Dominating champions
- Updated: March 3, 2018
Donoho’s girls, Oxford’s boys complete dominating performances to win County Tennis titles wire-to-wire
Donoho sophomore Emma Wiedmer won her third straight county title Saturday. She’d like to win two more before graduating. (All photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
To see a photo gallery of the day’s matches, visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – The Oxford boys and Donoho girls continued their dominating ways in the singles portion of the Calhoun County Tennis Championships and won their respective titles by wide margins.
The Donoho girls won all nine divisions over the two days and scored 58 total points. The Oxford boys sent all six players to the singles finals Saturday and came away with four titles to win their second straight county championship with 53 points.
Donoho won both No. 1 singles crowns, with Emma Weidmer taking the girls crown and Cooper Montgomery taking the boys.
The Donoho girls put on quite a show at the Oxford Lake tennis complex. The Falcons’ six players went 23-0 in two days, won all nine divisions and won 230 games while dropping only 44.
“I expected our girls to do well and they did,” Falcons coach Laurie Rigsby said. “We practice hard and there was a lot of pressure out there. But they just do what they do out there on the courts and I am so proud of our kids this weekend.”
What really makes county opponents stay awake at night is that the team has two sophomores, a freshman, an eighth-grader and two seventh-graders, meaning the team will be intact until the end of 2020. The non seventh-graders have 10 titles already.
Oxford’s girls won a tiebreaker with Faith Christian and finished second with 18 points; Jacksonville was fourth with four points. Donoho was second in the boys with 30 points; Jacksonville third with 21.
“Overall I thought we played really well,” Oxford coach Jesse Martin said. ”It was a disappointing loss in the No. 1 doubles last night and the No. 1 singles today, but we did well. Two of our girls made it to the finals, so all in all a pretty good tournament.”
Donoho’s Cooper Montgomery avenged a loss in last year’s county boys singles final when he edged Oxford’s Ben Reimer Saturday.
Girls Championship Matches
No. 1 Singles: Sophomore Emma Weidmer cruised to her third straight county title by winning three matches. She won her first two matches 10-0, then defeated Faith’s Zana Christjohn in the finals 10-4.
“I was hoping I could win,” Weidmer said. “I got really tired in the last match. I’m gonna try really hard to win two more before I graduate.”
No. 2 Singles: Marella Hudson defeated Faith’s Sara Jessica Christjohn 10-4. “It was a fun day out there,” the eighth-grader said. “I felt like I played the best I could play. I am so tired and really want to get some sleep now.”
No. 3 Singles: Seventh-grader Claire Hillman beat Faith’s Cristin Covington 10-1 for her first county title. “It was fun and exciting, but more exciting than nervous,” Hillman said. “I was a little bit nervous, but I just had to keep my focus and my footwork correct.”
No. 4 Singles: Sophomore Virginia Hutto won three straight matches, defeating Oxford’s Caroline Rogers in the finals 10-1. It was Hutto’s third straight county championship and she understands what it takes to win it. ”It was my third time to win and I did not really get tired today, which helped,” she said. “I am just excited. Go Falcons!”
No. 5 Singles: Freshman Claire Walker defeated Jacksonville’s Anslin Dryden 10-4 to win her third straight county title. “It was really hard out there today and I got real hungry in the last match, but it felt good to get the win,” said Walker.
No. 6 Singles: Seventh-grader Lily Grace Draper defeated Genesis Lange of Oxford, 10-2 to take the county championship. “I was very nervous at first, but was all right after a little bit of time went by,” Draper said. “It is a great feeling to win it all.”
Donoho No. 5 Claire Walker won her third straight county singles title.
Boys Championship Matches
No. 1 Singles: Donoho’s Cooper Montgomery defeated Oxford’s Ben Reimer 10-8 to claim his title and get a little payback from last year’s final. He got to the finals by beating Zac Myrick of Faith 10-6 and Jesse Wilson of Jacksonville 10-6.
“It was hot out there today and Ben was playing really well,” Montgomery said. “I had to play hard to stay in the game and was glad to be able to pull through. It got a little close there at the end.”
No. 2 Singles: Oxford’s Chase White won three straight matches to claim the county title. He beat Donoho’s David Hudson in the final 10-5 after winning his first two matches 10-0. It was the second straight year White defeated Hudson in the finals.
“David had a tough forehand and I was trying to hit to his backhand and keep him off the net,” White said. “I passed him a few times at the net and it seemed to slow him down some, but David is a very smart player.”
No. 3 Singles: Oxford’s Seth Turner rallied to defeat Harrison Han 11-9 to win the title. Han was up 9-8 and 30-love before Turner rallied to win the match. “Wow, he had a tough serve,” Turner said. “He could really hit it and it gave me problems. I got tired and was very sore. It was just a close match.”
No. 4 Singles: Oxford’s Landon Macoy beat Brett Noah of Jacksonville 10-4 to win the county crown. It was Macoy’s second singles title in a difficult final. “We had to bring in a line judge, but it did not really impact my game,” said Macoy. “I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”
No. 5 Singles: Jacksonville’s Ammon Record fought off blood sugar issues, hot sun and a long match to take a gutsy 11-10, 7-5 tie-breaker victory over Oxford’s Ethan Fuller. “It was really tough out there, but wanting to win just kept me going,” Record said. “Ammon just never gave up, like the rest of our kids,” Golden Eagles coach Phillip Noah said.
No. 6 Singles: Oxford’s Josh Whaley defeated seventh-grader Jack Ballard of Donoho 10-6. Whaley didn’t play in Friday’s doubles round, but Yellow Jackets coach Jesse Martin rewarded the freshman’s hard work and consistency with a shot in singles and he responded with his first county title.
“It feels great right now,” Whaley said. “I feel like I have worked hard every day to get here. We are out here practicing every day unless the weather is bad. The encouragement from my teammates was a big help in the last match as I was getting tired.”
CALHOUN COUNTY TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
At Oxford Lake Tennis Complex
Singles Matches
Boys Team Scores: Oxford 53, Donoho 30, Jacksonville 21, Pleasant Valley 2, Faith Christian 0.
Girls Team Scores: Donoho 58, Oxford 18, Faith Christian 18, Jacksonville 4, Pleasant Valley 0. Oxford was declared runner-up based on head to head competition with Faith, 3-2.
BOYS MATCHES
No. 1 Singles: Jesse Wilson (J) d. Jac Myrick (F), 10-6; Cooper Montgomery (D) d. Wilson (J), 10-6; Ben Reimer (O) d. Dakota Herron (PV), 10-2; Finals – Montgomery (D) d. Reimer (O), 10-8.
No. 2 Singles: Dawson Meadows (PV) d. Gavin Randall (F), 10-1; Chase White (O) d. Meadows (PV), 10-0; David Hudson (D) . Ben Patterson (J), 10-2; Finals – White (O) d. Hudson (D), 10-5.
No. 3 Singles: Seth Turner (O) d. Trent Findley (PV), 10-2; Turner (O) d Cole Gaddy (J), 10-3; Harrison Han (D) d. Braden Stacks (F), 10-0; Finals – Turner (O) d. Han (D), 11-9.
No. 4 Singles: Brett Noah (J) d. Brodie Yarbrough (F), 10-4; Noah (J) d. Dakota Parr (PV), 10-4; Landon Macoy (O) d. Rhett Rigsby (D), 10-0; Finals – Macoy (O) d. Noah (J), 10-4.
No. 5 Singles: Ethan Fuller (O) d. Reese McWhorter (D), 10-8; Fuller (O) d. Joseph Johnson (PV), 10-1; Ammon Record (J) d. Josh Goode (F), 10-1; Finals – Record (J) d. Fuller (O), 11-10 (7-5).
No. 6 Singles: Jack Ballard (D) d. Eli Mitchell (F), 10-6; Ballard (D) d. Mason Bayles (J), 10-6; Josh Whaley (O) d. Jacob Teal (PV), 10-3; Finals – Whaley (O) d. Ballard (D), 10-6.
GIRLS MATCHES
No. 1 Singles: Emma Weidmer (D) d. Analeigh Adams (O), 10-0; Wiedmer (D) d. Karina Jones (PV), 10-1; Zana Christjohn (F) d. Molly Wilson (J), 10-2; Finals – Weidmer (D) d. Christjohn (F), 10-4.
No. 2 Singles: Sarah Jessica Christjohn (F) d. Kristen Peck (PV), 10-2; Christjohn (F) d. Abigail Pratt (O), 10-5; Marella Hudson (D) d. Natalie Patterson (J), 10-1; Finals – Hudson (D) d. Christjohn (F), 10-4.
No. 3 Singles: Claire Hillman (D) d. Alex Billups (J), 10-0; Hillman (D) d. Abby Reimer (O), 10-0; Kristin Covington (F) d. Destiny Conley (PV), 10-0; Finals – Hillman (D) d. Covington (F), 10-1.
No. 4 Singles: Virginia Hutto (D) d. Savannah Sawyer (J), 10-2; Hutto (D) d. Meagan Ford (F), 10-1; Caroline Rogers (O) d. Maci Meadows (PV), 10-3; Finals – Hutto (D) d. Rogers (O), 10-1.
No. 5 Singles: Claire Walker (D) d. Kaelyn Albright (O), 10-1; Walker (D) d. Haleigh Burrows (PV), 10-1; Anslin Dryden (J) d. Lauren Knapp (F), 10-3; Finals – Walker (D) d. Dryden (J), 10-4.
No. 6 Singles: Kalee Spears (O) d. Tyler Reyes (J), 10-2; Lily Grace Draper (D) d. Kassidy Nix (F), 10-0; Finals – Draper (D) d. Spears (O), 10-2.
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