Newspaper Page Text
Page 4C
February 21, 2018
2018 SPRING SPORTS f 00101
MP Varsity Boys Tennis Underclassmen
Tanner Lee
Tucker Melton Caleb Wilson Micah Wilson Preston Wilson
MP Varsity Girls Tennis Underclassmen
Emma Cantrell Reagan Dorrity Jackie Gore IsabelleMcCaskill Audrey Parrott Julia Rainey
Anna Starr
Experienced MP tennis squads look to join state's elite
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
With a number of key
returners, the Mary
Persons boys and girls
tennis teams will look to
improve upon outstand
ing 2017 seasons that
saw each squad advance
to the second round of
the AAAA state playoffs.
The MP boys team fin
ished 2017 with a 15-4
record, the program’s
best mark in years.
The 2018 Bulldogs will
feature many famil
iar faces, including its
No. 1 singles standout
Chris Swars. The senior
Swars, who transferred
from Spalding prior to
his junior year, features
an explosive serve and
fierce forehand that
gave many of his region
opponents’ fits last year.
Swars achieved one of
MP’s two match wins
in its 2-3 region title
loss to West Laurens in
2017, dominating his
singles match 6-1, 6-4.
Joining Swars in the
singles rotation will be
one of the squad’s trip
lets, sophomore Preston
Wilson, who will take
over the No. 2 spot.
Junior tennis newcomer
Tanner Lee, who played
varsity soccer in 2017,
is expected to play No. 3
singles.
MP’s two doubles
teams, each of whom
had outstanding seasons
in 2017, have switched
places with last year’s
No. 2 team featuring
the brother tandem of
Caleb Wilson and Micah
Wilson having moved
to No. 1 in 2018. MP
head coach Hannah
Grossman said all three
Wilson brothers have
improved tremendously
in the off-season.
Meanwhile, last year’s
No. 1 doubles pair of
seniors Jordan Carr
and Seth Smith are
expected to dominate
in No. 2 doubles after
a 2017 season that saw
them fall one point shy
of winning their region
title match against West
Laurens.
Providing depth for
the boys’ squad is junior
Tucker Melton, who
played varsity two years
ago, and senior Ian
Bettis, a varsity new
comer.
Grossman said West
Laurens will enter the
season as the region
favorite in both boys
and girls once again,
but she said her boys
squad is poised to chal
lenge them.
“The boys have the
opportunity,” Grossman
said. “They’ve gotta
fight hard.”
MP’s girls squad,
which finished with a
12-5 record in 2017,
was expected to be
the more experienced
of the two, but three
potential seniors elected
not to play this year.
Megan Beall, Stephanie
Pierotti and Abby Rigole
will not play in 2018
due to a combination of
college classes and jobs
leaving four-year starter
Cadi Seitz and three-
year starter Madeline
Copeland as the squad’s
lone seniors.
However, the Bulldogs
do have other expe
rienced returners in
junior Audrey Parrott
and sophomore Jackie
Gore. The other
team members are
five varsity newcom
ers: sophomore Anna
Starr and four fresh
men, Emma Cantrell,
Reagan Dorrity, Isabelle
McCaskill and Julia
Rainey.
The reliable Seitz, who
has primarily played
doubles in her career,
will take over the No.
1 singles spot vacated
by the graduated
Anna Wilks. Joining
Seitz in singles will
be Gore, who played
doubles a year ago, and
Cantrell, a freshman
who Grossman said has
shown great early prom
ise.
“Emma’s a hustler.
She’s feisty,” Grossman
said of Cantrell,
who also played for
Grossman on MP’s var
sity softball team in the
fall.
In doubles, MP
will turn to veterans
Copeland and Parrott
to anchor the No. 1
spot while newcomers
Dorrity and Starr are
expected to team up at
No. 2 doubles.
Grossman said her
goal for the girls team is
to advance back to the
Sweet 16 for the third
straight year. However,
she said MP has found
that competition outside
of Middle Georgia is a
lot tougher, falling 0-5
to North Oconee in the
second round a year
ago.
Assisting Grossman
for the third straight-
year is Trey Bernard,
who was slated to
2018 MP Varsity Tennis Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION
TIME
Feb. 22
Jones County
Home
4:00 p.m
Feb. 27
ACE
Away (John Drew)
4:00 p.m
Feb. 28
Jackson
Home
4:00 p.m
Mar. 1
Locust Grove
Home
4:00 p.m
Mar. 6
Spalding*
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 8
ACE
Home
4:00 p.m
Mar. 12
Jones County
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 13
Upson-Lee*
Home
4:00 p.m
Mar. 15
Howard*
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 19
West Laurens*
Home
4:00 p.m
Mar. 21
Perry*
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 26
Pike County
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 28
Taylor County
Away
4:00 p.m
Mar. 29
Lamar County
Home
4:00 p.m
Apr. 9-12
Region Tourney
Away (John Drew)
TBA
Apr. 20
1 st Round State
TBA
TBA
Apr. 26
2nd Round
TBA
TBA
May 2
Quarterfinals
TBA
TBA
May 8
Semifinals
TBA
TBA
May 12
Finals
Berry College
TBA
* Region 2-AAAA Matches
Boys and Girls matches occur simultaneously
return Tuesday after
missing several weeks
after his wife recently
had their first child.
Grossman, who is in
her fourth year as head
coach, said she’s excited
about the opportunity to
coach both of this year’s
MP teams: “I’m looking
forward to the season.
It’s an entertaining
group of kids, and we
make sure we have a
good time.”
ANNA STARR
mmm
eim
GO ANNA!
LOVE, MOM, DAD,
AUSTIN AND AVA