The start of a new school year is just a few days away, and with it comes the second edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s all-sports standings for Georgia High School Association schools, known this year as the AJC Varsity Crown presented by Ed Voyles Hyundai.
Eight schools will be defending the classification all-sports titles they claimed during the 2025-2026 academic year. Those winners were Buford, Pope, Marist, Jefferson, Columbus, Bremen, Lake Oconee Academy and Greater Atlanta Christian.
“Our teams take great pride in representing Buford in a great way, and this year’s coaches and students left everything on the fields, courts and mats to make this championship possible,” Buford athletic director Tony Wolfe said after his school won last year’s all-sports title in the highest classification. “Our teams embraced the challenges and overcame obstacles to achieve success in every sport and displayed poise and class throughout their journeys to achieve excellence.”
Two of the defending champions — Marist and Jefferson — will go head-to-head in Class 5A this year after Jefferson moved up one level during the GHSA’s most recent reclassification.
The AJC Varsity Crown is modeled after similar competitions used by college divisions and other high school associations. One major difference is that sports are weighted based on NFHS and statewide participation numbers and the number of championships awarded by the GHSA. It also tracks more schools and more sports than any of its kind in Georgia.
Schools can earn up to 100 points in each of 31 GHSA sports, and those points are multiplied (1.3, 1.2 or 1.1 times, based on the participation and championship numbers) for a total score in each sport.
Points earned in Group A sports, which award seven or eight state championships and generally have the highest participation numbers, are multiplied by 1.3. Those sports are football, basketball, track and field, soccer and baseball for boys and fast-pitch softball, volleyball, basketball, track and field and soccer for girls.
Points for Group B sports, which award five or more championships but are not included in Group A, are multiplied by 1.2. Those include boys cross country, wrestling (duals or traditional), tennis and golf and girls cross country, cheerleading (competition or gameday), flag football, tennis and golf.
All other sports (Group C) present four state championships or less, and points for those sports are multiplied by 1.1.
A school’s overall score is made up of its top eight boys finishes, top eight girls finishes, and next-best finish regardless of gender (or co-ed). An overall winner is declared in each classification. The top boys program and top girls program in each class also will be recognized, along with a top school in each region.
Below is an example of how the scoring works, based on the performances of the Marist teams during the 2025-26 school year. Marist finished with a total score of 1,734.5, the highest of any school in any classification. Notice that the “next-best finish regardless of gender” was the girls flag football team with 84 points, which were added to the top eight boys scores and top eight girls scores for the War Eagles’ final score.
Boys (771.7 points)
Top eight sports included in total score:
- Swimming and diving - champion, 100 points x 1.1 = 110.0 score
- Tennis - runner-up, 90 x 1.2 = 108.0
- Football - semifinalist, 83 x 1.3 = 107.9
- Soccer - semifinalist 83 x 1.3 = 107.9
- Cross country - fourth place, 80 x 1.2 = 96.0
- Golf - fourth place, 80 x 1.2 = 96.0
- Lacrosse - quarterfinalist, 70 x 1.1 = 77.0
- Baseball - second round, 53 x 1.3 = 68.9
Other sports not included in total score:
- Wrestling (duals), 56.4
- Basketball, 32.5
- Track and field, 0.0
Girls (878.8 points)
Top eight sports included in total score:
- Volleyball - champion, 100 x 1.3 = 130.0
- Basketball - champion, 100 x 1.3 = 130.0
- Soccer - runner-up, 90 x 1.3 = 117.0
- Swimming and diving - champion, 100 x 1.1 = 110.0
- Cross country - runner-up, 90 x 1.2 = 108.0
- Golf - runner-up, 90 x 1.2 = 108.0
- Cheerleading (gameday) - fifth place, 75 x 1.2 = 90.0
- Track and field - eighth place, 66 x 1.3 = 85.8
Other sports not included in total score:
- Softball (fast-pitch), 68.9
- Tennis, 63.6
- Lacrosse, 27.5
- Wrestling, 0.0
- Gymnastics, 0.0
Co-ed
- Riflery, 0.0
Next-best finish (84.0 points)
- Girls flag football - quarterfinalist, 70 x 1.2 = 84.0
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