For almost 100 years, Preston High School has had an athletic team compete at the state tournament.

In total, Preston has sent 141 teams to the ‘Big Dance’, beginning with the girls basketball team in 1925.

The last Preston squad to earn a trip to the state tournament is the girls slowpitch softball team, who last earned a berth in 2019.

In the 141 trips to State, Preston has taken home a total of 15 state championships and 13 state runner-up trophies. The girls basketball team leads the way in state championship trophies with seven, followed by the boys basketball team with five ‘Gold Balls’ and the slowpitch softball team with three state crowns.

The first Preston team to play for a state championship was the 1943 boys basketball team, who fell in the title game to Bray-Doyle by a 40-25 margin.

The first time a Preston team was able to hoist a state championship was 1982 when the boys basketball team defeated Boynton in a 63-61 thriller in the Class B title game.

The first Preston girls team to take home a state championship was the 1988 girls basketball team, who defeated Thomas 62-59 in the Class A title game.

The 1993 slowpitch softball team became the first diamond squad to capture championship gold, defeating Wilson (Ardmore) 7-1 in the Class 4A finals.

The Preston baseball team has made a total of 22 state tournament appearances and has played in just one state finals - 2003. The Pirates reached the Class 2A state spring baseball championship game in 2003, but finished runner-up to Latta with a 5-0 loss to the Panthers.

The Preston track and field program has made a total of 30 appearances at the state tournament in school history, beginning with the boys track and field team earning a spot at State in 1993. The 2008 girls squad is the only Preston track and field team to come close to winning a state championship, finishing runner-up to Okeene at the Class A state meet.

Phillip Dale became the first athlete at Preston to win an individual state championship, capturing gold in the Boys Long Jump in 2005. Sierra Cornwell is the only Preston athlete to capture an individual state championship in three-straight years, winning gold in the 200 meter dash in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

The basketball program leads the way in state tournament appearances at Preston with a total of 67 trips to the ‘Big Dance’. The boys cage squad has earned 38 state tournament berths, beginning in 1937, while the girls basketball team has punched their ticket to State 29 times, beginning in 1925.

The 2009 basketball program is the only Preston athletic program to win state championships in the same year.

Besides the track and field program’s 30 state tournament appearances, the baseball and softball programs at Preston have earned state tournament berths a total of 22 times each.

--- Preston State Tournament Appearances (141) Baseball (22)

• Fall (8): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2005

• Spring (14): 1980, 1984,1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2014, 2016 --- Basketball (67)

• Girls (29): 1925, 1929, 1932, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

• Boys (38): 1937, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 --- Softball (22)

• Slow Pitch (16): 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2019

• Fast Pitch (6): 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 --- Track & Field (30)

• Girls (15): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

• Boys (15): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 --- Championship Game Appearances (27) Baseball (1)

• Fall (1): 2003

• Spring: None --- Basketball (19)

• Girls (10): 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2015

• Boys (9): 1943, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016 --- Softball (7)

• Slow Pitch (6): 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2008

• Fast Pitch (1): 2001 --- State Championships (15) Basketball (12)

• Girls (7): 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2014

• Boys (5): 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 2009 --- Softball (3)

• Slow Pitch: 1993, 1999, 2008 --- Individual State Track & Field Champions • Phillip Dale - 2005 (Boys Long Jump)

• Sierra Cornwell - 2007 (Girls 200 meter dash), 2008 (Girls 200 meter dash), 2009 (Girls 200 meter dash)

• Talor Ward - 2008 (Girls 800 meter run)

• Girls 800 Meter Relay - 2006, 2008