A perfect 4 state titles in 4 years is on the line for these 13 senior classes
Winning a state championship is the goal for every high school athlete. Completing a career with four state titles is far-fetched, even for the best.
Yet 13 teams have a chance this spring to send their senior class off to their graduation ceremony with a perfect high school championship career.
When the torrent of spring championships are decided over the next three weeks, more than a dozen schools all have a chance to go 4-for-4: the Hughes and Sandy Creek boys and Westminster girls in track and field; the Oconee County girls in soccer; the Roswell boys and Milton girls in lacrosse; the Lambert, Greater Atlanta Christian and Westminster boys in tennis; and the Lambert, North Oconee, Pierce County and Lake Oconee girls in golf.
“It’s a blessing to be in the conversation to have another state championship,” Hughes coach Roland Colvin said. “Hopefully, God-willing, we’ll be able to hoist another one.”
Each team has its own story and path to its journey.
Westminster tennis: Quartet could win No. 4
The Westminster boys, aiming for their sixth straight title, have used a different formula to win state championships each of the last three seasons.
This spring, the Wildcats have four seniors in the lineup who could win their fourth ring: No. 1 singles player Jack Velarde, No. 2 singles player Shaan Jindal, and the No. 1 doubles team of Landon Cummings and Neal Jindal.
“To have a chance to win four in a row is amazing,” Cummings said. “And the way we’ve done it has been so different. You really appreciate having the opportunity.”
The first two years, they were led by the twin brother power duo of Charlie Burdell (now at Richmond) and Jack Burdell (now at Wofford). The Wildcats typically started each match with a 2-0 lead.
Since that duo’s graduation, coach Ralph Geeza has watched the youngsters on those teams grow in ability and confidence, largely thanks to mentoring from the likes of the Burdells and other older players. They won it all last year, without the stars, by using a balanced approach. That’s how they’ve gotten back to the final again this year.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Geeza said during a break in practice last week. “These seniors could be somewhere else, but they’re all there and helping the younger guys. They want them to understand what it takes to continue to win championships.”
Westminster will play rival Marist for the Class 4A championship on Wednesday at the Berry Tennis Center in Rome.
Hughes track: Pushed by past success
It’s not hard for the Hughes track team to stay motivated. There’s a record board on display at the school, and every time someone eclipses a school record, their name goes on the board. The boys are motivated to run faster, jump higher and have their names prominently displayed.
“I’ve preached, ‘What do you want your legacy to be?’” Colvin said. “When you leave here, how do you want people to remember? It’s funny that a lot of the kids, their desire is to have their name on the record board. We have a pedigree and want to keep it that way, but it starts with them really buying into it.”
The motivation for individual success has translated to team success, too. Hughes will be going for its fourth straight championship.
“We have great team chemistry,” Hughes hurdler Thomas Fitzgerald said. “We want to win it again. We don’t want to be the ones that break the streak.”
The three seniors helped the Panthers dominate their region meet. Fitzgerald won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, Marquel Cropper won the 800 meters and Canon Kirksey won the long jump and triple jump. A fourth championship and more space on the record board may be only a few days away.
“We want to maintain our legacy,” Cropper said. “It would be amazing to win four in a row. That’s been our goal since we started track practice.”
Hughes will compete in the state meet Wednesday at the new Spec Towns Track at the University of Georgia.
Oconee County girls soccer: Expectations are high
The Oconee County girls have been dealing with self-imposed pressure all season. Expectations are high again for the Warriors, who enter the state championship game riding a 21-game winning streak after losing their senior opener.
“We have a bunch of really good people on our team and a bunch of really good athletes and fun people to be around and it makes the team a lot better,” senior midfielder Frankie James said. “It makes the team a lot better and that’s what helped us get here.”
Coach Judson Hamby came over from Parkview to take over the program in 2023-24, one year after coach Scott Bates directed the team to its first title in 2023.
“Every team is different and I think the senior class has had unique paths in helping us,” Hamby said. “Some of them have helped every game, some have come in from JV, some have come in from injury. As far as the uniqueness of this year, this group is really focused on this year.”
James has been along for the entire ride and can conclude her career with a fourth championship.
“It would mean a lot because we already have that pressure on our backs to do it, so it would make it a lot sweeter if we’re able to pull it off,” said James, who will play soccer and pursue a path to become a personal trainer at Georgia College.
Oconee County will play Jefferson for the Class 3A championship Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Duluth High School. Oconee County beat Jefferson 2-1 during the regular season.
Lambert girls’ golf: Odds get steeper
The Lambert girls’ golf team has won six straight state titles, including a national championship, but faces the toughest road. The Longhorns graduated four-time state champions Zoe Duval (now at Appalachian State) and Athena Yoo (UCLA) and have a very young team.
“It kind of gets lost, how much you appreciate something like that,” Lambert coach Shane Fortenberry said. “I think they both realized what kind of unique situation we were in because it hadn’t been done by any other players.”
Lambert’s dynasty is now showing up on the college level. Sara Im (Vanderbilt) and Averi Cline (Western Kentucky) had their opportunity to win four state championships stopped when spring sports were canceled by COVID in 2020. They will join Duval and Yoo at the NCAA women’s championship this week.
The Longhorns are shorter in depth this spring, but have a special player in sophomore Grace Lee. She was a state medalist as a freshman and is considered one of the top junior-level players in Georgia.
Lambert will compete in the Class 6A championship May 18-19 at Bentwater Country Club in Acworth.
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
