Several Cobb County cross country teams will be aiming for state titles in four different classifications when the state championships take place Saturday in Carrollton.

The region champion teams of Marietta and Harrison will be competing in the Class AAAAAA boys race at 10 a.m., as will Walton, Wheeler, North Cobb, Hillgrove and Kennesaw Mountain.

In the AAAAA girls race at 10:30 a.m., region champions Walton and Harrison will be joined by Marietta, Lassiter, Kennesaw Mountain, Hillgrove and North Cobb.

Pope and Kell will be the local representatives in the Class AAAA races, with the two east Cobb teams competing in the boys race at 1 p.m. and Pope participating in the girls race at 1:30 p.m.

After sweeping the Region 7AAA titles, Allatoona will be competing in the Class AAA?meet - the boys at 11:30 a.m. and the girls at noon.

In Class A, region champion Mount Paran Christian will join Walker, North Cobb Christian and Whitefield Academy in the boys race at 8:30 a.m., while Mount Paran and North Cobb Christian will be in the girls race at 9 a.m.

Marietta, fresh off its third straight Region 5AAAAA boys title, will try to break into the top four in the team standings to earn a spot on the awards podium. But the Blue Devils will have to contend with a formidable group of Gwinnett County teams that includes Brookwood, Parkview, Mill Creek and Peachtree Ridge.

"We would love to be in the top five there, that would be nice," Marietta coach Jack Coleman said. "The top four is realistic. It could happen, but probably not higher than fourth, Finishing on that podium would be nice."

Marietta could also be joined by Walton, a third-place finisher at the Region 5AAAAA meet, in the top 10.

Harrison's Nat Estes and McEachern's Nick Washizaki, the individual champion and runner-up, respectively, in Region 4AAAAA, are among the top contenders for the boys individual title.

In the girls AAAAA race, Harrison and Walton are strong contenders to crack into the top four and finish on the awards podium. But just like in the boys race, standing in the way will be a group of Gwinnett County teams that includes North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, Brookwood and Collins Hill.

With the county title and Region 5AAAAA already secured by the Walton girls, coach Travis Gower is confident the Lady Raiders will add to their trophy collection with a top-four finish.

"The girls have a great shot of getting on the podium," Gower said. "There are five or six teams that are very similar in how they tend to perform, and we'll see who's the best, but we want to be on the podium."

Harrison co-coach Kent Simmons was similarly confident of the Lady Hoyas' prospects for a finish on the podium.

"We are hoping for a top-four spot on the podium," Simmons said. "It will be quite a challenge, since there are about six teams all competing for those spots."

Lassiter's Marcie Merriman, fresh off of her Region 5AAAAA title, is one of the top individual contenders in the AAAAA girls race.

In the Class AAAA boys race, Kell and Pope are both among the top contenders for top-four finishes, with Chapel Hill the overwhelming favorite.

Kell's Manuel Romero and Pope's Gerald Demeuynck are among the top individual contenders in the AAAA boys race.

The Pope girls are another local team that may make it on the podium as the Region 5AAAA champions are a strong contender for a top-four finish in the girls race.

The Lady Greyhounds will be led by Molly Schenck, who came back to win the 5AAAA girls individual title after missing most of the season with an injury and is among the top contenders in AAAA.

In Class AAA, both the Allatoona boys and girls come into the state meet with their first region titles in school history, having swept the Region 7AAA meet last week.

The Lady Buccaneers are expected to challenge for a top-four spot in the AAA girls race, while the boys are aiming for a top-10 finish.

In Class A, Mount Paran will make another attempt at a top-four finish in the boys race after narrowly missing the podium with a fifth-place showing last year.

"We had our best race of the season at region, with the boys taking first and placing five runners in the top 10," Mount Paran coach Mike Tenoschok said. "They are in shape and are running tactically smart races. At this point of the season, we can compete with anyone and our chances of making the podium are excellent."

Mount Paran's Darryn Hutchinson and Whitefield Academy's Cameron Thornton are among the top contenders individually in the Class A boys race.

In the Class A girls race, Mount Paran will be competing at the state meet for the first time in school history and are aiming for a top-10 finish in the team standings.