Michael, Miller Durham leading undefeated FPD tennis team
After his tennis team lost in the first round of the GHSA Class A Private School Tournament a year ago, FPD head coach Derek Lashley was fairly sure that Vikings were going to receive a huge boost for the 2016 season.
But Lashley would not allow himself to get overly excited until he saw Michael and Miller Durham walking into school on the first day of classes. When first saw them on campus, Lashley did what came naturally for him.
"I think I walked up and gave them both a hug," Lashley said with a huge smile.
The return of the twins, after they were home schooled for two years, has FPD thinking of a state tennis championship. The Vikings are 13-0 after a win over Eagle's Landing Christian on Monday, and with three matches left in the regular season, they have clinched the No. 1 seed of the west bracket for the area tournament.
"Those guys definitely add a great deal to our program," Lashley said. "Both of them are undefeated this year, and both of them could play No. 1 singles for anyone around here, but they are much more than just tennis players. They are leaders on this team, and they give us confidence in every single match. We feel like we can be very competitive with anyone we play this year."
FPD also has Christian Tinkey, a freshman, who has a remarkable statistic of his own. In his first year on the varsity, he is undefeated playing at No. 3 singles but also never lost a middle school or junior varsity match. With his win Monday, the streak has grown to 48 matches. Meanwhile, Halen Fulk and Marshall Danner combine to form a strong doubles team to go with the No. 2 doubles team of Josh Wilson and Eliel Ramirez.
The Durham brothers always planned to return to FPD for their senior year.
"I missed high school and being around my friends a lot, but at that time it was what was best for us to get to the next level of tennis," said Michael Durham, who has signed with Auburn. "It has been very exciting to get back and play on a team, and it has been a lot of fun for the both of us. Right now, we want to stay focused and see how far we can get as a team."
Miller Durham, who has signed with Kennesaw State, was a little more blunt when talking about where the seniors on the team wanted to end up.
"I think anything less than a state championship would be a disappointment," he said. "We both knew that we would be back for our senior year, and I know that we have a pretty strong team. We are aware that there are tough teams to play, but as soon as we started hitting as a team, we knew that this year could be a special year."
Tinkey admits he has thought about how it will be next year without the Durham brothers in the lineup, but he is focused on a strong finish this year.
"I know I will probably be playing No. 1 singles next year, but all I am worried about is getting better each day this year," Tinkey said. "It's great to have two older guys on the team that are so talented, and it only makes me want to get better."
This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 7:45 PM with the headline "Michael, Miller Durham leading undefeated FPD tennis team ."