TIGER – The Rabun County boys tennis team is headed to the state championship for the first time in program history, following its 3-1 win over Model on May 8.
The No. 6 seeded Wildcats will take on No. 1 seed Brantley County on Wednesday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m., in Rome at the Rome Tennis Center.
“It was a battle, and they were ready for it,” Rabun County boys tennis head coach Bryan Getty said of his team. “And I wasn’t ready for it. I was emotional all day, I’m emotional right now. But they were ready for it. I’m so proud of them.”
With Rabun County holding a 2-1 lead, the contest came down to the last two remaining matches, Landan Bedingfield and Brady Darnell on No. 1 doubles, and Cobe Smith on No. 3 singles. The Wildcats needed a victory in just one of those two matches to advance.
The duo of Bedingfield and Darnell delivered, winning the third set of their match, 6-1 as the large crowd at the RCHS tennis courts erupted when they earned the final point.
In the second set, the duo was close to victory and led 4-3 before ultimately falling 4-6. Following that second set, Getty instructed them to change their mindset as they went into the final set.
The duo, Getty said, was a little down on themselves and beaten up after dropping the second set. He wanted them to play loose, have fun and embrace the opportunity in front of them.
“After that second set, I just said, ‘You guys need to remember, this is a great opportunity,” Getty said of the conversation. “‘You have a set that you could clinch a trip to the state championship. That sounds like pressure, but it’s not. It’s just a great opportunity that you get to have and I want you to enjoy this.”’
Getty also challenged Bedingfield and Darnell to win the first game of the set and turn the “red one” of the scoreboard on the court over before Model could turn over the visiting “black one.”
Bedingfield and Darnell conquered that challenge and rode the momentum to the 6-1 win in the third set. The pair won the first set of the match by a score of 6-4 in the victory.
As a result of the win for RCHS, Smith did not finish his match on No. 3 singles. At the time of the match finishing, he led the second set 5-4 after falling in the first set, 4-6. Smith has an individual record on No. 3 singles this season of 17-1.
The Wildcats earned their other two points of the match on No. 2 doubles from the tandem of Andrew Conner and Braylon Kelly and on No. 1 singles from Lleyton Phillips.
Conner and Kelly secured the first point of the match for either team, claiming a 6-3, 6-1 win. Phillips gave Rabun County the mentioned 2-1 lead with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph.
“That guy was very difficult to play the way he played, the way he was so vocal,” Getty said of Phillips' match. “And he was trying to get in Lleyton's head and Lleyton is the toughest mental tennis player that I've coached. He's so good. And I knew he could do it. Like, I didn't barely speak a word to him during the match because I knew he had it.”
Model earned its only point of the match with a victory on No. 2 singles where Evans Drinkard defeated Jack Getty, 6-2, 6-3. After Drinkard’s win, the contest was tied 1-1.
But from there, Rabun County battled and overcame adversity to win 3-1 and advance to its first-ever state championship.
“I think that was the difference, the confidence that these guys have, because they push each other all these years,” Getty said of his team overcoming adversity in the match. “They come out here and play all hours of the night throughout the weekends and stuff. They're filling up these courts when nobody else is, and that's why they believe in themselves, because they put in the time.”
Next, Rabun County will battle Brantley County for the state championship on Wednesday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m., in Rome at the Rome Tennis Center. The Herons defeated the Wildcats in last year's Elite Eight round of the state playoffs.