Wheeler, Marietta and McEachern will aim for spots on the podium in the Class AAAAA competition of the boys track and field state championships, which will be held today through Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Jefferson.

Wheeler and Marietta will try to continue the momentum they built after winning their respective region meets respectively two weeks ago, while McEachern is also expected to be a strong factor after its runner-up finish in 5AAAAA.

Competition will begin today with finals in the field events and the 1,600 run before continuing with running event preliminaries and the 3,200 run finals Friday. The weekend will conclude Saturday with finals in the remainder of the running events.

With the Cobb County and Region 6AAAAA titles already under its belt, Wheeler appears to be in good position to earn a spot on the podium.

But coach Cedric Sapp said he and his Wildcats are taking things one step at a time.

"It's really hard to win a state championship," Sapp said. "We as a team will focus on each event one at a time, day by day, and keep that singular focus for the entire weekend. If the stars align in a perfect situation and we have enough points to win state, then so be it. But our main goal will be to get as many people on the medal stand as possible and for everyone to achieve a personal-best time."

The Wildcats are among the favorites in both the 400- and 1,600-meter relays and also have strong shots for state titles behind Jamal Tiller in the triple jump and Paris Carson in the 400 run.

Marietta is also in good shape for strong finish in the standings with athletes qualifed in nine events.

"Our athletes have been working hard in preparation for the state meet," Blue Devils coach Nick Houstoulakis said. "They understand the only thing they can control is how they prepare and how they perform. We can't focus too much on our competition at this point. We know we are peaking at the right time and, hopefully, we can put it all together and have some good performances this weekend."

Marietta's Charles Francois will be one of the top contenders in the 100 dash, while the Blue Devils are also led by Andrew Nelson (1,600), Shakon Fleming (high jump) and Jalen Fooster (shot put).

McEachern is also prime for a podium finish with a formidable group of athletes in the sprints, hurdles and relays.

"We hope to get as many qualifed for the finals as possible on Friday," McEachern coach Phil Hoskins said. "It should be a tight battle in the state meet with about five teams battling it out for the top spot."

McEachern could sweep the top two spots in the 300 hurdles with Jaron Roberson and Cornelius Savage. The two teammates are also contenders in other events - Roberson in the 400 dash and Savage in the 110 hurdles.

The Indians are also led by Mallory Richardson and Demarius Matthews in the 200 and Tarik Milner in the discus.

Sprayberry is hoping to contend in Class AAAA, with Michael Newton favored in the 400 and Kasey Rollins a contender in both the 110 and 300 hurdles.

Also in AAAA, Allatoona's Henry Stevens-Carty is the favorite in the 800 and a strong contender in the 1,600.

Whitefield Academy is looking to do well in Class A with athletes competing in a number of events.

Cameron Thorton is a favorite in the 800 and 1,600, while Andrew Dunkelberger aims to win a second straight state title in the discus. The Wolfpack are also a strong contender in the 1,600 relay.