Stratford tennis teams sail into quarterfinals

Stratford’s tennis teams enjoyed a strong day Tuesday, opening GHSA Class 1A private school playoff action with a pair of victories.

The Stratford boys made quick work of Weber in a 3-0 victory, while the girls swept to a 3-0 win over Paideia.

Between the boys and girls matches, Stratford won all four of its completed singles contests 6-0, 6-0. Jessica Gratigny and Jenny Belle Butler claimed a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 2 girls doubles, while the boys No. 1 doubles team of Carter Eddlemon and Akshay Ranabhotu won their match 6-4, 6-0.

The FPD tennis season came to an end Tuesday, with the boys losing 3-0 to Paideia and the girls falling 3-0 to Holy Innocents. Also, Carrollton’s girls beat Veterans 3-0 in Class 5A competition.

Girls soccer

Howard advanced to the second round in Class 4A with a 1-0 win at Druid Hills on a goal by Alyn Ovell. The third-seeded Huskies will host their second-round game Tuesday as Oconee County, a No. 4 seed, beat Region 6-4A champion Northwest Whitfield.

Also in Class 4A, Mary Persons beat Luella 8-2. In Class 3A, Peach County rolled past Liberty County 7-2.

FPD claimed victory in its Class 1A opener, topping Strong Rock 3-0. Elizabeth Nelson, Kate Patterson and Molly Lee scored for the Vikings, with Emma Lako recording two assists. Mount de Sales, meanwhile, fell 4-0 at Atlanta International.

Golf

FPD won the Area 1-1A private school tournament at Healy Point, with all four scoring golfers finishing at 74 or lower.

Wesley Hanson shot a 70 to claim medalist honors. Luke Dasher came in at 71, while Wilson Andress and Jay Spivey each shot 74s for a team score of 289.

Brookstone finished second at 303, followed by Savannah Christian at 321 and Stratford at 338.

In girls competition, Brookstone won with a two-player score of 182. Stratford’s Josie Coleman claimed medalist honors at 79 to lead the Eagles to a second-place finish at 190. FPD was third at 200.

Both FPD teams qualify for state tournament competition, as do the Stratford girls. The Class 1A private school tournament is slated for May 22-23 at Green Island Country Club in Columbus.

Baseball

The Class 1A public and private school brackets were finalized Tuesday, with the power ratings giving a Macon program some good news.

Mount de Sales claimed the eighth and final first-round bye in the private school bracket, with the Cavaliers beating out Prince Avenue Christian by nearly four-tenths of a point.

The Cavaliers will host the Prince Avenue-Athens Academy winner in the second round, slated for May 4-5.

Tattnall Square, the Region 7-1A champion, is the No. 2 seed and will host the Brookstone-George Walton winner in the second round. FPD is the 19th seed and will travel to Calvary Day for its first-round series Friday and Saturday.

In the Class 1A public school tournament, Taylor County is the No. 9 seed and will host Manchester in the first round, while GMC is the No. 20 seed and will head to Treutlen.

GISA: In regular-season action Tuesday, John Milledge beat Gatewood 1-0, with Andrew Prestwood striking out seven in six innings of work for the win. Also, Deerfield-Windsor beat Westfield 7-5 despite a 2-for-4, three-RBI effort from the Hornets’ Connor Doles.

Football

A name familiar to longtime Middle Georgia football fans is returning to area sidelines.

Richard Fendley Jr., who played for Robert Davis at Warner Robins, has been named the defensive coordinator at Westside.

Fendley, whose namesake father was the Warner Robins defensive coordinator, spent the past 10 seasons at Heard County. He is the brother-in-law of Warner Robins girls basketball head coach Tracy Fendley.

“We have a lot of connections in common,” Westside head coach Spoon Risper said. “We played college football together, and we both have ties with Robert Davis.”

Basketball

Due to a clerical error, The Telegraph is adding a player to the All-Middle Georgia Boys Basketball Team.

Crawford County’s Damien Saffold, a senior guard, has been added to the honorable mention list.

The full list can be found at macon.com.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 9:04 PM with the headline "Stratford tennis teams sail into quarterfinals."