Five local tennis teams set for state openers this week
The Heritage Generals and Lady Generals qualified for the Class AAAA state tennis playoffs after finishing third and fourth, respectively, at the Region 7 tournament at Lakeshore Park in Dalton last week.
The Heritage boys opened with an easy 4-0 win over Southeast on Monday. Nathan Minton took a victory at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-1. J.T. Halleron won his No. 2 singles match, 6-1, 6-1, and Kaleb Biddle claimed the No. 3 singles match, 6-0, 6-0.
The No. 2 doubles team of Anderson Britton and Walker Driskell won their match, 6-0, 6-0. The Heritage No. 1 doubles team of Jedd Johnson and Tanner Eady won their first set, 6-2, and were tied 4-4 in the second set when Heritage clinched the overall match and play was stopped.
However, the Generals would not be as fortunate in their semifinal match against Central-Carroll as they lost a 4-0 decision.
Facing Cedartown a day later in the consolation match, Minton won 6-2, 6-2, while Biddle won by the same score. The other point came from Johnson and Eady, who won 6-2, 6-4, to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Halleron was one game from sending his match to a third set when play was halted, while Britton and Driskell split the first two sets against their opponents. The win was especially sweet for the Generals, who dropped a 4-1 decision to Cedartown back on March 28.
The Lady Generals also took down Southeast by a 4-0 score in their opening match. Kortney McKenzie (No. 2 singles) and Elli Jost (No. 3 singles) won their matches, as did the team of Rhegan Simmons and Lauren Mock (No. 1 doubles) and the team
of Brooke Matherly and Ella Blansit (No. 2 doubles).
However, a win by McKenzie accounted for the only point in a 3-1 semifinal lost to Cedartown. Individual match scores were not available.
The Lady Generals squared off with Pickens on Tuesday in the third-place match and got a 3-0 win. McKenzie won, 6-3, 6-2, the team of Simmons and Mock scored a 6-0, 6-3 victory, while Matherly and Blansit teamed up for a 6-1, 6-1 win.
No. 1 singles player Mia Callahan and No. 3 singles player Elli Jost were both involved in close matches when play was halted.
The Heritage boys will play against Region 5 runner-up Fayette County this Wednesday morning at the Clayton County Tennis Center, while the Lady Generals are set to go on the road and face Region
5 runner-up Hampton on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the playoffs.
RIDGELAND GIRLS FALL SHORT
The Lady Panthers also participated in the 7-AAAA tournament last Monday, but were beaten, 3-0, by Cedartown in the first round, ending their season.
The No. 1 doubles team of Elly Barnes and Brooke Clawson lost in straight sets, as did the No. 2 team of Evie Williams and Kenna Saylor.
The match was halted after Cate Barton lost the No. 3 singles match in straight sets. Andrea Boyko (No. 1 singles) and Bella Boyko (No. 2 singles) were in the middle of matches when play stopped.
Individual match scores were not available.
GORDON LEE TEAMS ADVANCE
At the Region 6-A tournament at the Rome Tennis Center, the Gordon Lee boys opened with a 3-0 win over Drew Charter School. The doubles team of Cordell Fowler
and Bowden Gass secured a win, as did the team of Andrew Sizemore and Andrew Bailey, while Cambell Pierce won in singles in a walk-over.
The Trojans fell to eventual region champ Trion, but bounced back to beat Bowdon and claim the No. 3 seed for state.
Pierce and Ben Stoker won in singles. Fowler and Gass won in doubles, as did
Sizemore and Bailey.
Individual match scores were not available.
The Lady Trojans had to settle for the No. 4 seed from the region. No further details were available.
The Gordon Lee boys will open the Class A Public School playoffs at Region 8 runner-up Commerce, while the Lady Trojans will travel to face Region 8 champion
Lake Oconee Academy in the first round.
The date and time for those matches were not known as of press time.
The Ringgold boys, who made it into the Class AAA field as the No. 4 seed from Region 6, were scheduled to play at Region 8 champ Oconee County in their opening match on Tuesday of this week.