Serving notice! Indians play for State Tennis Title Saturday
The Seminole County Middle High School boys’ tennis team is going back to the Georgia High School Association Class A State Championship finals for the third time in six years! The Indians head back to Rome, Georgia on Saturday, May 11 to take on Aquinas High School, the #1 seed from Region 8. The match will take place Saturday, May 11 at 1:00 p.m. at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
Last Friday, the boys hosted Lake Oconee Academy in a semifinal matchup of the last three state champions of Class A tennis: Seminole County in 2021, and Lake Oconee Academy in 2022 and 2023. The previous two years saw Lake Oconee knocking the Indians out of the state tournament This year, the SCMHS boys got a measure of revenge with all matches being played on their home courts in Donalsonville.
Lake Oconee Academy came into the contest with a desire to post a three-peat on the Indians; however, the red-hot, green-clad Indians had another plan in mind, and this year they would not be the team going home before the title game. With the first Indian serve of the contest the Lake Oconee Academy boys realized they weren’t in Kansas anymore, or more specifically on their home courts in Northeast Georgia. Their high hopes of defeating the Indians again began to fade just like the day’s Southwest Georgia sunset.
Bryson Grantham, #3 singles for the Indians, set the tone immediately with a quick 6-0 6-0 win, giving the home team a 1-0 advantage. The next win came from #1 singles, where Landon Kirkland posted a dominating 6-0 6-0 win as well. Now leading 2-0 in the contest, the race was on for the third and decisive win. That win came from the #1 doubles team of William Fain and Ellis Denham who posted a 6-2 6-2 victory, and propelled the team to a 3-0 match victory. When the match was called #2 singles Jeb Burke was leading 6-2 4-1, and the #2 doubles team of Andrew and Ethan Gravlee, had just tied their second set 3-3.
Head Coach Tina Fain was ecstatic after the matches. “It is wonderful to see how much these boys have stepped up in the playoffs. I’m especially proud of this year’s
Seniors who have led extra practices over the last couple of weeks. They want to win, and it shows on the court.”
Coach Fain and Assistant Coach Jim Palmer hope that a large group of Indian fans can make the trip to Rome. Coach Palmer added, “We had dozens and dozens of friends travel with us back in 2021, and it really helped push the boys to a state championship. We need that same support again this year!”
Tickets to the games will be $10 each and are sold exclusively on GoFan.co.
The Indians began their post season run for the state title by defeating Charlton County 3-0 in the Sweet Sixteen Round of the tournament round. They then aced Taylor County in the Elite Eight Round round, overpowering the number two seed from Region 2A, 3-0 to advance into the Final Four.
In the semifinals, the number one seed Region 1A Indians faced the number two seed Region 4A Lake Oconee Academy. The Indians persevered, and served their way into the state tournament title match with a 3-0 win.
Each Indian faced mental and physical pain and adversity during the state playoff run, and time after time, each Indian rose up, remembered the goal of the season, and stepped up on to that higher plane of play.
The Aquinas High School Fightin’ Irish, the number one seed from Region 8A, began their post season run for the state title by defeating Bowden High School 5-0 in the Sweet Sixteen Round of the tournament round. They then topped Miller County in the Elite Eight Round round, overpowering the number three seed from Region 1A, 4-1 to advance into the Final Four.
In the semifinals, the number one seed Region 8A Fightin’ Irish faced the number one seed Region 5A Johnson County High and served their way into the state tournament title match with a 4-0 win.
The 2024 Seminole County Tennis Indians include Dillon James, Rhett Holt, Andrew Gravlee, Ethan Gravlee, William Fain, Landon Kirkland, Jeb Burke, Bryson Grantham, Ellis Denham, Buck Edmunds, and Landon Thompson. The Indians are coached by Coach Tina Fain and Coach Jim Palmer.
