ROME — Brantley County’s tennis Herons joined their sister program as a two-time champion here Wednesday, May 13 at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
Top-seed defending champion BCHS (24-2) downed sixth-seed Rabun County (19-3) 3-1 to repeat as Class A DI champions.
The Lady Herons, who were ousted in the “Elite 8” by eventual runner-up Model, entered the 2026 state tournament as two-time champions winning the 2024 Class AA title and the 2025 Class A DI crown. Model lost 3-0 in the finals to top-seed Jeff Davis, a member of Brantley County’s region.
The Herons won their last eight matches, including five in the state playoffs, en route to the title. BCHS has won its last 10 playoff matchups to become the first program to repeat in the Class A DI classification.
The clinching point came at No. 2 doubles with Alex Keen and Evan Payne rallying from a one-set deficit to beat Brayon Kelly and Andrew Conner 3-6, 62, 6-4.
Brantley County drew first blood in the title match with Jayce Chapman first off the court at No. 3 singles following a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Jacobe Smith.
The Wildcats evened the match at 1apiece after Lleyton Phillips posted a 63, 6-4 decision at No. 1 over Ashton Tyler.
The Herons grabbed a 2-1 advantage with Owen Spradley’s 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 2 over John Getty.
BCHS’s No. 1 doubles team of Jett and Miles Florey split their first two sets 7-5, 3-6 and trailed 3-2 in the third set to Brady Darnell and Landon Bedingfield when play was stopped.
Brantley County High School’s 2026 Class A DI state champion tennis team is comprised of (l-r) Ashton Tyler, Layton Myers, Bish Allen, Yog Patel, Jett Florey, Jayce Chapman, Owen Spradley, Miles Florey, Alex Keen, Evan Payne, Jeel Patel, Caiden Aldridge and Payton Perez. SPECIAL PHOTO
