- Details
- Written by: Donald Clark
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy has three returning starters, including a number one seed who was injured all of last year and two players from the 2024 top six.
Gary Williams is starting his fourth season as the head coach at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. He has an overall record of 20-22 in his first three seasons. The squad held its first practice on Wednesday, July 30th at Cleveland Country Club in Shelby.
""I have very high expectations for our team this season. We have three returning players, and they are all very strong players. We also have some young new players who have come out who have worked hard throughout the summer to learn the sport and improve. I expect us to be a very strong team at the top of our roster with a lot of depth all the way through number six. We are looking forward to a great season ahead," said Coach Williams.
The Lady Gryphons open the 2025 season on Tuesday, August 12th at Cherryville High School.
No comments
- Details
- Written by: Donald Clark
Wilmington John T. Hoggard High School returns four starters and three other letterwomen in 2025. Seven newcomers are joining the squad, including six freshmen who are experienced tournament players.
Coach Michael Bowen is entering his sixteenth season with the Hoggard ladies. He has an overall record of 170-67 in his previous 15 years. Assistant coach Tim Hower, the editor of the high school sports website CoastalPreps, is also returning for his nineteenth season as the assistant coach at the school.
"With so many new faces, we will be using the preseason practice to help set the lineup in both singles and doubles. We will also be working on building team chemistry," said Coach Hower.
"This is the deepest team we've had in nearly two decades, so expectations are pretty high. We want to be the best team in Wilmington, win the Carolina Coast Conference title, and make a deep run in the 8A playoffs. Our top two players., twins Braelyn and Zannah Roberson, are among the most talented in the state. We should be solid at numbers three through six, but tight matches always come down to doubles. We haven't figured those pairings out yet. If we can find some good combinations, it could be a special season," continued Coach Hower.
The Lady Vikings open their 2025 season on Tuesday, August 12th at home against Cape Fear Academy.
- Details
- Written by: Donald Clark
Keith Murphy is retiring as the women's tennis coach at Southwest Guilford High School after sixteen seasons at the helm of the program. Coach Murphy compiled an overall record of 160-132 in his career at the school.
- Details
- Written by: Donald Clark
Robert Jones, the men's and women's tennis coach at Spring Creek High School, is retiring as the head coach at the school. Coach Jones coached men's tennis for 22 seasons at East Duplin, Spring Creek, Pender County, and Clinton. He coached women's tennis for 18 seasons at East Duplin, Spring Creek, and Clinton.
Coach Jones won 323 high school tennis matches in his career at the four schools. His overall record for 22 seasons in men's tennis was 173-16. His overall record for 18 seasons in women's tennis was 150-111.
He has 29.1 years in education and plans to continue teaching next year at Greenwood and Wayne School of Technical Arts. His wife Erica, who played for East Duplin High School four years, is the current CTE and High School Director for Duplin County Schools. His son Daniel, a senior at East Duplin High School, will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Morehead-Cain Scholarship next year.
The new Spring Creek High School me's and women's tennis coach will be Daniel Krentz. Coach Jones plans to continue to serve as an assistant coach for both programs.
- Details
- Written by: Wayne NMN Giese
We traveled to Watauga and Coach David Peeler's team. Our #7 played well but lost in a tie breaker 8-10. We had strong showings at 2, 3, 4 and 5 to come away with a 6-3 win. Our #1 dbls. played well and won their match with great communication and strategy. We hope to make this match up a regular non-conference match.