SERVING STRONG
♦ Cedartown’s boys, girls see early season success on the tennis courts
Tennis fans on the western side of Polk County have had plenty to cheer about over the past couple weeks.
Cedartown tennis coaches Matt Bentley and Matt Foster have been working relentlessly to build up the program in recent years, and both coaches have good reason to believe they may have their best squads yet this spring.
Cedartown tennis is off to a fantastic start to their 2022 campaign. Through four matches, the Bulldogs are undefeated while the Lady Bulldogs currently boast a 3-1 record.
Their season-opening matches were played on Feb. 10 at home. CHS had no trouble against Region 7-4A foe Pickens, sweeping the visiting Dragons on both sides. None of the matches went beyond two sets, setting an impressive start to the season for the Red-and-Black.
Sonoraville gave the Bulldogs a more competitive matchup on Feb. 15. No. 1 singles Barclay Barnes had little trouble with his opponent, winning 6-0, 6-1, but each of the other matches came down to the wire. No. 2 singles Kamron Palacios and No. 3 singles Sam Arnold lost in three and two sets respectively, but fortunately for Cedartown, their doubles pulled through for the team win.
No. 1 doubles Braden Shelton and Spencer Hicks claimed a three-set victory over the Phoenix, as did No. 2 doubles Nic Butler and Maddox Minge. Their efforts helped Cedartown’s boys to a 3-2 win at home in their second showdown of the season.
While the boys might have had their
hands full with Sonoraville, the girls cruised to another sweep. No. 1 singles Reagan Clarke picked up a win in three sets, but every other Lady Bulldog netted a dominant victory in their matches. No. 2 singles Alyssa Parham, No. 3 singles Jimena Escutia, No. 1 doubles Tori Blankenship and Edy Lee, and No. 2 doubles Haley Forrister and Annalee Walters earned two-set decisions.
Cedartown thumped Coosa in their matches the next day. The girls and boys picked up sweeps at the Rome Tennis Center, downing Coosa 5-0 on both sides. None of the matches went beyond two sets, and several Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, including No. 1 singles Barclay Barnes, No. 1 singles Reagan Clarke, and No. 1 doubles Tori Blankenship and Edy Lee, did not allow a single game to their opponents from Floyd County.
CHS tennis had their third outing in
three days on Feb. 17 as they made the trip across the county for some rivalry matches against Rockmart. The Bulldogs swept the Jackets 5-0, but the Lady Bulldogs fell 4-1 to suffer their first defeat of the season.
None of the boys had their matches go past two sets. No. 1 singles Barclay Barnes, No. 2 singles Kamron Palacios, No. 3 singles Maddox Minge, No. 1 doubles Sam Arnold and Spencer Hicks, and No. 2 doubles Micah Puckett and Efrain Iglesias each picked up dominant wins over a solid Rockmart program.
On the girls side, the only victory for CHS came in the No. 1 singles match as Reagan Clarke earned a 2-6, 6-1, 10-7 triumph in three sets. No. 2 singles Alyssa Parham, No. 3 singles Jimena Escutia, No. 1 doubles Tori Blankenship and Edy Lee, and No. 2 doubles Haley Forrister
and Arianna Klemke performed well but were outplayed by their Lady Jacket counterparts.
Despite the tough loss to Rockmart for the Lady Bulldogs, both they and the Bulldogs have had a strong start to the 2022 season. The boys
sit 4-0 (1-0) and the girls are 3-1 (1-0), but both sides have plenty of pairings with stiff competition coming up soon.
CHS tennis will play three matches this week. It starts on Monday as the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs travel to Model for non-region matchups with the Blue Devils. Following a trip to Adairsville on Tuesday, Cedartown returns home to host Pepperell on Thursday.
Their next Region 7-4A matches will come on March 8 as they play Heritage-Catoosa at home. Those matches
against the Generals will take place one day after a trip to Cass. Each of those matches will start around 4 p.m.