VARSITY TENNIS R

iding perfection all the way til the end, the Tallulah Falls Indians pushed away any trepidations of being too young or lacking in intense game experience. The Indians not only built off last season’s Sweet 16 run, but went 15-0 until the final match, repeating a second-round appearance and grabbing the first Region Championship in 46 years for the team.

New head coach Anthony Cox oversaw the best season in team history, as TFS went 15-1 overall, surpassing the previous win high-mark of 14 achieved in 2013. The top singles players, only sophomores, tallied perfect 15-0 records themselves, tying Javier de Claire (2013) with the most singles wins in a season. Tanner Davis excelled at 1-singles, and TJ Cox dominated as well at 2-singles.

The one-two punch of Davis and Cox were followed by fellow sophomore William Xu, who came into his own with 4 wins at 3-singles. Arguably the best doubles combo in Indians history, sophomores Zach Carringer and Jake Owensby, notched 10 wins together for a second straight season, making the only combo to do so at TFS. At 2-doubles, junior Justin Graham and sophomore Aiden VanOrman racked up 6 wins as well.

The Indians opened the season with a 5-0 win over Elbert County, and it marked one of six shutout wins for the group. Gritty 3-2 wins over Stephens County, Habersham Central, and Rabun County in the regular season, along with a stellar non-region 4-1 win over Jefferson helped prepare the boys for the postseason run.

After going a perfect 5-0 in region play, the Indians sought to win the first-ever Region Championship. TFS beat Athens Christian 4-1 in the semifinals before earning a 3-1 win over Rabun to win the title. The Indians went on to host the first round and Sweet 16 of the state tournament on the home courts. Against Pepperell in the opening round, the Indians grabbed a 3-0 win to reach the program’s third Sweet 16. Whitefield Academy ended the 15-match win streak with a 3-0 win with Davis and Cox still fighting in their contests when the match was called.

When the sting wore off and the dust settled from the Sweet 16 loss, it was quite clear how historic the 2023 campaign was for this program — all done with six sophomores and one junior in the lineup. Several others like juniors Octavio Santana and David Vlasic, sophomore Jorge Lantero, and freshman Glad Puscasu all played a role in the success as well, getting some JV action and helping push the starting lineup to be better.

With no one on the team graduating, 2023 might prove to be a stepping stone for the next level for TFS tennis.