Hanahan's top tennis players serve up impressive victories

With back-to-back undefeated seasons, 28 victories in a row and two consecutive state championships, Hanahan High School boys’ tennis coach Glenn Cobb can say with confidence that his top five players have the potential to play Division I tennis when they matriculate to the next level.

“All five could play small college tennis right now,” the coach added.

That comment was an exclamation point to some great tennis. The Hawks completed another ultra-impressive season as a team and as individuals. The Hawks blanked Clinton 6-0 in the Class AAA state championships that were pushed back three days because of inclement weather.

It was worth the wait.

Then the Hawks excelled in the individual championships as well. There were so many Hawks involved in the chase for the individual title that it was often Hawk vs. Hawk once the field thinned out.

There’s no wonder that the Hawks’ top five players - Reilly Wilson, Kerim Hyatt, Coy Simon, Chad Nash and Max Smith - all gained all-state honors.

“I don’t know if that’s ever happened before,” Cobb said of five players from the same team making the all-state team. “I asked around and no one seemed to know if that had happened before. Either way, it is very impressive.”

This year’s team didn’t include two players from last year’s squad who transferred to Oceanside Collegiate Academy. This year’s team also had three newcomers, who were motivated to play well.

“The new players wanted to keep the streak going,” Cobb said. “They wanted to prove they belonged.”

The team is young. The top six players include a junior, three sophomores, a freshman and an eighth-grader. They felt pressure because they were expected to win.

“If you do it once, people expect you to do it again,” Cobb said in reference to the great expectations placed on the team after last season’s success. “When you win a state championship, everyone expects you to win. You have to live up to the expectations.”

The Hawks breezed through the playoffs. They received a first-round bye and defeated Gilbert. The Hawks then topped rival Bishop England 4-2 for the Lower State crown and defeated Clinton 6-0 for all the Class AAA marbles in a match played at the Cayce Tennis Center. Clinton managed to win only five games in singles play.

“Yes, they were overmatched,” Cobb said of Clinton. “Basically, my team is full of tournament-level players and the other team is a good high school team. There is a difference between a player who has a lot of tournament experience and a player who plays at the high school level.

In singles play, Hyatt defeated Isaac MacMillan; Nash topped Robert Powell; Simon beat Ike Waldron; Wilson defeated Tyler Trevino and Smith blasted Alexander Windsor.

The doubles team of Mark Jones and Tong Vong also posted an impressive triumph.

In individual play, Hanahan had three of the four semifinals spots, and Wilson earned the Class AAA state championship with a gritty performance that included wins over teammates Hyatt and Simon.

Daniel Island Publishing

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