“WOW! What an ending.”
Exhausted from the roller coaster ride, Brantley County head coach Patrick Stieve was proud of his Herons and Lady Herons tennis teams after sweeping the Class A Division I state titles Saturday in front a large gathering of supporters.
BCHS was hosting its first-ever state championship in any sport dating all the way back to the days of Hoboken High and Nahunta High.
Locals gathered to watch in lawn chairs, some sitting under tents and some sitting in bleachers around three sides of the on-campus tennis courts.
“We can not say enough about how great these student athletes are,” said Stieve and his assistant coaches Dalton Lairsey and Kate Melvin. “They are hard workers, very focused, never do they throw the towel in, and they buy into all of the things that make Brantley County tennis what it is!
“The support from parents, teachers, bus drivers, school officials, the community, sponsors, boosters, the list goes on and on. We are so thankful for all the people who have had a hand in making this thing special.
“To win a state championship is not an easy task. It takes commitment to the cause and a valiant effort from all of us. These kids have represented our school and our county in the best way possible!”
Both the Herons and Lady Herons had fights on their hands against Bleckley County and Jeff Davis.
BCHS outslugged the Royals in the 2 p.m., matchup that was nearly two hours and 50 minutes in length with the two teams trading blows.
The Lady Herons, along with Jeff Davis waited patiently outside the court as their scheduled 5 p.m. start was pushed back to 5:30. They played until 7:45 p.m.
With the ebb and flow of the boys’ match draining energy from onlookers, the second championship match was not as raucus.
“We (coaches), as a coaching staff,had to reset and refocus getting our girls ready to face a familiar foe,” said Stieve. “This match was on its way to being just as intense, but with a few twists.”
In the end, the Lady Herons secured their second straight title rallying from a 2-1 deficit.
“Our motto has been ‘Jobs not done’ since winning region,” the players said. “
The time they put in, it’s extraordinary!” said Stieve.
