By Rubin E. Grant
A year after narrowly finishing second to McGill-Toolen in the AHSAA Class 7A state tennis tournament, the Vestavia Hills boys team looked like they would have to settle for the red runner-up trophy again this year.
They were trailing Huntsville by a few points going into the final doubles match, and all they could do was watch and hope as Huntsville took on Fairhope. A Huntsville victory would have meant another second-place finish for the Rebels.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Vestavia Hills senior Gray Moore said. “Last year, we finished second just barely (by three points). We had beaten the team (McGill) that won it, and I believe we were the better team. But that’s the way it goes.”
This time things went the Rebels’ way. Fairhope defeated Huntsville 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 1 doubles match, handing Vestavia Hills the 2019 Class 7A title by a 38-36 margin last week in Decatur at the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center at Point Mallard. Mountain Brook was third with 24 points.
“For this to come out the way it did, I am way too happy,” Moore said.
The championship was the Rebels’ first since they won four consecutive titles from 2011 to 2014.
“This was the most competitive state tournament in the five years I’ve been here,” Vestavia Hills coach Nathan Miles said. “I thought going in we had an excellent opportunity to win a state title, but there were a lot of good teams. Our guys went out and made it happen.”
Vestavia Hills won two singles titles. Freshman George Fan won at No. 3, defeating Huntsville’s Connor Jimenez 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. Moore won at No. 5, defeating Mountain Brook’s Harrison Hitson 6-1, 6-2.
Moore was pleased to see Fan win as a freshman.
“He’s an outstanding player and great to have on the team,” Moore said. “He won a huge match for us at No. 3. singles. We couldn’t have won the title without him.”
Rebels senior Jack Kimbrough was runner-up at No. 6, losing to Huntsville’s Clayton Pearsall 6-2, 6-0.
Auburn junior Phillip Bosman beat Grissom’s Parrish Simmons 6-4, 6-1 to capture the No. 1 singles crown.
The Rebels won two doubles titles. Vestavia’s team of sophomore Daniel Wheeler and junior Ethan Arrington won at No. 2 doubles, defeating Mountain Brook’s William Watts and Elijah Barnes 6-1, 6-4. The Rebels won at No. 3 doubles with Fan and Kimbrough defeating Huntsville’s Pearsall and John Lusk 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Kimbrough was overjoyed to end the Rebels’ state championship drought.
“This feels amazing,” Kimbrough said. “When me and Gary joined the team as freshmen, we didn’t even qualify for state. Then the next year, we finished third and last year second, and now first.
“To finally get to hold that blue (championship) trophy, I feel like we’ve come full circle.”
