MARIETTA - Marietta High School hosted the 2005 Georgia Games Track and Field Youth Championships on Saturday, and several Cobb County track clubs took full advantage.

Of the local track clubs taking part - Titans, First Light, East Cobb, Gazelle, and the North West YMCA - the Titans had the most success on an overcast day.

"We have 21 kids here this weekend out of 63," Titans coach Tony Carpenter said. "We've done well. Some of our kids were using this as a tune-up for the Junior Olympics. We've qualified 23 kids for the USATF Junior Olympics (July 27-31 in Indianapolis)."

The Titans' twins combo of Justin and Lauren Chambers put forth some of the best performances for their squad. The duo, which will attend Kell High School next year, brought home several first place finishes.

Lauren Chambers, 14, turned in a toss of 41-feet, 5-inches in the shot put - tops in the girls youth division. And Justin's 2:07.88 was tops in the youth boys 800 meters.

"Work ethic - she's focused and dedicated," Carpenter said. "She's had some humble beginnings. I think she's been competing since she was 9, and she's just now started seeing the returns."

While winning might be new to Lauren, finishing first is nothing new to her brother.

"Justin is undefeated on the season in the 400," Carpenter said. "He has broken every state and region record for his age group. He is a Junior Olympic champion and one of the best runners to ever come out of Georgia."

The Titans' Nyambi Shoates and Sydney Henderson, competing in the sub-bantam group (8-year-olds), finished first and second in the 100, 200 and 400-meter runs. Both girls will take part in the AAU Junior Olympics in New Orleans, Aug. 1-6.

In the 12-year-old division, the Titans swept the 800. Austin Carpenter won with a 2:29.02, while Tony McConico and Anthony Harris finished second and third, respectively. Harris also won the 1,500 with a 5:22.26. Brett Carter, 12, won the midget 3,000 (11:33.64). Trey Harris, 11, was second in the midget 400 (58.50). Bryan Long finished second in the sub-bantam 200 with a 32.10.

First Light Track Club had several top finishes of its own, including a pair of gold medals for rising Campbell freshman Jasmine Edgerson in the youth girls 100 (15.51) and 200-meter hurdles (28.47), respectively. Sean McCrae, competing in the young men division, won his 800 race with a 2:03.95. Anthony Dunning netted second- and third-place finishes in the 100 and 200 hurdles, respectively, and won the youth boys high jump with a leap of 5-feet, one-half inch.

"We only have a handful of runners here," First Light coach Tony Dunning said. "(Edgerson) is a rookie. She doesn't know enough to be scared. She's a tough kid who works hard, and that is a good combination to have."

East Cobb had several key contributors. Simmie Bray (midget girls), won the 100 meter dash (13.06) and netted a silver medal in the 200 with a 27.09. Kendell Williams, in the bantam girls division, won gold in the 200 with a 28.27, and followed it up with a silver in the 400 (1:04.43).

Williams also was part of the top 1,600 relay squad (4:47.05). Other members of the relay team were Shanel Burr, Terri Fleming and Amber Lewis. Kamryn Brinson, in the sub-bantam division, had two second-place finishes in the shot put and javelin throw, respectively. Kenneth Brinson won in the sub-bantam boys javelin throw with a 66-6 1/2 toss. Gabrielle Piper finished second in the youth girls high jump with a 4-foot leap, while Lavonne Akinwumiju won the intermediate girls shot put with a 29-9 3/4 toss.

Other significant top performances came from several local athletes running individually, or unattached from their track clubs. Marietta High School's Brandi Jefferson and Antonio Jefferson had big days.

Jefferson won the 100 hurdles (16.38), 400 hurdles (1:08.79) and triple jump (31-11 1/4), while Jefferson won the young men's high jump (5-9 1/2). A rising senior, he said he enjoyed the Games, although he was the lone competitor in his division.

"It's been fun, but I don't have anybody to test my skills," he explained. "I just pretend I'm jumping against somebody."

While Cobb had an extremely successful day overall, Carpenter said the county's talent had more influence than the home track.

"I think most of the better clubs are in the metro-Atlanta area," Carpenter explained. "It was nice having the meet close, but most of the time the metro clubs are dominant anyway. And, there was a lot of them."

Comment on this Story

Comments posted below are not edited and do not necessarily represent the views of the Marietta Daily Journal. Comments are reviewed before they are posted.

Please enter the validation words. If you cannot read them, you may obtain a fresh set of words by hitting the button.