A record-high 106 Georgia high schools won 185 team state championships this academic year as new GHSA sports created historic opportunities.
East Paulding and Stilwell School of the Arts, competing in sports the GHSA sanctioned in the past five years, won championships for the first time.
Stilwell won the Class A-2A dance competition, which the GHSA sanctioned in 2021. Stilwell is Clayton County’s magnet school for performing arts and competes only in dance and eSports.
“This achievement means a lot for our school because we are not a traditional high school with sports programs,” said Stilwell coach Brianna Wiggins-Smart, who is a ballet and dance instructor for the school of about 575 students. “We hope that people begin to see the great things that Stilwell is doing in Clayton County and in the state of Georgia.”
East Paulding, a 31-year-old school, won its championship in eSports, which got its GHSA start in 2018. East Paulding won in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a Nintendo fighting game. Another eSports champion, Forsyth Central, earned its first GHSA title since 1997 by winning Rocket League, a vehicular soccer video game.
Flag football, sanctioned in 2020, allowed Southeast Bulloch to win its first sports championship since 2003.
The number of state titles has increased to 185 from 106 in past 10 years, mostly because of adding classifications, but new sports have contributed. The GHSA added slow-pitch softball in 2017, eSports in 2018, flag football in 2020, dance in 2021 and game-day cheer in 2021. The GHSA also added bass fishing in 2021, but fishing champions are awarded to individuals and not schools.
Traditional sports presented their usual opportunities, as well.
Joining East Paulding and Stilwell Arts in winning their schools’ first GHSA titles in 2021-22 were Grovetown (boys basketball), Trinity Christian (football) and Pinecrest Academy (girls soccer).
Spencer’s championship in boys basketball was the Columbus school’s first in any sport since 1973.
Fitzgerald’s football team captured the school’s first boys championship since 1996 and first in football since 1948.
Brooks County’s football title was the school’s first in any sport since 1994, when the Trojans also were football champions.
North Atlanta won girls cross country and girls tennis. Those were the school’s first titles since 2000.
Lumpkin County’s girls basketball team won its school’s first championship in a girls sport.
The schools winning the most championships were familiar. Westminster, a Buckhead private school, led with 11. That ties the state record that it set in 2013.
Following Westminster were fellow private schools Marist (nine), Pace Academy (seven), Lovett (six) and Wesleyan (five). Buford, with five, had the most among public schools. Schools winning four state championships were North Oconee, Lake Oconee Academy, Lassiter and Walton.
2021-22 GHSA champions:
Baseball (7A) – Woodstock
Baseball (6A) – Pope
Baseball (5A) – Loganville
Baseball (4A) – North Oconee
Baseball (3A) – Pike County
Baseball (2A) – Vidalia
Baseball (1A Public) – Metter
Baseball (1A Private) – Wesleyan
Basketball Boys (7A) – Norcross
Basketball Boys (6A) – Grovetown
Basketball Boys (5A) – Tri–Cities
Basketball Boys (4A) – Spencer
Basketball Boys (3A) – Cross Creek
Basketball Boys (2A) – Westside-Augusta
Basketball Boys (1A Public) – Drew Charter
Basketball Boys (1A Private) – Greenforest Christian
Basketball Girls (7A) – Norcross
Basketball Girls (6A) – Lovejoy
Basketball Girls (5A) – Woodward Academy
Basketball Girls (4A) – Marist
Basketball Girls (3A) – Lumpkin County
Basketball Girls (2A) – Elbert County
Basketball Girls (1A Public) – Lake Oconee Academy
Basketball Girls (1A Private) – Mount Paran Christian
Cheerleading (7A) – South Forsyth
Cheerleading (6A) – Creekview
Cheerleading (5A) – McIntosh
Cheerleading (4A) – Jefferson
Cheerleading (3A) – Dawson County
Cheerleading (2A) – Bleckley County
Cheerleading (1A Public) – Gordon Lee
Cheerleading (1A Private) – Mount Paran Christian
Cheerleading (Co-ed) – Northgate
Cross Country Boys (7A) – Mill Creek
Cross Country Boys (6A) – Richmond Hill
Cross Country Boys (5A) – Decatur
Cross Country Boys (4A) – Chestatee
Cross Country Boys (3A) – Westminster
Cross Country Boys (2A) – Pace Academy
Cross Country Boys (1A Public) – Armuchee
Cross Country Boys (1A Private) – Whitefield Academy
Cross Country Girls (7A) – Marietta
Cross Country Girls (6A) – North Atlanta
Cross Country Girls (5A) – St. Pius
Cross Country Girls (4A) – Marist
Cross Country Girls (3A) – Westminster
Cross Country Girls (2A) – Pace Academy
Cross Country Girls (1A Public) – Armuchee
Cross Country Girls (1A Private) – Wesleyan
Dance (7A) – Mill Creek
Dance (5A–6A) – Starr’s Mill
Dance (3A–4A) – West Laurens
Dance (1A–2A) – Stilwell School for the Arts
eSports Fall (Super Smash Bros.) – East Paulding
eSports Spring (Super Smash Bros.) – Brookwood
eSports Fall (Rocket League) – Forsyth Central
eSports Spring (Rocket League) – Forsyth Central
eSports (Madden NFL) – Peach County
eSports (FIFA) – Westminster
eSports Fall (League of Legends) – Northview
eSports Spring (League of Legends) – North Gwinnett
Flag football (1A-4A) – Southeast Bulloch
Flag football (7A) – Hillgrove
Flag football (5A-6A) – Dodge County
Football (7A) – Collins Hill
Football (6A) – Buford
Football (5A) – Warner Robins
Football (4A) – Benedictine
Football (3A) – Cedar Grove
Football (2A) – Fitzgerald
Football (1A Public) – Brooks County
Football (1A Private) – Trinity Christian
Game Day Cheer (7A) – North Gwinnett
Game Day Cheer (5A–-6A) – Lee County
Game Day Cheer (3A-4A) – Mary Persons
Game Day Cheer (1A-2A) – Vidalia
Golf Boys (7A) – Milton
Golf Boys (6A) – Johns Creek
Golf Boys (5A) – Starr’s Mill
Golf Boys (4A) – North Oconee
Golf Boys (3A) – Westminster
Golf Boys (2A) – Lovett
Golf Boys (1A Public) – Lake Oconee Academy
Golf Boys (1A Private) – Prince Avenue Christian
Golf Girls (7A) – Lambert
Golf Girls (6A) – Glynn Academy
Golf Girls (5A) – Ware County
Golf Girls (4A) – North Oconee
Golf Girls (3A) – Pierce County
Golf Girls (2A) – Lovett
Golf Girls (1A Public) – Lake Oconee Academy
Golf Girls (1A Private) – Savannah Christian
Gymnastics (6A-7A) – Buford
Gymnastics (1A-5A) – North Oconee
Lacrosse Boys (6A-7A) – Lambert
Lacrosse Boys (1A-5A) – Lovett
Lacrosse Girls (7A) – Milton
Lacrosse Girls (1A-5A) – Blessed Trinity
Riflery (Open) – Ware County
Soccer Boys (7A) – Harrison
Soccer Boys (6A) – Lassiter
Soccer Boys (5A) – Johnson-Gainesville
Soccer Boys (4A) – Southeast Whitfield
Soccer Boys (3A) – Greater Atlanta Christian
Soccer Boys (2A) – Pace Academy
Soccer Boys (1A Public) – Dalton Academy
Soccer Boys (1A Private) – Atlanta International
Soccer Girls (7A) – West Forsyth
Soccer Girls (6A) – Lassiter
Soccer Girls (5A) – Vacated
Soccer Girls (4A) – Marist
Soccer Girls (3A) – Westminster
Soccer Girls (2A) – Lovett
Soccer Girls (1A Public) – Social Circle
Soccer Girls (1A Private) – Pinecrest Academy
Softball Fast Pitch (7A) – North Gwinnett
Softball Fast Pitch (6A) – Lassiter
Softball Fast Pitch (5A) – Starr’s Mill
Softball Fast Pitch (4A) – Central-Carrollton
Softball Fast Pitch (3A) – Appling County
Softball Fast Pitch (2A) – Heard County
Softball Fast Pitch (1A Public) – ACE Charter
Softball Fast Pitch (1A Private) – Wesleyan
Softball Slow Pitch (Open) – Haralson County
Swimming Boys (7A) – Parkview
Swimming Boys (6A) – Johns Creek
Swimming Boys (4A-5A) – Marist
Swimming Boys (1A-3A) – Westminster
Swimming Girls (7A) – Walton
Swimming Girls (6A) – Lassiter
Swimming Girls (4A-5A) – St. Pius
Swimming Girls (1A–3A) – Westminster
Tennis Boys (7A) – Walton
Tennis Boys (6A) – Johns Creek
Tennis Boys (5A) – Northview
Tennis Boys (4A) – Marist
Tennis Boys (3A) – Westminster
Tennis Boys (2A) – Pace Academy
Tennis Boys (1A Public) – Lake Oconee Academy
Tennis Boys (1A Private) – Wesleyan
Tennis Girls (7A) – Walton
Tennis Girls (6A) – North Atlanta
Tennis Girls (5A) – Northview
Tennis Girls (4A) – Marist
Tennis Girls (3A) – Westminster
Tennis Girls (2A) – Pace Academy
Tennis Girls (1A Public) – Telfair County
Tennis Girls (1A Private) – Wesleyan
Track Boys (7A) – Marietta
Track Boys (6A) – Shiloh
Track Boys (5A) – Maynard Jackson
Track Boys (4A) – Marist
Track Boys (3A) – Westminster
Track Boys (2A) – Pace Academy
Track Boys (1A Public) – Montgomery County
Track Boys (1A Private) – Holy Innocents’
Track Girls (7A) – Lowndes
Track Girls (6A) – Alexander
Track Girls (5A) – Southwest DeKalb
Track Girls (4A) – Marist
Track Girls (3A) – Westminster
Track Girls (2A) – Oglethorpe County
Track Girls (1A Public) – Gordon Lee
Track Girls (1A Private) – Landmark Christian
Volleyball (7A) – Walton
Volleyball (6A) – Buford
Volleyball (5A) – St. Pius
Volleyball (4A) – Marist
Volleyball (3A) – Greater Atlanta Christian
Volleyball (2A/A Public) – Pace Academy
Volleyball (1A Private) – Mount Paran Christian
Wrestling Duals (7A) – Camden County
Wrestling Duals (6A) – Buford
Wrestling Duals (5A) – Cass
Wrestling Duals (4A) – West Laurens
Wrestling Duals (3A) – Rockmart
Wrestling Duals (2A) – Lovett
Wrestling Duals (1A) – Trion
Wrestling Traditional (7A) – Camden County
Wrestling Traditional (6A) – Buford
Wrestling Traditional (5A) – Cass
Wrestling Traditional (4A) – West Laurens
Wrestling Traditional (3A) – Gilmer
Wrestling Traditional (2A) – Lovett
Wrestling Traditional (1A) – Trion
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