Metro Atlanta rules the hard court

In the state tennis finals this weekend in Clayton County, all 10 state championship trophies were won by metro Atlanta schools.

Cam Newton’s alma mater, Westlake, made its second straight run to the state finals, but again fell short of the title. The Lions lost 3-2 to Alpharetta after yet another successful season.

Meanwhile, the Raiders won their second title in three seasons.

In Class AAAA, north Fulton neighbors Johns Creek and Chattahoochee battled for the title with the Gladiators coming out on top in a 3-0 sweep. It was the second time this season Johns Creek had defeated the Cougars; in March, the Glads beat the Hooch 5-0.

Johns Creek finished the season 20-5, including an undefeated record against Class AAAA teams. It is the Gladiators’ second title in three years, but first in Class AAAA.

Two more Fulton County schools faced off in the finals of the AAA tournament, with Woodward Academy sweeping North Springs 3-0 for the War Eagles’ third state championship in four years. The one exception during that period of time was Johns Creek’s state title in 2010.

In Class AA, the setup was the same: two more schools located in Fulton. This time, it was a battle of private schools, with the Westminster School of Buckhead facing off with Blessed Trinity, located in Roswell. The Wildcats prevailed 3-1, winning their 11th state title in 12 seasons.

Unlike the other four classifications, Class A was not decided by schools from Fulton. Instead, Columbus’s Brookstone took on Cobb’s Whitefield Academy, and the Wolf Pack took a 3-1 decision for their first-ever state title.

GIRLS

Perhaps the matchup of the weekend was the highly-anticipated final in Class AAAAA between Peachtree Ridge and Roswell. Both teams had been chasing Walton the past eight seasons as the Lady Raiders were on their state-record win streak. But the Lady Hornets dethroned Walton in the quarters, then edged the Ridge in the finals 3-2. It was the third straight runner-up trophy won by the Lady Lions.

It is the first Class AAAAA state champion in girls tennis besides Walton since 2003, when Chattahoochee won it.

In Class AAAA, Johns Creek completed the tennis sweep as the Lady Glads held off Marist 3-1.

Fulton private school St. Pius X captured the AAA titles with a sweep of Allatoona while the same two teams that the decided the boys title played for the girls title as well when Blessed Trinity and Westminster squared off. This time, the Lady Titans won giving Blessed Trinity its fourth straight championship.

In Class A, Mt. Pisgah won its second straight championship as singles players Taylor Carson and Samantha Russell won their matches and the Lady Patriots took the doubles point.