Lady Rebels claim region tennis title
The Fannin County High School girls tennis team are now the tennis champions for Georgia’s 7-A Division One region.
“I am so very proud of both of these teams. The girls were so close last year,” Coach Suzianne Pass said.
Lady Rebel alumni Annabeth Minear, Kendra Newman, and Lucia Martinez also said they were proud of the team, Pass said.
Not only did the Lady Rebels win the championship, they controlled it.
In their final match before the championship against Gordon Central, the Fannin girls didn’t lose a single match.
Sadie Patton (6-2, 6-1) started the team off, winning one set 6-2 and another 6-1.
Then, Izzie Jabaley won her match with a 6-3 set and a 6-1 set.
Maddie Schuenemanʼs shut out her opponent in both her sets.
Doubles team Kendall Clore and Taber Pass won their match with a 6-4 set and a 6-1 set.
The other doubles team, Piper Stroemer and Gracie Tutterrow, ended the day by winning a 6-0 set and a 6-2 set.
From there, the Fannin girls went to the championship in Rome, Georgia.
Going into the tournament on March 27, they were already ranked first in the region.
In the first round of the championship, the Lady Rebels beat Coosa.
Then they beat Gordon Lee.
Their final match was aganist Armuchee.
Despite a “nail-biting finish,” the girls pulled out a win, said Rose Schueneman, the mother of a boys tennis team member.
The first round of the girls state tennis match will take place at Fannin County High School. Its date is yet to be announced.
“It is not a school record, but it has been a long time since our tennis teams have been this successful in the region tournament,” Pass said.
Rebels finish strong to finish region runner-up
The Fannin County High School boys tennis team finished strong, taking the runner-up title for the Georgia 7A Division One region.
“The boys played hard last year and kept improving during the season,” coach Suzianne Pass said.
“They put in the work in the off season and it has paid off. These boys have played some long matches and they never gave up.”
To get to the match, the boys won their last region match against Gordon Central 4-1.
Cayson Mitchell won the first match, shutting out the first set and winning the second 6-2.
The next went to Garrett Pittman, who won the first set 6-1 and the second 6-3.
In the first doubles match, Henry Schueneman and Odin Rea-Gutierrez lost in a close match.
Austin Prieto won the last singles match, winning the first set 6-1 and shutting his opponent out on the second.
The second doubles match went to Jamison Dickey and Jonathan Bewley.
Going into the Rome, Georgia tournament on March 27, the boys were ranked third in region.
In the tournament, the boys beat Gordon Lee and Christian Heritage. But they lost against Armuchee in the final round.
It has been a long time since Fannin tennis teams have achieved regional tournament success, Pass said.
The first round of the girls state tennis match will take place at Fannin County High School. Its date is yet to be announced.
“I am extremely proud of each student athlete and am excited to see how far each team will go this season,” she added.