ATHENS, Tenn. — Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis said it best: “Just win, baby. Win.”
The McMinn County boys’ tennis team has been doing it all year, and nothing changed Monday in the rain-shortened first day of the District 5-AAA tournament at Ingleside Park.
The Cherokees’ Michael Barlock and Fenil Patel had first-round singles wins, and Ram Patel and Brandon MacDonough won in doubles. The top-seeded doubles team, Trey Royal and Josh Young, didn’t get to play.
The tournament will resume today at 1 p.m. The semifinals are slated to begin at 3 p.m., with the finals being pushed back to 3 p.m. Wednesday.
For McMinn and Cleveland’s regular-season-champion girls, holding serve and getting wins is important. Should a team other than the Cherokees or Lady Raiders earn the most wins in the tournament, the two teams will hold a playoff to see who officially wins the district team title.
“It’s important for us to keep on winning,” McMinn coach Susan Ray said. “You don’t want to have to play the play-in match, but I think my boys are peaking at tournament team. That’s what you want.
“If we had to (play a play-in match), I would feel good about our chances.”
Cleveland’s girls have earned two points so far, with one of their doubles teams — Hollins McCarley and Michelle Morris — splitting sets in their first-round match scheduled to finish today. Esha Rock and Gabby Earby never got a chance to begin their first match.
Rhea County’s girls, who gave the Lady Raiders their stiffest competition in the regular season — falling 5-4 — has three points so far, while McMinn’s girls have equaled Cleveland with two points.