SOUTHERN PINES — Two Richmond Senior High School tennis players are headed to regionals.
Juniors Jordan Jacobs and Matthew Leggett were two of six Raiders competing in Thursday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference championship tournament at Pinecrest High School.
Playing doubles together, Jacobs and Leggett moved through the bracket and finished as the SAC’s runner-up duo.
With the second-place result, they punched their ticket to the NCHSAA 4A Mideast regional tournament. It will be Jacobs’ second trip to the postseason and Leggett’s first playoff appearance.
Also playing doubles for Richmond were seniors Brent Humann and Will Whitley. Junior Gavin Applewhite and freshman Ben Lutz each represented Richmond in the singles tournament.
“It was an absolutely awesome day for our entire team,” head coach Jessica Covington shared. “All of our guys played so well and put their best effort forward against some really good competition.
“I’m so proud of all of them, especially for Jordan and Matthew,” she added. “They have been a great doubles team all season and work so well together on the court. Finishing as the conference’s runner-up team is a big deal for them and they earned it.”
Jacobs and Leggett finished the tournament with a 2-1 record, ultimately falling to the top-seeded tandem of Jack Hage and Preston House of Pinecrest in the championship match.
Playing best-of-three set matches, the top Raider doubles team started with an easy win over Braydon McKoy and Nathan Burrow of Hoke County High School. Sweeping the match in straight sets, Jacobs and Leggett won by matching scores 6-1, 6-1.
Moving onto the semifinal round, the pair pulled off a come-from-behind upset win over Pinecrest’s Jake MayBouer and Charles Roberson.
After dropping the first set 4-6, Jacobs and Leggett rallied to tie the match with a 6-4 set victory. With the stakes raised to win-or-go-home, the two Raiders dug in and eliminated MayBouer and Roberson with a final set score of 6-2.
The championship doubles match was equally close for Richmond, as Jacobs and Leggett met Hage and House. In the first set, the Raiders fell behind 0-1 with a 5-7 loss.
Tying the second set 6-6, Richmond stayed with the Patriots to tie the match with a 7-3 tiebreak victory, keeping its championship hopes alive.
In the deciding set, Jacobs and Leggett came up just short of the SAC title, falling 2-6.
Humann and Whitley also moved past the opening round and into the semifinals, posting a 1-1 record on the day.
Facing Pinecrest’s Mason Cromartie and James Bedwell, Humann and Whitley fell behind after a 4-6 defeat in the opening set.
Undeterred, the two Richmond seniors battled back to tie the match with a 6-3 win in the second set. Carrying that same momentum in the final set, Humann and Whitley bounced the two Patriots with a 6-3 set victory.
In the final four, Humann and Whitley gave Hage and House a good run, but lost in straight sets. Scores were 4-6 and 0-6.
The Raiders’ final win of the tournament came from Applewhite in the first round of the singles tournament. Competing against Phoenix English of Hoke County, Applewhite moved on with a shutout victory behind tallies of 6-0, 6-0.
Up against Corey Ingram of Pinecrest, Applewhite couldn’t advance past the semis. He lost 0-6, 0-6.
To face Applewhite, Ingram defeated Lutz 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinal round of the singles competition.
Jacobs and Leggett will compete in the two-day NCHSAA 4A Mideast regional May 3 and 4 at Jordan High School (Durham).
