The 2021 Catoosa-Walker County Tennis Players of the Year Walker County Boys’ Co-Players of the Year
It takes talent and chemistry to be a good doubles team and seniors Anthony Collins and Ben Maanum had both during their time playing for the LaFayette Ramblers.
The two friends, who also played linebacker for the school’s football team, spent the better part of the past four years developing into a tough matchup for opposing tennis teams and finished
the 2021 season with a 7-4 overall record.
Today, the duo is being honored as the 2021 Walker County Boys’ Tennis
Co-Players of the Year.
“It feels pretty good,” Maanum said. “We didn’t get to play together my sophomore year (due to an injury) and hardly any last year (because of COVID-19), so this senior year, it felt good to be able to have some success.
“We’ve pretty much been best friends since our freshman year, when we both started playing tennis. We’ve always had good chemistry. We hang out on the
weekends and played football together and stuff like that.”
Speaking of chemistry, it was in that class four years ago when the two were first approached about playing the sport at the school by their teacher, Clint Harrison, the team’s former head coach, who retired two years ago.
“He told us when the season was starting that he wanted us to play tennis. We were thinking about it, but we ended up not showing up to tryouts. But the day after tryouts, (Harrison) told us in class to be there the next day to practice,” Collins said, laughing at the memory. “So we were and
it’s been awesome.”
“(Ben and I) developed a lot as players and I feel like our friendship has helped a lot with chemistry and whatnot. I know how he plays and he knows how I play and we just built off each other.”
Maanum termed their senior campaign “a good year” on the court.
“We were just happy to be able to play this (past) year after what happened last year,” he said. “We came out pretty strong. We felt like we were going to have a good year and just kind of went on from there, match by match. I guess we did all right.”
Collins said one particular match stood out for him from the 2021 season, a three-set marathon against Sonoraville that saw the two teams split the first two sets before battling tooth-andnail in the third.
“We’ve been at it for about two hours and it’s probably the longest match I ever played,” Collins said. “Eventually, I served and they returned it. I ran up to the net, so both of us were playing at the net. They tried to get one past me and I hit the ball without even looking where it landed.
“I turned around and I was just so excited because I just knew it was the winning
shot. I hugged Ben and everyone was cheering. It was just so awesome.”
The two will attend different colleges. Maanum will be attending Georgia Southern and hopes to squeeze in some tennis and golf in his free time, while Collins will be heading to the University of Georgia in January. He said current LHS head coach, Lance Underwood, who also went to school in Athens, told him that there was seemingly always somebody down at the tennis courts looking for an opponent.
Maanum added that he would miss the bus rides to away matches the most.
“That’s really the team bonding experience before every match,” he explained. “You play music and have good conversations and stuff. That’s what I’m going to miss the most.”
Collins added that he would miss playing in front of the fans in LaFayette.
“All the parents are here and they get so excited,” he said. “We have a pretty good turnout with the player’s parents that show up. Plus, we have basketball players and football players that come out and watch...I think we’re really blessed as a tennis team with our (fan) support. I’m definitely going to miss that.”