GAINESVILLE, Ga. — It will be a David vs. several Goliaths finish in the Class 4A girls state tennis playoffs.
North Hall, the lone public school left in the classification, will have to get past a pair of private school behemoths, starting with Holy Innocents' on Thursday at 4 p.m. at the North Hall Courts in the semifinals. The Lady Trojans have never advanced to championship round match.
If they get past the Lady Golden Bears, who finished as the Class A Private state runners-up in 2022, the Lady Trojans will get either Pace Academy or Westminster.
Pace Academy has won three straight state titles (one in 3A, the last two in 2A), and Westminster has won four of the previous five Class 3A titles before moving up a class this season.
Longtime North Hall tennis coach Robert Woodworth says it has that aura, but not totally.
"I would say it has that feel (if you've been around a long time), but the kids don't because they're young and are just playing tennis," Woodworth said. "We are a young team and only have one senior (Gabby Jenkins) that has been a big contributor, and she's a quiet leader keeping things as normal and calm as possible."
However, the Lady Trojans have shown they should not be taken lightly. They knocked off last season's Class 2A state runner-up Lovett in the second round (3-2) and made quick work of Class 4A 2022 semifinalist West Laurens (3-0) in last week's quarterfinal round.
Woodworth is not discounting his group, who have been battle-tested.
"We have a lot of depth at singles with Ella Kate Canaday, Jenkins, and Lilly Perry and have had some clutch doubles play," Woodworth said. "I think it will be a (close) match that could come down to No. 1 doubles. We have a very realistic chance of winning this."
North Hall isn't the only Northeast Georgia-area team left, however. The Lumpkin County boys also are into the semifinals in Class 3A.
The No. 2 seed Indians out of Region 7-3A will travel to Savannah to take on Region 3-3A champion Savannah Country Day with a chance to advance to the finals on May 13 in Rome. They knocked off Franklin County, Bremen, and Morgan County to get into the Final 4.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/5/1181833/tennis-playoffs-5-4-23