Parkview High School earned wins from Ethan Kasson, Julian Vann, Taron Squires, Davin Nash and Sean Stephenson and rode plenty of depth in other events to dominate the competition and win the 2009 Georgia State Boys 5A Track Championship.

Kasson won the 400, Vann the triple jump and Parkview took over the 4 x 400 when Mill Creek had to settle for second place with 39 points to Parkview’s 80.

In the 4A meet, Kenneth Gilstrap won the 100 and 200 and was part of the winning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relay teams as Miller Grove High School took the title with 71 points to Alexander’s 59. Not to be outdone, Stephen Hill both added a victory in the 300 hurdles and rocketed to the long jump title with a jump of 28-08.75. Hill’s jump becomes the best prep performance in America this season.

Sir Paul Jones doubled in the 110 and 300 hurdles to lift Monroe to the 3A title over Elbert County, 57-45.

Westlake easily won the 5A women’s title over runner-up Collins Hill, 65-48. Westlake’s Zahra Thomas won the 400 in 55.34, Aubrielle Wright won the 800, Shani Chandler won the 300 hurdles, and Westlake took the 4 x 100 relay (with Thomas, Kinsley Lawson, Aminah Blount, and Davita Washington) and the 4 x 400 relay. (with Thomas, Blount, Wright and Chandler).

5A competitor Chalonda Goodman of Newnan doubled in the 100 and 200 but did not beat her national best times in the 100 (11.30) or 200 (23.32). 5A competitor Amanda Winslow of Collins Hill doubled in 1600 (4:44.97) and 3200 (10:42.70). Winslow’s time of 4:44.97 leads all runners nationally in the 1600.

Kia Jackson doubled in the 100 and 200, and Morgan Snow won the 100 hurdles to lead Southwest DeKalb to the 4A women’s title over Starr’s Mill, 61-54.

Monroe used wins by LaKeisha Jackson in the 100 hurdles, Mimieux Land in the high jump and her 4 x 100 relay team (Jackson, Land, Alanesha McFarland and Kenza Bailey) to outpoint Towers, 51-46, and capture the 3A championship.

Towers’ Brittany Porter doubled in the long jump and triple jump. Porter is the best preparation in the nation in the long jump with a jump of 20-03 and she has another jump of 21-03.5.

In the men’s 2A finals, Westminster pulled away from runner-up Mitchell County 62-46 to win the championship with individual winners Maalik Reynolds in high jump and LB Joel in discus, and some depth that produced a lot of points that just kept adding up.

Warren County outscored runner-up Athens Christian 70.5-59 to win the Boys 1A title as Warren County’s Coby Reynolds doubled in the 100 and 200 then anchored the winning 4 x 100 relay team featuring Kentrell Latimore, Andrew Webb and Anthony Benton.

One of the best individual performances of the day came from Raymond Higgs of Athens Christian who personally scored 30 of Athens Christian’s 59 points by winning the high jump with an outstanding jump of 7-02.25 (the best of the day among all divisions). ), winning the long jump (24-04) and the triple jump (48-01).

Among the winning men’s teams, it was Westminster and Warren County’s third state title. For the new kids on the block, Parkview, Miller Grove and Monroe, it was their first title. Legendary boys shows like Carrollton, with 24 state titles, and those with more recent success, like Landmark Christian with 7 straight titles, have been wildly successful, but not this year.

The title race in Women’s Division 2A was the closest of the day, as Greater Atlanta Christian’s 49 points were enough to overtake the Jordan and Decatur teams, who scored 46 to tie for second place. Greater Atlanta Christian rode to its championship with Lauren Kester’s 3,200 wins and Jessica Tuggle’s field wins in the triple jump and Claire Goodson in the pole vault.

Wesleyan racked up 83 points to take the women’s 1A title as Darlington was runner-up with 51. The Wesleyan girls didn’t come to the meet to compete, they came to win with first place Erika Ramsey in the 1600, 4 x 200 relay (Emily Howell , Grace Leah Baughn, Caroline Miller and Chantel Kennedy), Anne Marie Armstrong in the high jump and Holli Wilkins in the shot put.

Wesleyan also had runner-up finishes in the 400 (Chantel Kennedy) and 4 x 100 relay (Elise Abernathy, Emily Howell, Erin Hall and Chantel Kennedy). Almost lost in the shuffle was Megan Malasarte’s excellent 400m winning time of 55.76 while she was competing in the smaller school’s Division 1-A.

Among the winning women’s teams, Southwest DeKalb won their third straight title, Greater Atlanta Christian and Monroe won their second, and Monroe and Wesleyan won their first. 1A mighty Landmark Christian, who won 5 straight titles, 6 of the last 9 and tied in 2000 with 7 titles in the last 10 years, finished a distant 9th this year.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Boys’ Division 5A
Team Winner – Parkview with 80 points – Runner-up – Mill Creek with 39.
100 meter dash – 10.7 – Eric Harris of Kell High School.
200 – 21.18 – Eric Harris from Kell High School.
400 – 47.43 – Parkview’s Ethan Kasson.
800 – 1:54.94 -Blair Obryant of Chapel Hill.
1660 – 4:17.36 – Kirubel Erassa de Grayson.
3200 – 9:21.99 – Tyler Anyan of Brookwood.
110 hurdles – 13.93 – Aleec Harris of Duluth.
300 hurdles – 37.95 – Justin Sims of Redan.
4 x 100 relay – 41.46 – Stephenson (Raymond Sanders, Jonathan Blackley, Kerry Hartley and Richard Drake)
4×400 Relay – 3:16.98 – Parkview (Ethan Kasson, Taron Squires, Davin Nash and Sean Stephenson).
High Jump – 7-02 – David Smith of Lovejoy.
Long Jump – 24-06.5 – ML King’s Demar Forbes.
Triple Jump – 47.01.25 – Parkview’s Julian Vann.
Pole Vault – 06-14 – Michael Kopanski of Mill Creek.
Shot Put – 60-03.5 – Grayson’s Nabil Mubarak.
Disc – 162.01 – Nabil Mubarak of Grayson.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Boys’ Division 4A
Team Winner – Miller Grove with 71 – Runner-up – Alexander with 59.
100 – 10.44 – Kenneth Gilstrap of Miller Grove.
200 – 21.23 – Kenneth Gilstrap of Miller Grove.
400 – 46.85 – André Carter of Alexander.
800 – 1:53.2 – McIntosh’s Vince Brown.
1600 – 4:27.21 – A. J. Meyer of Northwest Whitfield.
3200 – 9:46.23 – Cameron Reed of Alexander.
110 hurdles – 13.98 – Marcus Maxey of Clarke Central.
300 Hurdles – 37.91 – Stephen Hill of Miller Grove.
4 x 100 relay – 40.95 – Miller Grove (Kendrick Ings, Johnathan Norris, Kenneth Gilstrap and Antione Hightower).
4×400 Relay – 3:19.55 – Miller Grove (Stephen Hill, Antonio Carter, Kenneth Gilstrap and Antione Hightower).
High Jump – 6-08 – Graylin neighborhood of Northgate.
Long Jump – 08.75-25 – Stephen Hill of Miller Grove.
Triple Jump – 47-05.5 – David Lee of Tucker.
Pole Vault – 00-14 – Northwest Whitfield’s Jake Bridges.
Shot Put – 61-05.75 – McIntosh’s Davis Fraker.
Disk – 181-01 – Davis Fraker of McIntosh.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Boys’ Division 3A
Team Winner – Monroe at 57 – Runner-up – Elbert County at 45.
100 – 10.66 – Eastside’s Karl Williams.
200 – 21.74 – Damian Johnson of Bruke County.
400 – 47.56 – Jamel Wood of Eagle’s Landing.
800 – 1:55.71 – Kuaniyal Chol of Dunwoody.
1600 – 4:24.5 – Spalding’s Will Ficklin.
3200 – 9:31.91 – Cody Barger of North Hall.
110 hurdles – 14.37 – Sir Paul Jones of Monroe.
300 Hurdles – 38.11 – Sir Paul Jones of Monroe.
Relay 4 x 100 – 41.47 – Washington (Qudral Forte, Sánchez McMullen, Antonio Goodwin and Branden Smith).
4×400 Relay – 3:15.87 – Cedar Grove (Stanley McBride, Vincent Dallas, James Hugley and Kaylan Jackson).
High Jump – 7-00 – Darius King of Riverwood.
Long Jump – 01.5-24 – Burke County’s Damian Johnson.
Triple Jump – 49-05.75 – Burke County’s Damian Johnson.
Pole Vault – 06-15 – Paul Malquist of Gainesville.
Shot Put – 57-06.5 – Daniel Drummond of Flowery Branch.
Discus – 169-06 – Daniel Drummond of Flowery Branch.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Women’s Division 5A
Team Winner – Westlake at 65 – Runner-up – Collins Hill at 48.
100 – 11.54 – Newnan’s Chalonda Goodman.
200 – 23.91 – Chalonda Goodman of Newnan.
400 – 55.34 – Zahra Thomas of Westlake.
800 – 2:13.09 – Aubrielle Wright of Westlake.
1600 – 4:44.97 – Amanda Winslow of Collins Hill.
3200 – 10:42.70 – Amanda Winslow of Collins Hill.
100 Hurdles – 2.12pm – Jasmine Edgerson of Campbell.
300 hurdles – 43.33 – Westlake’s Shani Chandler.
Relay 4 x 100 – 46.77 – Westlake (Zahra Thomas, Kinsley Lawson, Aminah Blount and Davita Washington).
4×400 Relay – 3:36.11 – Westlake (Zahra Thomas, Aminah Blount, Aubrielle Wright and Shani Chandler).
High Jump – 5-06 – Pico Keira de Lowndes.
Long Jump – 08-18 – Tamala Daley de Redan.
Triple Jump – 38-03 – Tamala Daley of Redan.
Pole Vault – 11-07 – Lauren Hutchinson of North Cobb.
Shot Put – 47-03 – Lauren Chambers of Kell.
Disc – 130-07 – Emily Brewer of Brookwood.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Women’s 4A Division
Team Winner – Southwest DeKalb with 61 – Runner-up – Starr’s Mill with 54.
100 – 11.63 – Kia Jackson from Southwest DeKalb.
200 – 24.86 – Kia Jackson of Southwest DeKalb.
400 – 57.17 – Morgan Williams from Northwest Whitfield.
800 – 2:18.09 – Morgan Williams of Northwest Whitfield.
1600 – 5:07.54 – Meghan Wetterhall of Lakeside DeKalb.
3200 – 11:07.16 – Meghan Wetterhall of Lakeside DeKalb.
100 Hurdles – 2.40pm – Southwest DeKalb’s Morgan Snow.
300 hurdles – 43.53 – Sonni Austin of Miller Grove.
High Jump – 5-04 – Baiesha Johnson of Glynn Academy.
Long Jump – 04-18 – Glynn Academy’s Baiesha Johnson.
Triple Jump – 38-06 – Cynia Clark of Lithonia.
Pole Vault – 10-0 – Jordan Cole of Alexander.
Shot Put – 42-11 – Patrice Gates of Villa Rica.
Disc – 133-09 – Katie Bragg of Starr’s Mill.

2009 Georgia State Champions – Women’s Division 3A
Team Winner – Monroe with 51 – Runner-up – Towers with 46.
100 – 11.78 – Takeia Pickney of Columbia.
200 – 25.19 – Jawanda King of Therrell.
400 – 56.49 – Torrenzia M. Lyles de Shaw.
800 – 2:17/55 – Asia Palmer of Eastside.
1600 – 5:08.81 – Bret McDaniel of Riverwood.
3200 – 11:04.96 – Bret McDaniel of Riverwood.
100 Hurdles – 2.45pm – LaKeisha Jackson of Monroe.
300 hurdles – 44.74 – Baldwin’s Pearline Walker.
Relay 4 x 100 – 47.90 – Monroe (Alanesha McFarland, Kenza Bailey, LaKeisha Jackson and Mimieux Land).
4 x 400 Relay – East Side (Kimberly Thomas, Asia Palmer, Shyanne Uguwibe and Whitney Martin).
High Jump – 5-07 – Mighty Monroe land.
Long Jump – 19-07.5 – Brittany Porter of Towers.
Triple Jump – 38-11 – Brittany Porter of Towers.
Pole Vault – 11-03 – Sloan Bunting from West Forsyth.
Shot Put – 41-10 – Eastside’s J’Quyra Moncur-Blue.
Disc – 126-05 – J’Quyra Moncur-Blue of Eastside.

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley