Alexander High School's boys track and field team finished as state runner-up at the Class 5A 
meet in Rome, scoring 64 team points behind state champion performances from its relay teams and runner Justyn McKenzie.
The 4x400-meter relay team of McKenzie, Landyn Buchanan, Cayden Guidry and Mason Whitehead brought the crowd to its feet by taking gold with a time of 3:16.14.
The 4x800-meter relay team of McKenzie, Guidry, Zach Porter and Cortez Adams also brought home a state championship with a dominant 7:53.67.
McKenzie won the 800-meter run outright in a masterclass performance, clocking 1:54.81 to grab his third gold medal of the weekend. Guidry joined him on the podium with a fourth-place finish in 1:57.07.
Trey Albertson cleared 13-6 in the pole vault to finish fourth in the state.
In the sprints, Daylen Scott competed in the 100 meters, while the 400-meter trio of Buchanan, McKenzie, and Guidry pulled off a once-in-a-generation feat: all three made the finals—a rare achievement. They finished fourth, fifth, and seventh, stacking key points for the team.
In the hurdles, Whitehead and Cantrell Etheridge were a dynamic duo, medaling in both events.
Other district schools also posted strong performances at the state meets.
New Manchester High School's Josiah Brown brought home a Class 5A state championship in 
the long jump with a leap of 22-9.50. On the girls side, New Manchester's Cheyenne Hill took third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.45 seconds, while Alexander's Cortney Adams raced to third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.41.
At the Class 6A meet in Carrollton, Chapel Hill's boys finished fourth overall with 34.5 points behind strong performances from its relay teams. The Panthers' 4x400 relay team of Rashawn Wright, Josiah Hunte, David Williams and Rashad Wright finished second in Class 6A and the 4x200 relay team of Joseph Claxton, Jackson Thompson, Williams and Stephan Mitchell took fourth.
Mitchell also sprinted to fourth in the 200-meter dash (21.84 seconds) and fifth in the 100 (10.81 seconds) for Chapel Hill. C.J. Geathers cleared 6-4 to take fifth in the high jump.
Douglas County High School's boys 4x800 relay team finished fourth overall with a 7:51.73.
On the girls side, Chapel Hill’s Ashley Nino finished as state runner-up in the pole vault with an 11-0. And Brooklyn Spivey took fourth in the shot put with a throw of 53-8.50 for DCHS.