One could hardly blame Chamblee for carrying around an extra layer of confidence heading into this weekend’s state swim meet.

After all, the Bulldogs are fresh off their golden performance at the DeKalb County championships. Upending powerhouse Lakeside’s nine-year reign in the process is icing on the cake.

The state meet, set for Friday and Saturday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, is a whole new ballgame, though.

“The state meet is amazing,” said Chamblee coach Wesley Graham. “What other state gets to house the event in a former olympic venue?”

Continuity is still king around the Bulldogs’ pool, so don’t expect any major changes between now and go-time. At least that’s the word coming out of their camp.

“My approach has been the same,” said Graham. “My team knows what

is expected of them and will perform to the best of there abilities.”

His club is up against a loaded field. Perennial contenders the likes of Marist, Dalton and Westminster await Chamblee in the Georgia Tech pool.

In addition to speed, the Bulldogs have “extreme” depth working in their favor.

“I could interchange a number of guys in different events and they would perform well,” Graham noted.

Count Nicholas Oh, county champ in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard freestyle, among them. Alex Kemenov, who claimed gold in the 50-yard freestyle, and diver Caleb Wikle are another pair of dynamic studs swimming under the Bulldogs banner.

 Ladies vying for gold

The Lakeside Lady Vikings will look to continue the balance and dominance they showed at the DeKalb championships at the state meet.

Lakeside won five events, including all three relays, on the way to their second consecutive county title.

Rachel Hu, DeKalb’s best in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breast stroke, will help spearhead the Lady Vikings effort. Julia Acosta and Julianna Cartwright, 200 freestyle stalwarts, help round out the club’s talented roster.

Dunwoody, county runner-up,

should be competitive because of the presence of Shawn Pyne in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and one-meter diver Abby Yates.

The Chamblee Lady Bulldogs are also getting in on the fun after their third place finish at county. The golden pair of Suzanne Lechner (100 backstroke) and Rachel Solomon (500 freestyle) are stars in their own right.

FYI: Watch out for Druid Hills. The Lady Red Devils picked up gold medals from Maddie Riggs in the 200 freestyle and Caroline Olson in the 100 butterfly.