Highland Tech dominates SPC 1A tennis tournament
GASTONIA — It was all Highland Tech at the 1A portion of the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference individual tennis tournament Wednesday.
The Rams’ Jason Duarte defeated teammate Chris Flanagan for the singles championship while Highland Tech’s Bryson Beert and Bryan Williams defeated the Rams’ Thomas Terrio and Jon Alliss for the doubles crown.
All of them earned a spot in next week’s regional by reaching the conference tournament finals.
“I was proud of them,” Rams coach Forshee Blair said. “They actually stepped up and tried to fill the shoes of those guys who graduated last year.”
Highland Tech’s youthful lineup easily made up for the graduation of Rob Stover and Peter Terrio last year.
Duarte and Williams are the only seniors on the team. Flanagan, Thomas Terrio and Beert are juniors. Alliss is a freshman.
“The best part about it is we’re young,” Blair said.
Highland Tech, which earlier had won the overall dual-team conference championship for a second straight season, will play host to Monroe in the first round of the dual-team state playoffs 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Bradley Center. The individual regionals will then take place May 7 at East Montgomery.
Challenger will represent the SPC as its No. 2 seed in the 1A dual-team playoffs.
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference
1A tennis individual tournament
Wednesday at the Bradley Center, Gastonia
Singles
Quarterfinals
Jason Duarte (Highland Tech), bye
Brandon Lucaciu (Challenger) d. Brandon Fail (Cherryville) 6-0, 6-0
Chris Flanagan (Highland Tech) d. Josh Pierce (Cherryville) 6-0, 6-0
Kong Yang (Challenger), bye
Semifinals
Duarte d. Lucaciu 6-0, 6-0
Flanagan d. Yang 6-1, 6-1
Finals
Duarte d. Flanagan 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Doubles
Quarterfinals
Bryson Beert/Bryan Williams (Highland Tech), bye
Anthony Her/Shao Yang (Challenger) d. Ronald Key/Evan Hayes (Cherryville) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
Thomas Terrio/Jon Alliss (Highland Tech) d. Michael Thompson/Thu Bang (Challenger) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
Will Hodgkins/Dan Hayes (Cherryville), bye
Semifinals
Beert/Williams d. Her/Yang 6-1, 6-1
Terrio/Alliss d. Hodgkins/Hayes 6-0, 6-3
Finals
Beert/Williams d. Terrio/Alliss 6-3, 7-5
