DeKalb County sending 20 relay teams to Class 4A Track Championships

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–The first day of the 2026 GHSA Track and Field Championships has a strong DeKalb County presence with 35 individuals and 20 relay teams ready to begin competition on Monday, May 11, at the University of Georgia Track and Field Complex in Athens. Southwest DeKalb High School has 18 girls who qualified for the state meet and three of the eight relay teams. 

Jayla Lee leads the way for Southwest DeKalb, having won both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles at last week’s state sectional. Lee also qualified in the triple jump. Sanaa Stanton qualified in three events as well including a first place win in the long jump at the state sectional.

Southwest DeKalb also has three relay teams headed to state with sectional wins in the 4×100-meter relay and 4×200-meter relay. The 4×400-meter relay finished third in the sectional.

Martin Luther King Jr. High School has the second-largest group for DeKalb with six individuals and two relays headed to Athens.

The Lions are led by hurdler Jarriatou Faye (both hurdle events) and China Montgomery (200 and 400 dashes). The 4×400-meter relay squad quailed as the top team in the sectional.

Clarkston High School’s Jill Copeland qualified for the state meet with a first place finish in the triple jump and a top eight finish in the 200-meter dash. Gabrielle Moore qualified in the long jump.

Druid Hills got one runner into state as Christian Kaigler won the 400-meter dash at the sectional. Lithonia qualified in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter relays and Tucker made the 4×400-meter relay.

CLASS 4A BOYS

Seventeen boys from DeKalb qualified for the state meet, along with 12 relay teams who will make the trek to Athens on Monday.

Lithonia and Southwest DeKalb high schools both have four individuals headed to state competition. Southwest DeKalb is by junior Amari Scott, who topped the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the state sectional. Southwest has all four relays headed to Athens including sectional winners in the 4×200-meter and 4×400-meter relays.

Lithonia’s 4×100-meter relay team and its Tucker counterpart topped the event at the state sectional. Lithonia’ AJ Tillman was second in the 100-meter dash and Drayden Gibbs qualified for both hurdle events to lead four Bulldogs in qualifying.

Martin Luther King Jr. High put three qualifiers through to state along with three relay teams. Tre’Von Stubbs cashed in top times at the state sectional in both the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles to lead the way. The King 4×200-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams had runner-up finishes at the sectional.

Clarkston High has three individuals and its 4×400-meter relay qualified for the state meet. Sage Johnson was the top qualifier for the Angoras with a first place finish in the 400-meter dash.

Tucker High placed two field event participants into the state meet in Jayden Joyner (5^th triple jump) and Jayden Mendoza (7^th in discus).

Druid Hills got a seventh-place finish in the discus from Xavier Norris for a qualifying spot.

Story and photos by Mark Brock, DeKalb County School’s Athletics.   

Lawrenceville man gets life for shooting neighbor during dispute over puppies 

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – A 75-year-old Lawrenceville man was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing a neighbor who was walking his puppies, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday, May 7.  

Stanley Nathaniel Elliott was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the February 2021 shooting death of 44-year-old Anthony Collins, who was walking his Jack Russell puppies in their neighborhood. The men got into an argument over the puppies, according to the investigation.   Elliott was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus five years.

“Violence – and especially deadly violence – is not the answer for solving any dispute,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Our hope is that this outcome provides the victim’s friends and loved ones with some closure and a sense that justice has prevailed.”

Collins was walking his Jack Russell puppies on the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2021, in a neighborhood on Riverside Parkway in Lawrenceville. He encountered Elliott there, and after an altercation, Elliott fatally shot Collins. Police were able to identify the Elliott through video footage, and located the murder weapon at his home, hidden in a motorboat in his garage.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony that Elliott and Collins encountered one another in December 2020, and Elliot tried to hit the puppies with a metal rod he used to ward off stray dogs. The jury also saw surveillance footage showing a man resembling Elliott raising his arm to shoot after a short interaction with a man walking dogs.

Assistant District Attorney Nam Nguyen and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Smith prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigator Benjamin Lucas and Victim Witness Advocate Trina Bradford. The Gwinnett County Police Department was invaluable in helping to prosecute this case.