As their regular season nears completion, Coach Sammy Gunter’s men’s tennis program is within reach of a conference title. As of Tuesday, April 8, following a double header match at North Henderson, the Panthers’ record stood at 8-4, 8-2 in the Mountain Seven Conference (M7C).
That record has Franklin High School (FHS) currently in third, behind West Henderson and Smoky Mountain in the M7C. Gunter’s schedule conveniently has his squad playing the Mustangs April 9 and the W. Henderson Falcons April 14. By the end of next week, the team will know if it was able to overtake the two schools above them in the standings.
FHS tennis generally consists of 1-6 seedings for singles. This year the top six are comprised of (in descending order): seniors Gavin Rinker, Eli Adams, Brennan Cabe, and Jack Hyatt, plus juniors Jonah Brandt and Wyatt Parlier. Additional players factor in the mix regarding doubles teams, which is another main component of tennis competition. A match is normally made up of six singles and three doubles competitions.
Following three matches the last week of March, including East Henderson (double-header), Tuscola, and Rabun Gap (non-conference) to round out the week, Coach Gunter provided insight on the team’s progress.
“Using a slightly different format to get the double header in, our guys dominated both matches over a struggling, rebuilding Eagles team with a new coach who was hired three days before the season started. Playing their first start at singles, both Wyatt and Thatcher (Daniels) took turns at #6 in each match to win with ease. It was great to see both guys who started tennis in February play so well,” observed Gunter. The Panthers won the first match, 9-0 and the second, 6-0.
Later that week, the team was again victorious, defeating Tuscola 5-4 in a much closer match.
Gunter relayed, “This match was a lot closer than I would have liked. Top-seeded Gavin lost a close match that went to a tie break. Brennan continued to improve and mix up his shots to completely frustrate his opponent. Drew (Hodges) played the longest match of the day but fell short in a tough baseline duel. Josiah (Holt) and Jonah had no problems with their opponents. In doubles, playing together for the first time as top-seeds, Gavin/Brennan completely dominated their opponents, as both have quick hands and move extremely well.
“Second-seeded Wyatt/Myles (Bargman) also played together for the first time and had a great battle as both teams hit the ball with authority. The momentum kept shifting back and forth until the tie break loss. Third-seeded Zeke (Moffitt)/Thatcher had a close match which was a toss-up until, ahead 6-5, our guys got the last two games for the win. We needed this match to assure the victory. I was glad to see the group pull this one out!”
The Panthers close out their regular season at West Henderson, April 14.
CUTLINE: Franklin’s men’s tennis team is enjoying a current third-place standing in the Mountain 7 Conference, with some of the seniors leading the way, including (clockwise from upper left), Brennan Cabe, Gavin Rinker, Eli Adams, and Jack Hyatt.