It was in late February when McCallie School moved from No. 2 to No. 1 nationally in the Universal Tennis high school rankings.
The Blue Tornado then went out and posted a 15-0 record in team competitions, winning 84 out of a possible 85 singles and doubles matches. That included a 7-0 blanking of Sidwell Friends School of Washington, D.C., the 10th-ranked team according to Universal Tennis, so isn’t it time to recognize McCallie as the national champion?
After all, the Blue Tornado are still ranked No. 1.
“I think we should – absolutely,” McCallie coach Jeff Clark said with a laugh. “Until they come out with another ranking, I guess we still are No. 1 in the country, and that’s pretty cool.”
While state championships can be proven annually within the various venues of competition, national titles are significantly less tangible on the high school front. The majority of prep sports don’t have historical voting entities that have bestowed national champions, and even today’s recognized outlets haven’t been around forever.