Cape Fear tennis coach Chris Lucas steps down after leading Colts to 2 state championships
Cape Fear girls tennis coach Chris Lucas is going out on top.
After leading the Colts to consecutive NCHSAA 3A state championships, Lucas is stepping down to spend more time with his family and focus on earning a master’s degree that could lead to an administrative role.
“The goal was always to dream big and I really did think it was possible,” Lucas said. “. … The goal always was to build tennis in the community and help get Fayetteville back on the tennis scene at a competitive level.”
The Colts accomplished that under Lucas, who had been with the program since 2015.
Cape Fear beat Forestview in 2021 to claim the program’s first-ever state championship and become Fayetteville’s first tennis program in nearly 30 years to take top honors in the sport. The Colts ran it back in 2022 with a victory against Lake Norman Charter as Cumberland County’s first team to win multiple titles since Terry Sanford claimed four straight from 1991-94.
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“The memories that stick out the most are definitely the bus rides, the practices and just enjoying the time with the players and parents,” Lucas said. “It’s a really special community. The determination and dedication of the players made it possible and I was very blessed to be able to be a part of that and grow alongside the players.”
Lucas, who played at Laney High School, started his high school coaching career in 2015 at Pinecrest. After leading the boys team to a conference championship in his first season, Lucas made the move to Fayetteville.
His first week coaching at Cape Fear looked a lot different than his final week with the Colts.
“We had inherited a team where we only had a couple of returning players and the No. 5 player was going to be the new No. 1,” Lucas said.
“We recruited quite a few athletic freshmen that had never picked up a racket before … and they just really helped to round out the team. I remember Coach (Lee Osbourne) and I teaching the absolute basics and just trying to motivate and encourage them to have high expectations for themselves.”
The 2021 USTA North Carolina High School Coach of the Year has a match record of 101-25. In addition to a pair of dual team state titles, Lucas helped Anna Piland and Brooke Bieniek win the doubles crown in 2021.
The Colts have won four straight conference championships. Lee Osbourne, the boys tennis coach, will now be taking over both programs.
As he turns the page to the next chapter of his life, Lucas hopes his players remember to focus on “winning the right way” on and off the court.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn,” he said. “What I would hope is that they remember we tried to build a program in which the players encouraged each other and had high expectations for themselves.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cape Fear tennis coach Chris Lucas steps down
