45 a.m. – 7A Girls
9:30 a.m. – 2A Boys
10:15 a.m. – 2A Girls
11:00 a.m. – 3A Boys
11:45 a.m. – 3A Girls
12:30 p.m. – 4A Boys
1:15 p.m. – 4A Girls
2:00 p.m. – 1A Public Boys
2:45 p.m. – 1A Public Girls
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