GHSA tennis championships
When: Saturday
Where: Clayton County International Park Tennis Center, Jonesboro
Admission: Free
It hardly seemed like a state tennis tournament last season without the Walton girls. The Raiders’ streak of eight consecutive championships ended last year when they failed to reach the final.
Order has been restored, and the Raiders are back in the final, where they’ll meet Peachtree Ridge for the Class AAAAAA title. That’s one of 14 state championships that will be determined Saturday at the Clayton County International Park Tennis Center in Jonesboro.
“Last year was a rebuilding year with a lot of young players,” Walton coach Christy Page said. “This year we’ve matured, grown together as a team and stayed healthy.”
Walton had its streak of 158 consecutive wins broken last year when it lost to Roswell in the quarterfinals. This year the Raiders bounced back to win their 19th consecutive region championship and have lost only one game in four playoff matches. The Raiders are (17-0) led at No. 1 singles by sophomore Suzanne Zenoni and at No. 2 by senior Melissa Mashburn, who has committed to Minnesota State.
Peachtree Ridge (16-4) is trying to win its first state tennis title. The girls are led at No. 1 singles by Abby Owens, who verbally committed to LSU.
The championships begin with the Class A public and private finals at 9 a.m., followed by Class AA and AAA at 10:15 a.m., Class AAAA and AAAAA at 11:30 a.m., and Class AAAAAA at 1 p.m. Admission is free. Here’s the breakdown:
Class AAAAAA boys: Brookwood goes for its seventh team championship against North Cobb, which is looking for its first.
Class AAAAA: Starr's Mill goes for a sweep. The boys meet Union Grove, while the girls play Lakeside-Evans.
Class AAAA: Madison County meets Columbus in the boys final, while LaGrange plays Marist for the girls title game. The Marist girls have won a record 21 team championships; the War Eagles have won 16 of the past 19, but missed last season.
Class AAA: Blessed Trinity will play for the boys and girls championship. The boys, who won a title in 2010, will meet St. Pius. The Blessed Trinity girls, led by Kourtney Keegan (committed to Florida), have won the championship the past four years, and meet Woodward Academy, which won state three of the past five years.
Class AA: Westminster has a chance to sweep both titles. The boys, who have won championships in 12 of the past 13 years, meet Wesleyan. The Westminster girl have 16 titles, but haven't won it all since 2003, will play arch-rival Lovett in the final.
Class A-Public: Irwin County has the chance to sweep. The Indians play Baconton in the girls final and meet Marion County in the boys final.
Class A-Private: Walker will play for the boys and girls championships. The Walker boys have won three team titles, the most recent in 2010, and will meet First Presbyterian of Macon. The Walker girls meet two-time defending champion Mt. Pisgah.
About the Author
