Southside boys win tennis sectionals

Photo: The Southside boys tennis team won the Class 4A/5A, Section 6 Tournament last Monday (Arp. 15) in Boaz. Pictured, from left: head coach Zack Blume, Noah Hefner, Ben Deike, Hayden Davis, Dylan Winningham, Colton Dugger, Hudson Hopper, Micah Prickett, Jackson Opdycke, Mason Prickett, Zach Lockridge, assistant coach Beth Russell.
The Southside boys tennis team won the Class 4A/5A, Section 6 Tournament last Monday (Apr. 15) in Boaz.
The Panthers (14-5) qualified for the state tournament next week in Mobile.
Southside won four of the nine spots with a runner up in the fifth spot to outlast runner-up Guntersville by a score of 36-35.
Hudson Hooper (No. 2 singles), Hayden Davis (No. 3 singles), Colton Dugger/Hopper (No. 1 doubles) and Davis/Ben Deike (No. 2 doubles) all won their brackets, with Deike earning runner-up in No. 4 singles.
It is the program’s first sectional championship and first state tournament appearance in recent memory.
“What an incredible experience for these guys,” said head coach Zack Blume. “I’m so proud of how hard they fought all day for this. This truly is a special group of guys that have been working almost nonstop to make this happen. They never quit going all day long. It was a grind for them and they kept rising to the challenge. I can’t even put into words how proud of them I am.”