There's no more controversy about which Georgia high school team holds the all-sports record for consecutive wins.
The distinction belongs to the Walton girls tennis program.
The Cobb County dynasty has posted 139 consecutive wins, including Thursday's match against Wheeler to end the regular season. Walton will make it to No. 145 if it wins next month's state championship, as expected, for the eighth year in a row. The streak dates to the 2004 season.
"I think the most important part about the streak is that we're in the record books for it now. It's tangible evidence of what we've accomplished," Walton coach Roberta Manheim said.
"You can say you've won seven straight championships, but Walton has had a successful program for years and years [winning a total of 14 GHSA state championships]. There are lots of successful programs and there are always state champions.
"But this is in the record books, something we can look at it and really see what we've accomplished."
Walton thought it had tied the hallowed record with last year's narrow 3-2 win over Centennial for the Class AAAAA title. It was No. 133, which broke the mark set by the Taylor County girls basketball team from 1968-72, according to Taylor County's website.
However, the National High School Federation's record book had Taylor County's record at 134. With the conflicting reports, Walton zeroed in on a new number at the start of this season.
"Clearly there was a focus for us, or in the back of our minds, to get to 135 to say ‘OK, we have officially done it,'" Manheim acknowledged. "Yes, it was definitely something we thought about. Once we hit that number, however, we got back to the frame of mind where we've been the last eight years. We just want to win the match in front of us."
Walton will be favored in its remaining matches, but things could change next year. The Raiders have nine seniors on the 12-member team, including Emily Zabor (signed with Alabama), Maxie Weinberg (Connecticut) and Stephanie Falcon (North Carolina-Greensboro).
"Next year," is what Lassiter coach Lisa Chase quickly replied after being asked when Walton's streak may be threatened. "Next year, because Walton will have graduated all of its starters. They have three underclassmen on this year's team and that's it.
"I think everybody is hoping that they don't have the next set of great freshmen because that's what happened four years ago. They graduated everybody and in came a whole new set of freshmen."
Manheim said she doesn't know what to expect for next year. "I really don't. I haven't even thought about it. People ask me who is going to be our toughest opponent in this year's playoffs. I really don't know because I haven't looked past the region tournament. It's the same deal with next year's team. Next year will take care of itself when it gets here."
It's the Walton coach's tunnel vision, along with her salesmanship of the team concept to elite junior players, that serves as the foundation for a reigning dynasty. Walton has the geographical advantage of being located in the heart of Georgia's tennis mecca, with three top junior academies within the school district. However, it takes more than a rich supply of talent.
"A lot of my friends from junior tennis who play at other high schools don't have to show up at their practices," Zabor said. "At Walton, it's mandatory, and it helps with the team building. Coach Manheim is so involved with making us cohesive and working together as a team."
Like most elite juniors, Zabor didn't need to play high school tennis to earn a college scholarship, but she was sold on Walton's championships tradition and being part of something bigger than her individual accomplishments.
"It's not just you out there, it's your team," Zabor said. "Even if you lose your match but the team wins, it's still a good day. It had made a big impact on my life and taught me to be unselfish, to a point. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. We're all in it together."
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