Buckin’ Elks slay Dragons of NCSSM

On an overcast and dreary afternoon, with the constant threat of rain and the occasional drizzle, the Buckin’ Elks of Elkin High School hosted the Dragons from the North Carolina School of Science and Math of Morganton in the NCHSAA 1A West Regional Finals. In an intense and exciting battle that included a whole lot of smack talk and up and down scores, the Elkin Men’s Tennis team maintained their composure and battled with grit and determination. On an afternoon where the matches’ outcome came down to the last set being played, the Buckin’ Elks prevailed victorious, claiming the Regional win.

In singles competition, EHS senior and number one seed, Owen Jennings won 6-1, 6-2. Sophomore Connor Ballard also won easily, 6-1, 6-1 at the number two seed. His twin brother Aidan followed suit with an easy win 6-0, 6-2. But the next three seeds struggled with their singles matches. Senior Luke McComb battled hard and came up short at the number four seed with the scores of 6-7, 5-7. Senior Jeremy Zamudio was defeated 6-1, 6-3 at the number five seed and junior Webb Snyder fought hard in a long and fierce battle at the number six seed and came up short 6-4, 6-4. At the end of the single matches, the score was tied 3-3. With only three doubles matches left to play, the Elks needed two wins to take the Regional win.

Zamudio and Snyder teamed up at the number three doubles seed and was the first team to complete play, taking a loss at 8-3. But, Jennings and McComb, playing the one seed, came on strong and took a win at 8-4, again tying the score at 4-4 overall. With only one match left to swing the pendulum, and with their team and the home crowd cheering them on, the Ballard brothers battled long and hard, losing the first couple of points. But the duo persevered to take the win, 8-3 solidifying the Elks journey to defend their state championship title.

Elkin head coach Junior Luffman remarked, “I knew this would be a close match with both teams being undefeated in 1A matches this season. This is the second year in a row that we’ve won the West Region 5 to 4. We are excited to meet Triangle Math and Science on Monday, since they won the East Region. We are excited to still be competing.”

Elkin will be traveling to Burlington to play at the Burlington Tennis Center on Monday, May 20 in the dual-team NCHSAA 1A State Championship match. Play will begin at 9 a.m.