TRACK: Trio of Clayton County athletes win individual state titles at GHSA Championships

By CND Staff Reports

Clayton County will welcome back three individual state champions following the Georgia High School Association’s Track and Field Championships this weekend.

On Thursday, Elite Scholars Academy’s Benjamin Okafor won two state titles at the Class A-Public Championships at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany. Okafor won the long jump to start the morning with a first-place distance of 22 feet, 6.5 inches, nearly a foot farther than the second-place competitor. Okafor then won the triple jump with a distance of 46 feet. It is Okafor’s third state championship in the last two seasons.

Also on Thursday, Drew High’s James Brown also claimed an individual state title in the Class AAAAAA long jump. Brown topped the field with a distance of 23 feet, 2 inches. He also finished as the state runner-up in the 200-meter with a time of 21.50 and eighth in the 100-meter with a time of 11.60.

On Saturday, Drew’s Shatara Johnson won a pair of individual state titles. She won the 200-meter with a time of 24.23 and the 400-meter with a time of 55.23. Johnson also finished sixth in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 11.5 inches.

A handful of other student-athletes placed in their respective events. In Class AAAAAA, Lovejoy’s Rodney Tookes came in sixth in the 400-meter with a time of 50.14. Allen Mbah was eighth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.37. Tookes and Mbah joined Tyree Williams and Caleb Jones on the 4×400-meter relay team that finished eighth with a time of 3:30.01. Courtnee Robinson led the girls program with a time of 15.91 in the 100-meter hurdles.

Jonesboro’s Briah McBride finished third in the 200-meter (24.54) and fourth in the 100-meter (11.92). Forest Park’s Sarah Matthews came in eighth in the triple jump with a distance of 35 feet, 2.5 inches. Mundy’s Mill’s Tenae Grigsby finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.87.

In Class AAAAA, Morrow’s Thaddeus Hood came in eighth in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet. The 4×400-meter relay team of Hood, Christia’n Jarvis, Gabriel Peacock and Jadis Dunigan finished fourth with a time of 3:18.10.

Riverdale’s Jordan Smith finished fifth in the long jump with a distance of 22 feet, 3.75 inches. Denzel Bell came in fifth in the 800-meter with a time of 1:56.75. Smith, Bell, Xavier Allen and Churchill Ezeokonkwo made up the 4×400-meter relay team that finished eighth with a time 0f 3:30.19.

In Class AAAA, North Clayton High’s Brian Brown placed sixth in the 100-meter (10.96) and eighth in the 200-meter (22.88).

In Class A-Public, Elite Scholars Academy’s Tamari Miller placed sixth in the 3,200-meter (14:56.55) and seventh in the 1,600-meter (6:15.99). Asia Love was seventh in the 400-meter (1:03.65), while Gabrielle Loppe came in fifth in the shot put (33 feet, 4.5 inches). The 4×400-meter relay team of Anisah Jester, Asia Love, Amber Love and Emylian Yates came in sixth with a time of 4:23.02. The 4×100-meter relay team of Jester, Kayla Guillaume, Kayla Johnson and Carli Webb came in seventh with a time of 51.82. On the boys side, Jeffery Enabulele finished fourth in the discus with a distance of 139 feet, 10 inches. Kaleb Dennis finished seventh in the 1,600-meter (4:58.61).