GWINNETT BEAT, MAY 21-27: Brookwood and Peachtree Ridge buck county trend in boys track and field

Gwinnett County has traditionally not been a power on the state level in Class 5A boys track and field. Last week, however, Brookwood and Peachtree Ridge bucked that trend in finishing No. 1 and No. 2.
The Broncos won the school’s first Class 5A state team title with 51 team points, nine ahead of Peachtree Ridge’s 42. Patrick Kelley won the 300-meter low hurdles for the Broncos and distance runner Tyler Anyan won the 3200-meter race after finishing second in the 1600-meter run. Two Broncos finished in second place in various events with several other Broncos placing high enough to score points. Keenan Harp was runner-up in the 100-meter dash while Carter Hewitt was second in the 800-meter run.
For Peachtree Ridge, Carson Sears (discus) was the highest individual finisher. Dacula, which finished in third place, featured two individual champions in Robert Harvey (shot put) and Eli Mahaley (discus). Defending champion Parkview finished in 13th place and placed second in the 400-meter relay. Grayson (fifth overall) had a pair of individual champions a Kirubel Erassa won his second straight 1600-meter run and Billy Kovalczyk took home the 800-meter honors. South Gwinnett (sixth overall) claimed the 1600-meter relay title.
The Collins Hill boys soccer team was able to defend its Class 5A title with a 1-0 (4-2 PKs) victory over Northview. Freshman goalkeeper Jackson Taylor was able to block two shots in the PK session to capture the title for first-year coach Drew Prentice.
"The boys have worked hard their whole lives improving in the game, said Prentiss. "They never give up, and motivation comes from within."
Collins Hill thought it had a goal in the second half when Josh Fancher hit Zak Wallingford with a pass that Wallingford quickly netted for an apparent 1-0 lead. The officials penalized Wallingford for being offside and the goal was wiped away. After a scoreless OT period, the teams went to penalty kicks and Peter Kurowski, Ricky Ortega, Aldo Lara and Dominic Bonilla all connected. The senior class leaves the Eagles with two straight titles and a runner-up finish two years ago.
"Every senior at some point as stepped up and been a leader when we needed them to," said Prentice of his departing seniors. Collins Hill’s win over Northview was a measure of revenge after the Titans beat the Eagles earlier this year, dropping the Eagles from a national No. 1 ranking. Collins Hill also battled early-season injuries to eventually capture the state crown. "There’s no stronger bond than the one formed by a group of guys who go through some tough times together," said the victorious coach.
AU DOMINATES …
The North Gwinnett girls soccer team also delivered a state crown to Gwinnett County with a 3-0 win over Northview to win the school’s first soccer title. Danielle Au netted a goal in the first few minutes of the game to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead it would hold through halftime and a rain delay. After Au assisted Lauren Harriman’s header for a goal in the early part of the second half, Au was at it again, pounding home a goal in the 71st minute to ice the win. The Lady Bulldog defense was extremely tough, allowing just one shot on goal, which North Gwinnett easily turned away.
HAWKS SURVIVE …
On the baseball diamond, two Gwinnett powers fell in the second round and one other has a real shot at a state title according to the Gwinnett Daily Post’s Brandon Brigman. On "Score Atlanta Sports Sunday" on 790 The Zone, Brigman predicted that Mill Creek would take home the Class 5A boys title. The Hawks swept Etowah out of the second round with 3-2 and 5-2 victories. For Mill Creek (25-5) it is the school’s first appearance in the quarterfinals, where the Hawks will face Redan. Collins Hill was shown the door by Harrison in three games. The Eagles lost game one 10-6 but rebounded to take game two, 9-6. After jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the series-deciding rubber match, Collins Hill ultimately fell, 7-4. Spencer Horridge had a solo blast and Garitt Church added an RBI double along with Chris McGowan’s RBI single to provide the Eagles with its four runs.
Also falling in the second round was Parkview, who, early in the season, had been ranked No. 12 in the country according to USA Today. The Panthers scored just one run in its two-game sweep at the hands of Lassiter. The Trojans beat Parkview 7-0 and 4-1 to end the highly-decorated Panthers season at 25-5. The Panthers recently had received several awards from the Region 8-AAAAA coaches with Chan Brown receiving coach of the year and Matt Olson receiving player of the year. The coaches also named Central Gwinnett’s Taylor Fields as pitcher of the year. Central Gwinnett was swept in the first round by Harrison.