AHS advances to state
Published 11:50 pm Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Andalusia and UMS-Wright boys tennis teams will advance to the Class 4A state tennis tournament in Montgomery after defeating Opp, Jackson and W.S. Neal at the sectional tournament Wednesday at the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College tennis courts.
Andalusia tennis coach Perry Dillard said the team did all that was needed of them to make it to the state tournament.
“We took care of business in the early rounds and then all of our guys made it to the finals across the board, so I’m really proud of that,” Dillard said. “We did what we had to do to get to state and we’re just really excited about being there because that’s our end goal, like everybody, is to win the state championship.”
The Bulldogs ended up in second place at the tournament Wednesday.
No. 1 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Stephen Darby def. Opp’s David Brogden 6-2, 6-1; and UMS-Wright’s Colin Perry def. Andalusia’s Stephen Darby 6-0, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 2 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Jake Ricardy def. Opp’s Michael Ball 6-0, 6-3; and UMS-Wright’s Jennings Byrd def. Andalusia’s Jake Ricardy 6-0, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 3 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Mitchell Clark def. Opp’s Kris Hardy 6-2, 6-0; and UMS-Wright’s George Graham def. Andalusia’s Mitchell Clark 6-0, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 4 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Jay McCord def. Opp’s Nick Hampton 6-1, 6-1; and UMS-Wright’s Bronson Wessinger def. Andalusia’s Jay McCord 6-0, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 5 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Mayur Patel def. Opp’s Shane Grimes 6-1, 6-1; and UMS Wright’s Joseph Courtney def. Andalusia’s Mayur Patel 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) in the championship match.
No. 6 singles bracket — Andalusia’s Chris Smith def. Opp’s Zack Blue 6-0, 6-0; and UMS-Wright’s Dexter Harvey def. Andalusia’s Chris Smith 6-2, 6-1 in the championship match.
Dillard said he saw a great performance from his seniors Wednesday.
“In singles, the seniors played really well,” he said. “Stephen Darby, Jay McCord and C.J. Beam. My freshman No. 5 (Mayur Patel) almost beat the guy from UMS-Wright and he played really well, too.”
No. 1 doubles bracket — Andalusia’s Stephen Darby and Jay McCord def. Opp’s Michael Ball and Kris Hardy 6-1, 6-0; and UMS-Wright’s Jennings Byrd and Colin Perry def. Andalusia’s Stephen Darby and Jay McCord 6-0, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 2 doubles bracket — Andalusia’s Jake Ricardy and Mitchell Clark def. Opp’s David Brogden and Nick Hampton 6-1, 6-1; and UMS-Wright’s Bronson Wessinger and George Graham def. Andalusia’s Jake Ricardy and Mitchell Clark 6-4, 6-0 in the championship match.
No. 3 doubles bracket — Andalusia’s C.J. Beam and Alex Evans def. Opp’s Shane Grimes and Zack Blue 6-3, 6-0; and UMS-Wright’s Joseph Courtney and Dexter Harvey def. Andalusia’s C.J. Beam and Alex Evans 6-1, 6-2 in the championship match.
For the Bulldog seniors, this will be their fourth trip to the state tournament.
Dillard said up to this point in the season, the seniors have stepped up and filled their roles well.
“They are working hard and they are the guys we look to in order to win,” Dillard said. “Tennis is an individual sport. Usually, I can always count on those guys to win the seed. I’m really looking forward to the guys that are coming back next year.”
Juniors Jake Ricardy and Mitchell Clark will fill the senior spots next year.
The Bulldogs will play in the state tournament April 27-28 at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery.