Cedartown girls earn region runner-up finish, state playoffs kick off this week
The tennis teams in Polk County had a solid end to the 2022 regular season last week.
Starting with Cedartown, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs competed well in the Region 7-4A Tournament at Lakeshore Park in Dalton on Monday and Tuesday. Then, the CHS teams bid adieu to the regular season with matches against Rockmart on Thursday evening.
The first team to earn victories in three matches would move on in the Region 7-4A Tournament, leading to some quick matchups in Whitfield County. Coach Matt Bentley and Matt Foster’s squads qualified for the postseason with ease on Monday and clinched spots in Tuesday’s action.
The Lady Bulldogs cruised by Ridgeland to advance to the winner’s bracket, where they defeated Heritage-Catoosa.
Cedartown’s girls came up just short in the region championship match, falling to Central-Carroll and claiming the two-seed for the GHSA State Playoffs.
Cedartown’s boys, on the other hand, picked up a victory over Pickens before losing to Northwest Whitfield in the second round. They lost to a resilient Heritage-Catoosa team in the third-place match, relegating them to the region’s four-seed for the state tournament.
Thursday’s matches at Cedartown led to shutout victories on either side. The Lady Jackets won 5-0 over the hometown Lady Bulldogs before Cedartown’s boys swept their Rockmart counterparts.
Rockmart’s girls squad dominated the match against rival Cedartown on Thursday evening. No. 2 Singles Eisley Pope, No. 3 Singles Emma Scott, and No. 1 Doubles Megan Clanton and Maddie Owens downed their Lady Bulldog opponents in just two sets, while No. 1 Singles Maryann Earwood and No. 2 Doubles Ava Shae Culver and Ansley Lanier picked up wins in three sets.
Cedartown’s boys made quick work of Thursday’s matches as well. No. 1 Singles Barclay Barnes, No. 2 Singles Kam Palacios, No. 3 Singles Braden Shelton, No. 1 Doubles Sam Arnold and Spencer Hicks, and No. 2 Doubles Micah Puckett and Efrain Iglesias picked up victories over the Jackets at Cedartown High School.
Three of the four tennis teams in Polk County will compete in the GHSA State Playoffs this week. Rockmart’s girls, the Region 6-3A Champions, will host Hart County in the first round at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Cedartown’s boys travel to Region 5-4A Champion Hampton at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Henry County. The Lady Bulldogs will host Luella at 4 p.m. Wednesday in their first-round showdown.