Both Morgan County tennis teams are still alive and still swinging for more than just a deep playoff run.
The Bulldogs’ boys and girls squads have both punched their tickets to the GHSA Class 2A Elite Eight, pushing through the first two rounds in different styles but with the same result: they’re still playing.
Head coach Conner Perry said the early rounds looked a little different for each side, but both teams handled their business when it mattered.
The boys opened the postseason against Booker T. Washington, a match that ended up being short-handed on the other side.
“In the first round, it was business taken care of,” Perry said. “They didn’t have a full lineup, so they forfeited a couple of lines.”
The second round was a more traditional test against Hart County, where Morgan County secured the win to move on.
“The boys played Hart County yesterday, and they won,” Perry said. “They played very strong and represented well.”
No matter the lineup, Perry said the biggest thing with this group has been their steadiness from top to bottom, which has carried them through the season and into the state quarterfinals.
The girls had a much different kind of night in their second-round matchup with Coahulla Creek.
“We had a dog fight,” Perry said, smiling at the understatement. “We got the third point and pulled a match off.”
That third point came from Lyssa Schafer at No. 1 singles, who turned her match around after dropping the first set and battled back to win in three.
“She really dug in,” Perry said. “She lost the first set and then won the next two. It was right around a two-hour match.”
When it was over, the celebration said plenty.
“You've got to see all the teammates interact and celebrate,” Perry said. “Just knowing today wasn’t the last day.”
A big reason both teams are still going is depth, and Perry didn’t hesitate to point that out. The gap between the top and bottom of the lineup is small, and that has made practices and matches more competitive all season long.
“Our one, two, and three singles are very strong on both boys and girls teams,” he said. “There’s not much drop-off. Our number three could go out and win a good number of points against our number one.”
That internal push has helped both sides stay sharp, especially in pressure moments like the postseason.
Now the challenge gets even bigger.
The girls will face either Hart County or North Murray in the Elite Eight, while the boys will take on either Sonoraville or Burke County.
Perry knows the standard inside the program has already risen, but he’s not interested in calling the season a success just yet.
“It’s a great achievement, but I don’t think the satisfaction would be there if it ended next match. It would still leave a little sour taste,” he said.
Still, both teams are in rare air now, one step away from the semifinals, and still very much in the fight.