- Members of the James Clemens boy’s tennis team display their runner-up trophy the squad won at the Class 7A Section 4 Tournament. The placement advances the squad to the AHSAA State Tournament. Those on the squad include, left to right, Adithya Bellamkonda, Grant Spivey, Santiago Castillo, Kurt Scheidker, Viraaj Edulakanti and Keerthan Singireddy. Photo Contributed
Strong Sectional Tennis Efforts Propel James Clemens’ Team To State Tournament; Bob Jones Sends Top Player To State Competition
Published 7:37 am Sunday, April 18, 2021
ALBERTVILLE- A runner-up finish at the Class 7A Section 4 Tennis Tournament has propelled the James Clemens boy’s tennis team to advance to the Alabama High School Athletic Association State Tournament scheduled to be held at Lagoon Tennis Park in Montgomery. The sectional action held in Albertville also showcased the talents of freshman Parker Free of Bob Jones who won the No. 1 singles title, thus qualifying for the state while the Patriots’ team as a whole did not.
Free took home the championship with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Huntsville. His outstanding play helped solidify a superb freshman season for the young Patriot under head coach Bill Bryant.
As for the Jets, they finished behind pre-tournament favorite Huntsville, which dominated early rounds of the action before solidly taking the Section 4 championship. The second place finish for James Clemens came about with some outstanding play from several players.
Freshman Keerthan Singireddy won the No. 2 singles championship with a hard-fought tie-breaker match against Huntsville. He lost in close scores of 4-6, 6-6 (5-7). Senior Jet Kurt Scheidker also took runner-up honors while junior Santiago Castillo and Singireddy just missed a title in No. 1 doubles losing in the finals.
