Clarke Central High School tennis player Michael Argabright, a sophomore, practices on the CCHS tennis courts on Feb. 14. Argabright won in the third set of his singles match 6-1 and 6-0 against Morgan County High School on Feb. 5. “I feel like I destroyed my opponent. It was not even close,” Argabright said. “I think this match helped me build confidence that we might be able to carry over into our next match.” Photo by Colin Frick
The Clarke Central High School tennis teams played its first match on Feb. 5. against Morgan County High School. This week, they are preparing for their next match against Buford High School on Feb. 28.
The Clarke Central High School boys and girls tennis teams played their first match against Morgan County High School on Feb. 5. The CCHS boys beat MCHS with a score of 4-1, while the CCHS girls were defeated by MCHS in a 3-2 loss.
“The girls barely lost and they played well against a good team. It’s one of those things that could have gone either way. It just went Morgan’s way,” CCHS head tennis coach Stephen Hinson said. “I was proud of the girls, but the boys played an outstanding match. They were pretty much dominant from top-to-bottom and we lost one doubles match, but it’s still very close.”
Boys No. 1 singles player Elijah Gabriel, a senior, wants to keep the team focused for its next match against Buford High School on Feb. 28.
“I think as long as we just keep getting out on the court consistently we can definitely do well,” Gabriel said. “I think a big thing is keeping our head in the game. (Hinson) is big on sportsmanship and I think that’s really important and not letting opponents get in our heads and messing with us.”
Hinson believes that in order to advance past region play and into the state playoffs, his team must compete well against BHS. According to Hinson, BHS presents a challenge to the team. Last year, BHS went to the state finals and is returning several key players.
“I truly believe we are really going to be very competitive in our region. We are a very small region, since there are only six teams.” Hinson said. “I would imagine the most dominant team and the most competitive team is going to be (BHS).”