Bishop boys' tennis team continues state championship push
The Bishop England High School boys’ tennis team had plenty to celebrate with a 12-3 record, a Region 6-AAAA championship, and the No. 1 seed in the Lower State playoff brackets as the second week of the postseason began.
That’s an impressive accomplishment for coach Kristin Fleming Arnold and her team, a squad with a nucleus that includes a freshman, seventh-grader, and sophomore.
Dante Nava is the freshman. He is the team’s No. 1 singles player, was undefeated in region competition, and will play in the individual state championships once the team champions are determined.
Declan Finley is the talented seventh-grader, and he is undefeated on the season.
Ben Burnette is the talented sophomore. He is the Bishops’ No. 5 singles player.
Championship-caliber teams have experienced leaders, and the Bishops are no exception with a pair of talented seniors: Roland Weir and Andrew Hamilton. They are the team captains.
Weir was undefeated in region action and will play in the individual state championships for the second straight year and will showcase his skills in the North-South Games.
The Bishops were the only Class AAAA team that had two players earn all-state honors: Nava and Weir. Nava was an eighth grader and was the youngest player in the Class AAAAA-AAAA bracket and the only middle-school student to earn all-state in the individual state tournament.
Last spring, the Bishops’ bid for a 13th state championship was denied by A.C. Flora, a 5-1 winner in the Class AAAA championship.
The Bishops are a victory away from another trip to the state championship after a 4-2 homecourt victory over Bluffton on May 4. The Bishops host South Aiken on May 6 with a trip to the title match at stake.
“I believe we can make it back to the state championship,” said Fleming Arnold, who has coached the girls’ team for 16 years and is wrapping up her 13th year as the boys’ coach. “We played Bluffton twice already but we knew this is the playoffs so we needed to be ready to play.”
The Bishops’ top four singles players led the way in the win over Bluffton.
Nava defeated William Zenzran 7-6 (2), 6-3 while Weir defeated Brendan Halas 6-3, 6-1. Finley edged Keegan Rucker 6-7 (3), 6-1, 10-7. Hamilton topped Garrett Rowe 6-5, 7-5.
The Bishops were scheduled to host South Aiken on May 6 with a trip to the state championship at stake.
The Bishops went undefeated in region play and the only losses in the regular season were to Oceanside Collegiate Academy and Philip Simmons. The Iron Horses topped the Bishops two times this season.
The Bishops won the First Serve tournament earlier this spring, beating Waccamaw, Wando, Academic Magnet, and Summerville.
The Bishops defeated Airport 6-0 in the first round and bounced Gray Collegiate Academy 6-0 in the second round to set up the Lower State quarterfinal against Bluffton.
The boys’ team has won 12 state championships in 23 finals appearances. The Bishops’ most recent state title was seven years ago.
The BE girls have won 26 state titles in 32 finals appearances. Fleming Arnold played on four BE state championship teams from 1990-93.