Last week, Putnam County’s tennis teams saw their seasons end in the first round of the state playoffs.
Each team hosted a playoff match but came up short as the No. 2 seed War Eagles fell 3-0 to No. 3 seed Cook, while No. 4 seed Worth County shut out the top-seeded Lady War Eagles by a 5-0 score.
Regardless, Putnam County tennis head coach Christian Keiser said he remains proud of his players for performing well. He told The Eatonton Messenger each exceeded expectations this year.
“I'm just super proud of everybody and the team buying in and giving so much effort,” Keiser said. "The girls came in first, and the boys came in second in the region. The growth from this year to last year as a program was huge. Both teams made it to state, which made it a successful year.”
Last season, Putnam County just had a girls’ team that made it to the first round of the state playoffs. The Lady War Eagles traveled four hours to Brantley County and lost the match in 30 minutes.
However, this season, Putnam County’s girls bounced back, won a region title, and hosted a first-round match against Worth County. Despite the loss, the team enjoyed a successful run.
“This year, we felt like we could compete,” Keiser said of the girls’ team. “It’s tough being in (Class) AA. A lot of it depends on which region you draw in the first round. And in the past two years, we’ve drawn tough regions, but I’m proud of them. They competed hard, especially against Worth County. We had a two-hour match and our players were right there at the end trying to win.”
Putnam County didn’t even have a boys’ team last season, but Keiser got a few guys to come out earlier this year. Some of his guys had never played tennis before, but he said they learned quickly.
The War Eagles worked hard and showed dedication, earning them a second-place finish in the region. Despite not having every player at each practice, they still learned to play as a team this year.
“Just trying to find a team was my main priority. Just where I was with the girls’ team last year,” Keiser said. “Girls in our area normally gravitate to tennis more than guys do. Guys just typically are involved in other sports, so not every day we would have everybody due to them doing various activities. But when that moment happened and we all came together and won a few matches toward the end, it was special. I saw them mesh together and buy-in to what we’re doing.”
Heading into year three, Keiser expects another strong season and wants to see the program grow. He acknowledged that the school's students' interest in tennis has risen.
Keiser also wants to see his current players grow and improve. He expects his returning players to know the expectations will be even higher going into next season.
“It’s not region championship or bust, but we’ll have upperclassmen that have been there. We know what it’s like to win most of our matches. We know what it’s like to compete in tournaments,” he said. “We want to at least break through into the second round next year. That’s one of our main goals.”