Prep highlights: Savannah Country Day tennis teams reach state semifinals; prep signing roundup

Savannah Country Day's Lamar Kirkley has worked at the school for 48 years, and the 71-year old hasn't slowed down a bit. He'll be courtside on Saturday when the Hornet boys tennis team takes on Lumpkin County in a Class 3A State semifinal matchup at 10 a.m. on the SCD courts.

The Hornet girls team also reached the Final Four in the state playoffs and will be on the road to face Bremen Thursday.

"The biggest thing is we have been solid top to bottom this year," Kirkley said. "We've had different players come through at different times and we've had a lot of 3-2 wins, and we've got some freshman who have really contributed."

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Kirkley said his singles lineup of No. 1 Henry Berg, a junior, with senior Jake Felser, a team captain at No. 2 singles and No. 3 Nico Dascombe, a junior, have been the backbone of the team, which has a record of 20-2.

Freshmen Finlay Taylor and Wills Davis form the No. 2 doubles team with a junior Lawson Zhou teaming with freshman Paxton Towe at No. 1 doubles.

"Henry has been a solid No. 1, he only has a few losses all year," Kirkley said. "He's smart and keeps the ball in play. And Jake (Felser) is a 4-year letter winner who is our captain and the glue that keeps us together. With Nico a strong No. 3, we have three peas in a pod that have been the key for us."

Carrie Vetrovsky is in her third year coaching the SCD girls tennis team, and this is the deepest run the Hornets have made in her tenure. Claudia Birthisel has put together another strong season in her 4th year at No. 1 singles. Alysa Young is another key at No. 2 singles. Sophomore Eliza Strong is another strong player at No. 3 singles.

Skye Horn and Helen Culver play at No. 1 doubles, with Lilla Brennan and Mary Duval at No. 2 doubles.

"The girls are really excited to reach the Final Four," Vetrovsky said. "Tennis is a such an individual sport, but they play like a team. They are so coachable and feed off the individual pressure they have to play their best and help the team."

Habersham tennis team wins GAPPS state crowns

The Habersham School tennis teams had an impressive week in the individual and team state tournaments this week.

Faith Devey won the girls singles championship with a 7-6, 6-3 win over teammate Lucy Kelly, while Cecilia Manley and Myla Shippy took home the girls doubles title on Monday, with Ike Barry and Hamilton Colley winning the boys doubles crown at the GAPPS D I Individual State Championships at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.

In the team championships on Tuesday, the girls won their second straight team crown as Lucy Kelly won a singles match, while Manley and Shippy won in doubles, along with Georgia Reed and Lindsey Norman in a 3-0 win over Rocks Springs Christian Academy by a score of 3-0.

Savannah-area signings

Two of the top basketball players in Savannah announced their college intentions recently as Beach stars Shammarie Hugie and James Leach signed with junior college programs.

Hugie will be playing at Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas, while Leach is headed to St. Petersburg College in Florida.

Hugie had an excellent senior campaign for Beach as the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 20.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game to earn All-Greater Savannah first-team honors.

The high-flying Leach was also an All-Greater Savannah first-team pick as he averaged 10.3 points, 11.5 rebound and 2.6 blocks per game.

"I think Cowley College is getting a great one in Shamarrie," Beach Coach Simon Heyward said. "He's been getting it done in the classroom and become a better player on the court. He's the kind of player who does whatever you need to win -- whether he's defending, scoring, rebounding or getting the ball to his teammates with assists."

Heyward said Leach has improved dramatically since his freshman season.

"James has really impressed me with his work ethic," Heyward said. "He wasn't as skilled as he is now when he started, and I think he's only scratched the surface of his potential as a player."

Savannah Christian signings

Savannah Christian had six athletes sign with colleges on Wednesday.

Soccer goalie JT Gard will be playing at Covenant College, while baseball pitcher Mason Best is headed to Trinity College.

Offensive lineman Jep Hudspeth is headed to Mercer University as a preferred walk-on, and lacrosse standout Drew Wilson will be playing at Piedmont University.

The Raiders also have a pair of bass fisherman who earned scholarships in Matthew Gunn (Erskine College) and Robert Miller (Emmanuel College).

Savannah Christian athletes sign

Savannah Christian recently held its spring signing ceremony with six athletes announcing their college plans.

Jep Hudspeth, a standout offensive lineman with the Raider football team, will be starting out as a preferred walk-on at Mercer University. Hudspeth is known for his high football IQ and was a senior leader on a unit that paved the way for the Raiders to average 41 points a game and reach the Class 3A quarterfinals. He was an All-Greater Savannah first-team pick.

Mason Best, a pitcher on the Raider baseball team, signed with Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida. The senior has been a key part of the team's run to the state quarterfinals as he has a record of 4-1, with one save and an ERA of 2.97.

Soccer goal keeper J.T. Gard signed to play at Covenant College. Also a standout on the cross country team, Gard had a stellar career in goal for the Raiders. He allowed just 15 goals in 16 games this season and posted eight shutouts.

Drew Wilson, a standout middie and attackman with the Raider lacrosse team, signed to play with Piedmont College. Two SCPS bass fishermen also signed with Robert Miller headed to Emmanuel College and Matthew Gunn signing with Erskine College.

Calvary trio signs

Three Calvary Day athletes signed Monday in a ceremony on campus as basketball player Sean Stoddard is headed to Emmanuel College, while offensive lineman Jayden Newton will play at St. Mary College, an NAIA program in Kansas. Baseball pitcher PJ Fox will play at Covenant College.

Stoddard was the starting point guard for the Cavs and averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, he was also a standout in football.

"Sean is super quick and has that competitive edge," Calvary's Mark Stroud said. "He is an all effort kind of guy."

Newton was a key man up front on a Calvary team that reached the state quarterfinals and averaged 42 points per game. The 5-foot-11, 270-pounder was a second-team all-region pick.

"Jayden is a hard worker and very coachable player who is very deserving of a chance to play at the next level," Stroud said.

Fox is headed to Covenant College a Division III program in Lookout Mountain.

"I've been able to watch PJ go through the maturation process the last few years," Calvary assistant Stephen Vaughn said. "I'll remember him as a baseball player, but more about the man he has become."

Islands soccer star Swenson announces plans

Islands soccer star Caleb Swenson is headed to North Carolina where he will attend the Pre-College Development Academy in Charlotte before signing with a college program.

Swenson emerged as one of the top players in the Coastal Empire in his career with Islands and helped the team reach the state semifinals as a sophomore. This year he scored 25 goals with 17 assists in 15 games to earn Region 3-4A Offensive Player of the Year honors as Islands reached the playoffs and finished the year with a 13-5 record.

A two-time team MVP and captain as a senior, Swenson had 54 career goals.

"I'm going to the Academy as a gap year program where I can do my college work academically while working on my game," said Swenson, an 'A' student who plans to major in kinesiology. "So I'll be a sophomore academically and a freshman athletically which will make it easier to transfer. I want to got play for a Division I or Division II school and hopefully stay close to home -- playing in North or South Carolina or Georgia.

"Playing for Islands under Coach (Justin) Brantley and Coach (Dante) Casagrande and competing with my teammates has really helped me develop as a player and a leader. They've helped prepare me for the next level."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How the Savannah Country Day tennis teams reached the Final Four