The Putnam County boys tennis team captured the Region 4-Class A Division I championship earlier this week.
The War Eagles (11-2) will head into the state tournament later this month with a top-eight seed.
“I’m super proud of the work my guys put in this season,” Putnam County head coach Christian Keiser said.
The War Eagles entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and defeated No. 3 Lamar County 3-1 in the opening round.
Putnam’s No. 1 singles player, Leland Erickson, cruised past his opponent, while the doubles teams of Owen Kersey and Braxton Sestak and Andrew Guillebeau and Juan Patino secured their points against the Trojans.
“We got through Lamar pretty quickly,” Keiser said.
The team then shifted its focus to Social Circle, a team that narrowly beat it earlier in the season.
“When the championship round came, that had been our main focus,” Keiser said. “We played Social Circle, and we spent a lot of time emphasizing and practicing how to beat them, because we felt confident that we could handle Lamar. All of our training and preparation were aimed at defeating Social, and it showed.”
Keiser noted Kersey and Sestak came out firing on Monday and dominated to secure the point for Putnam County.
“Owen and Braxton lost to Social during the regular season, which is how they had edged us before,” Keiser said. “But on Monday, they came out ready to go. It wasn’t even close, and I’m incredibly proud of them for embracing the coaching, putting in the work, and showing it on the court.”
Erickson, who finished the regular season as the Region Player of the Year after going undefeated, faced adversity in the championship match, trailing 5-0 in a tiebreaker before mounting a comeback.
“Leland went undefeated in the region and stayed that way today,” Keiser said. “It was 6-6 in the seven-point tiebreak. He needed the win to take the match — and he did — which ultimately secured the third victory that made us region champions.
“He was down 5-0 in the tiebreak and came back to win 7-5. Leland was cramping, so I had to get him on the ground and work out his cramp and calf muscle, but he powered through and pulled out the win.”
The War Eagles defeated the Redskins 3-0 to claim the region crown. Other standout performers included No. 2 and No. 3 singles players Robert Thomas and Carlos Jimenez, who also turned in strong performances during Monday’s tournament.
Now, Putnam County shifts its focus to the playoffs, waiting to learn its postseason opponent. The War Eagles will aim to win a first-round game for the first time in several years and advance to the second round.
“I’m super proud of them,” Keiser said. “It’s been a long time coming, and for them to finally win is huge.”