Lake Oconee Academy’s tennis teams blazed their way through the region tournament, earning the title of champions.
The Lady Titans have now won four consecutive region titles, and the Titans are back on top, coming up just short and finishing in second place last year. They began the state playoffs earlier this week as No. 1 seeds.
“Both boys and girls won the region this year, and I’m proud of them,” LOA tennis head coach Tom Imhof said.
LOA’s girls won the Class A Division II state championship last season and are poised to defend their title. The Lady Titans returned five of seven contributors from last year’s championship team and aim to win it all again.
Elizabeth Moore, Lainee Carter, Mary Claire McCommons, Riley Payne, and Jaime Beatty helped LOA’s girls win their first state championship. They’ve also performed well this year, especially with the additions of Emi Mokan and Grace Kalmanowicz. The combination of experienced and newer players has been effective.
Imhof believes the Lady Titans have demonstrated significant promise this season. However, he knows how hard the state tournament will be on his returning players and the newcomers.
“We returned five out of seven starters from last year’s state championship team, which is good news,” Imhof said. “The other good news is that the two new girls are very good, but they’re freshmen and not quite battle-tested yet. They’re holding their own and doing just fine, but it’s too early to tell how far we’ll be able to go in state.
“They play two important positions: second and third singles. So, they definitely show great promise for the future,” Imhof added. “They’re improving with each match, but there’s tough competition out there this year, I think even a little tougher than last year, so we’ll see how they do.”
Last season, LOA’s boys lost in the Class A Division II semifinal round, falling just two matches short of a state championship. The Titans are eager this season, with all seven starters returning as they aim to secure a title.
LOA’s boys have battled through adversity this season and have overcome everything thrown their way, including injuries and multiple players participating in other spring sports.
Adam Kalmanowicz, Jack Kalmanowicz, Wyatt Imhof, Major Mercer, Cole Sandoval, Christian Moore, and Henry Hynes have returned and performed well. Quinton Anthony has also stepped up for the Titans this year.
Imholf acknowledged how special this season’s team is and thinks they could win the state title this year.
“Several guys are also playing soccer this year, which we encourage because it’s a small school, but they’ve battled through it. They’ve also dealt with some injuries,” Imhof said. “We’ve also had some guys play some different positions due to those things, but the guys have focused on the team goals: win the region, get the No. 1 seed, and be at home for the playoffs. It’s taken some flexibility, sacrifice, and being open-minded.”
Earlier this week, both teams advanced to the second round of the playoffs. The boys beat Irwin County 3-0, and the girls defeated Charlton County 3-1.
Their next playoff matches will be at home on Monday, April 28.