Rain, tough competition end tennis title hopes for Bishops

Nothing was going to stop the A.C. Flora High School boys’ tennis team from its date with perfection.

 

Not the Bishop England High School team and not the rainstorm that was so severe that the May 10 Class AAAA state championship venue had to be changed in the middle of the match.

 

What began at the Cayce Tennis Center ended at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center as the Falcons finished off the Bishops for a 5-1 victory in a match that was delayed more than two hours because of the rain.

 

BE’s No. 1 singles player, Dante Nava, who is only an eighth grader, recorded the Bishops’ only victory of the long day.

 

Other BE players who competed in the match included Roland Weir, Colin Murray, Parker Murphy, Lucas Rizzetto, Caleb Watson, and Andrew Hamilton.

 

The Bishops posted a 14-2 record and played their 24th state championship since 1979. The Bishops are 12-12 in state championship matches.

 

“It was a great confidence boost for the boys, who are ready to be back next year,” coach Kristen Fleming Arnold said.

 

Murray, Murphy, and Watson were the only seniors who competed in the state championship.

 

PHILIP SIMMONS 

The Philip Simmons boys’ team also had a successful season, finishing with a 14-4 record.

 

The Iron Horses reached the Class AAA-AA-A Lower State Championship, dropping a 6-0 decision to eventual state champ Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

 

The Iron Horses were dominant in their first three postseason matches as the No. 4 Lower State seed. They blanked Hanahan High School 6-0 and followed that up with a 4-2 victory over the Governor’s School. They topped No. 1 seed Waccamaw 5-1 in a Lower State Semifinal.

 

Addison Stuart, Henry Broad, Matthew Esse, Camden Manganaro, Ryan Kriza, Grayson Estey, and Davey Kenser competed against OCA.