Ringgold girls edged out in first round of state
One of the best seasons in Ringgold girls’ tennis history came to an unfortunate end last Monday as the Lady Tigers, the No. 2 seed out of Region 6, were edged out by visiting White County, 3-2, in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament. The Lady Warriors are the No. 3 seed from Region 7.
It was the first-ever state tournament home match for the Ringgold girls.
The Lady Tigers got on the board at No. 1 singles as Zoey DeFoor picked up a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Maggie Anglin. However, White County won the other two singles matches. Aubrey Bolton posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Riley Burdette at No. 2 singles, while Kate Sartain earned a threeset victory over Sarah Taylor at No. 3 singles. Taylor won the opening set, 6-3, but Sartain won the final two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, to pick up an important point.
Ringgold’s No. 1 doubles team of Maddy Lee and Kallie Branum enjoyed a 7-5, 6-2 win against Madison Bunch and Mattie Browning. However, the
Lady Warriors got the decisive third point as the No. 2 team of Linsey Burke and Sarah Blair defeated Sommer Bailey and Kinsey Miller, 6-1, 6-0.
The Lady Tigers finished the year with a record of 9-2.
The Ringgold boys played their first-round match at Lumpkin County this past Wednesday and lost a 3-0 decision.
David Self dropped a 6-0, 6-0 in singles, while Thatcher Wilbanks lost, 6-4, 6-2. The winning point for the Indians came in doubles as Ringgold’s team of Wyatt Blankenship and Mitchell Watson fell, 6-1, 6-0.
The other two matches were halted due to rain.
Ian Bates split the first two sets, losing 6-2 and winning 6-1. He was down 2-1 in set three when the match ended. In the other doubles match, Matthew Wright and Wally O’Donnell lost the opening set, 6-4, but were battling in a 5-5 tie in the second set when play was stopped.
In other matches involving area teams, LaFayette’s girls were beaten 5-0 at Wesleyan in Class 3A, while the Heritage boys suffered a 5-0 loss to Westminster in the Class
4A state tournament. Individual scoring had not been provided as of press time.
The other two girls’ teams from Region 6-AAA split their first-round matches. Bremen defeated Lumpkin County, 4-1, though Coahulla Creek suffered a 4-0 loss to Dawson County.
On the boys’ side, Coahulla Creek beat Pickens, 3-1, but Dawson County handed Bremen a 3-2 loss and Wesleyan shutout Adairsville, 5-0.
Region 7-AAAA split their first-round matches in the boys’ state tournament. Central-Carroll defeated Druid Hills, 3-1, while Sonoraville posted a 3-0 victory over Clarkston. However, like Heritage, Northwest also lost its opener, falling 3-0 to Holy Innocents’.
On the girls’ side, 7-AAAA also went 2-2 in the first round. Sonoraville beat Druid Hills, 4-0, and Central earned a 4-0 victory over Clarkston. Holy Innocents’ beat Cedartown, 3-0, and Westminster shut out Northwest, 5-0.