HS Notebook: Stratford at home Friday, among remaining tennis teams, Bleckley County out; Hiller's 600th, Mary Persons; soccer update

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          State champion berths update are within sight for a few remaining Central Georgia GHSA tennis teams, and a defending champ is out.

          Lovett rolled into Cochran and rolled out with a 3-0 win Thursday over Bleckley County in Class AA girls, leaving the door open for a new champion.

          Bleckley County’s girls had won three straight AA titles. Of the longstanding GHSA programs, the last Central Georgia girls champ before the Royals’ run? In 1985, Dodge County shared the 3A title with Milton and Westminster, and Hawkinsville tied with R.E. Lee in AA the same year.

          The Royals’ boys won the championship in 2017, but they lost 3-0 to Pace.

          Stratford’s boys go for their fourth straight title spot on Friday when they hosts Paideia at 3:30 p.m. in a Class A Private semi.

          The Eagles have won four of the last five A Private titles. The team interrupting five straight? Paideia.

          FPD’s girls are on the road in their semi, against Brookstone as they remain focused on getting their first GHSA title. As of Thursday night, there was no online indication that a time has been set.

          Dublin’s boys are at home against Seminole County in a Class A Public semifinal on Friday. The Irish are making of the program’s deepest runs. Last year in Class AA, Dublin lost 3-2 to Bacon County in the first round.

          Tennis has until Tuesday to complete semifinals. The tennis championships are May 8 in Rome at Berry College, with girls action starting at 9 a.m. and boys at 1 p.m.

Hiller snags 600; Mary Persons hits milestones

          Pitching and small-ball pushed Tattnall to a sweep of its opening GHSA Class A Private series with Trinity Christian.

          It also pushed head coach Joey Hiller to his 600th win.

          Hiller, also the school’s athletics director, is now 600-136 in his 23rd season, winning 81.5 percent of the time. The Trojans have won three of the last four Class A Private state titles.

          Tattnall is at home in the next round against ELCA or Savannah Christian, who played their deciding game on Friday.

          In Wednesday’s sweep of Windsor Forest in Class AAA, Mary Persons set a program record with 26 wins in a season. And head coach Clae Mathis, in his fifth season at Mary Persons after Taylor County, got win 150. He picked up No. 100 in the middle of March 2019.

Soccer finishing up second round, starting quarters

          The two region rivals who go deep into the GHSA Class A Public boys soccer playoffs are there again.

          Defending (2019) champ GMC is on the road at Claxton, while 2019 quarterfinalist ACE is at home against Lake Oconee.

          ACE’s girls are the defending (2019) champ and host Portal, which didn’t make the 16-team tournament in 2019.

          Lamar County’s girls and boys advanced, and got a break. They’ll be at home in the quarterfinals, both teams playing Bremen. In 2019, Bremen’s boys lost in a quarterfinal and the girls reached the semis. The Trojans girls beat Rabun County and Pepperell before losing to Vidalia that year, while the boys lost in the first round to eventual state champ Union County.