It is "Championship Month" in Georgia as state titles are being rewarded in several sport. Boys and girls track and field, soccer, lacrosse and tennis playoffs have been the buzz this past week and several Cobb County programs have participated in the various state meets and tournaments.
GIRLS SPRINT TO THE FINISH …
The girls GHSA track and field state championship took place May 6-8 at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany with several Cobb athletes taking part.
One of the most successful entrants at the meet was Julienne McKee of Lassiter. McKee (also our female athlete of the week) won the long jump with a leap of 18-10. The senior also won the triple jump with a leap of 41-07.75.
Gabrielle Piper, one of McKee’s teammates, finished second in the 100-meter dash, third in the 100-meter intermediate hurdles and sixth in the long jump. Lassiter won the state title with a score of 38 largely due to the performances of McKee and Piper.
The boys GHSA Track and Field State Championship will be held May 13-15 at Memorial Stadium in Jefferson, Georgia. One of the many schools competing over the weekend is Marietta High School. Senior Andrew Nelson, a distance runner who specializes in the mile, is set to compete for the Blue Devils. With a qualifying time of 4:23.370, the stand out is focused. Nelson has signed with the College of Charleston to run cross country. Senior Charles Francois runs the 100 meter and 4X100 meter relay. Francois is currently deciding between Shorter College and a few other junior college offers. Competing in the shot put is another Marietta senior stand out Jalen Fooster. Fooster has received a full scholarship to Airforce.
Head coach Nick Houstoulakis is anticipating great performances from his athletes. "All of our competitors are focused and know exactly what this competition is," he said. Houstoulakis has had his athletes focusing on their specific qualifying events in practice this week. "We aren’t adding anything new, it is all about fine tuning now," said Houstoulakis.
LADY RAIDERS MAKES HISTORY …
The Walton girls tennis team won their seventh straight Class 5A State title last weekend. They had to work for this one, as they were challenged by several talented teams in the playoffs.
Walton swept Greenbrier 3-0 in the semifinal on Saturday. The Lady Raiders then beat Centennial 3-2 for the championship. Centennial pressured Walton immediately after winning the first sets in three of five matches. The Lady Raiders came from behind in a match to increase Walton’s state-record winning streak to 133.
Claire Marshall and Amelia McIsaac were among the standouts for Walton at No. 1 doubles, making a comeback from a set down to beat Michelle Hartigan and Carly Zabkar (4-6, 6-2, 6-1) for the win.
"The (finals) were tougher than it had been in a long time," head coach Roberta Manheim said in a recent interview.
Despite their struggle to keep their streak alive, they did it.
LACROSSE ACTION …
Boys lacrosse championships are well underway. Harrison defeated Walton 14-2 to advance to the semifinals where they will play Milton. Milton edged out Pope in their game 10-9. The Lassiter Trojans trumped Roswell 12-6 to advance to their semi-final game against Northview. Northview escaped Alpharetta’s clutches after beating them 8-7. The winner of each semi-final game will advance to the state championship on May 15 (semi-final results were not available at press time).
Girls lacrosse is in full swing as well. Milton soared past Northview beating them 22-7 to advance to the semifinal round. Walton slid past South Forsyth in a 12-11 victory and will play the Milton Lady Eagles in the semifinal. Lassiter will play Chattahoochee for the rights to play the victor between Walton and Milton. Lassiter beat Alpharetta 17-7 and Chattahoochee beat Roswell 8-5. The GHSA Class 5A girls lacrosse championships will be held on May 15 (semifinal results were not available at press time).
The GHSA Boys Class 5A state soccer tournament began on May 4 with four matches that left Houston County and Collins Hill set to play each other and Chapel Hill and Milton battling it out. Collins Hill and Milton advanced. The winner of that game will play the victor of Northview and Centennial for the state championship.
In girls soccer action, the No. 1 Walton Lady Raiders defeated Greenbriar 7-6 in penalty kicks after a scoreless game. Walton advances to face North Gwinnett in the semifinals. The Lady Bulldogs will host the game.
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