Highland Tech tennis continues deep playoff run
Highland Tech makes its first appearance in the dual-team tennis state quarterfinals when it travels to East Montgomery (17-0) Tuesday.
The Rams (12-4) are the area’s last boys tennis team standing, but they’ll have to go without top player Jason Duarte, who is out with a shoulder injury.
“We’ve got our backs against the wall this time,” Highland Tech Forshee Blair said.
Duarte qualified for last weekend’s individual state championships but couldn’t attend because of the injury. Although he can’t play Tuesday, he plans to travel with the team for support.
In Duarte’s absence, Chris Flanagan moves up to No. 1 singles. Freshman Jon Alliss will play at No. 2 singles. The remainder of the singles lineup includes Bryson Beert at No. 3, Bryan Williams at No. 4, Thomas Terrio at No. 5 and Mitchell Sayasene at No. 6.
If the Rams advance, they would return to their home court Thursday to face Hendersonville (14-0) or Mount Airy (13-2) for the 1A West title. The state championship is scheduled for Saturday.
Highland Tech, which won the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference title for a second straight season, reached the second round of the state playoffs for a third straight year. The Rams beat North Moore 5-4 last week, advancing to the third round for the first time in school history.
