The LaGrange boys defeated Calhoun 3-1 in Rome on Saturday to capture the program’s first-ever tennis state title in the Class 3A championship. Founded in 1938, LaGrange has been close to breaking through and winning the crown in the past with the boys and girls combining for three state runner-up finished and multiple Final 4 appearances. It wasn’t until 2025, however, that veteran head coach Kent Moore was finally able to celebrate a state title.
“This is pretty darn cool,” LaGrange head coach Kent Moore said. “This group of guys is so special. They came out from day one and wanted to get better, and to their credit, they did just that.”
Moore has been at the helm for 35 years and has over 1,000 career wins leading the boys and girls programs. On Saturday, the matches were moved from LaGrange to the Rome Tennis Center.
“The guys were deflated and really disappointed this morning,” Moore said. “We just had to tell them that it doesn’t matter where we play. We have to focus and play well, and they came out here and delivered.” “I think what really refocused them was how much they trust Coach Moore,” Traylor added. “They trusted that he would do what was best for the team.” This run to the state championship was not a surprise for the Grangers. The team came into the season as the favorite to win it all and was ranked No. 1 in the state in 3A for the majority of the season.
Ethan Black delivered a 6-3, 6-3 victory for LaGrange at #1 Singles over Kirk Wallin, but Calhoun’s Walker Hurd scored a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Brayden Lamb at the #2 Singles slot to even up the teams. Alex Lee proved critical in his 7-5, 6-3 victory over Calhoun’s Max Ford at the #3 Singles and the duo of Noah Black and Jaehan Seol earned a 6-2, 6-3 victory in #1 Doubles. LaGrange’s Sehun Seol and Brody Douhne won the first set 7-6 (7-5) and were up on Calhoun’s Colton Shelton and Noah Schutz 3-1 in the second half when LaGrange had secured the championship.
2025 GHSA Tennis Finals
Class 6A
BOYS: Lambert 3, Walton 2: The Lambert boys succeeded in capturing a third-straight state title and fourth since 2017 with a 3-2 win over Walton on Friday night in the Class 6A finals. The championship came down to a thrilling three-set battle between Walton’s Avid Khan and Lambert’s Chase Dobra at No. 2 singles. Walton’s Khan took the first set 6-3 and then led 3-1 in the second half before Dobra rallied to win 6-4 and force a third set. In the third set, Dobra jumped out to a 4-0 lead and closed out the title with a 6-1 victory.
“It’s tough to lose like that,” said Walton head boys tennis coach John Evans to the Marietta Daily Journal. “It’s a lot of pressure to put on teenagers, but that’s the way things go. Lambert is three-time state champs now for a reason. We came in here and we had opportunities. Just couldn’t quite capitalize on some of those opportunities.
Lambert’s No. 2 doubles team of Andrei Grigorian and Ryan Koh swept Walton 6-0, 6-0, but Walton tied it up with a 6-1, 6-2 victory by Aashray Arun in singles. At No. 1 doubles, Owen Collins and Jackson Pettus of Walton played well, but were served just their second loss of the season in their loss to Chetan Challa and Shiv Siju.
Lambert earned the No. 1 seed out of Region 6 and advanced out of the first round with a 3-0 victory over Norcross. In the second round, the Longhorns defeated Campbell 3-1 and then scored a 3-0 sweep over Carrollton to reach the semifinals. In that round, Lambert held on for a 3-0 sweep over North Gwinnett before topping Walton in the finals. The Raiders defeated Camden County (3-0), East Coweta (3-0), Alpharetta (4-0) and West Forsyth (3-1) before falling to Lambert.
GIRLS: West Forsyth 3, Walton 1: West Forsyth defeated Walton for its second-straight state championship and repeated as state champions after winning the program’s historic first-ever championship last year.
Class 5A
BOYS: McIntosh 3, Riverwood 2: McIntosh rallied past host Riverwood to capture the school’s first-ever boys state title. McIntosh took the No. 1 seed out of Region 3 into the playoffs and opened the first round with a 3-2 victory over Dunwoody. The Chiefs swept their next two opponents, defeating Chattahoochee 3-0 and Rome 4-0 before getting past Chamblee in the semifinals 3-2.
GIRLS: Milton 3, Lakeside-Evans 0: Milton’s last tennis state title came in 1985 when the Eagles finished tied with Westminster and Dodge County for the Class 3A title and the Eagles earned their first-ever outright state crown on Monday with a win over Lakeside-Evans. Milton cruised through the Class 5A bracket this year with sweeps over Creekview, Lakeside-DeKalb, Statesboro and Pope. Milton also previously won shared state titles in 1980 and 1983.
Class 4A
BOYS: Westminster 3, Marist 1: The Westminster boys won its fifth-straight state title and 26th all-time state crown on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Marist. Pearce Lane took the lone game for Marist and the senior No. 1 singles player finished the year undefeated. Lane will be attending Washington and Lee on a tennis scholarship next season.
GIRLS: Westminster 3, Pace Academy 0: Westminster cruised to its 24th all-time state title and captured its second-straight over rival Pace Academy. The Wildcats completed a perfect playoff run with straight-set victories over Cartersville, Central-Carroll, Northview and North Oconee before sweeping the Knights on Monday.
Class 3A
BOYS: LaGrange 3, Calhoun 1: LaGrange earned its first-ever state title with victories at No. 1 singles, No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles.
GIRLS: Oconee County 3, SE Bulloch 1: Oconee County defeated Southeast Bulloch on the road 3-1 to win its first state title since 2006 and the program’s second all-time title. The Warriors’ Jenny Hu was able to hold off a valiant effort by Anna Grace Bosley in the decisive match that crowned Oconee County the crown. “We were 17-2 in the regular season and really hit our stride after that last loss to Statesboro,” Tom Lieu said to the Statesboro Herald after the match. “I feel like it was a great match today that could have gone either way. The weather may have played a factor, but that is stuff you can’t control. You just have to overcome.”
Class 2A
BOYS: Pierce County 3, Columbus 2: Pierce County defeated visiting Columbus 3-2 to win the first state title in program history. Pierce County entered the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed and defeated Washington (5-0), Savannah Arts (4-0), Appling County (3-1) and Sonoraville (3-0) before defeating the No. 4 seeded Blue Jackets.
GIRLS: Appling County 3, Columbus 2: Appling County held off visiting Columbus to earn its first-ever state title. The Pirates earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 2A bracket and defeated Carver-Columbus (3-0), Savannah Arts (3-0), Stephens County (3-0) and Sonoraville (3-0) in straight sets before surpassing No. 3 seeded Columbus in the finals.
Class A-Div. I
BOYS: Brantley County 3, Bleckley County 0: The Brantley County boys celebrated its first-ever state title with a flawless postseason run that saw the top-seeded Herons sweep Coosa, Commerce, Rabun County and Model before its win over Bleckley County.
GIRLS: Brantley County 3, Jeff Davis 2: Brantley County won its second-straight title since capturing its historic first last season and completed the school’s first-ever championship sweep by joining the boys at the top of Class A Div. I this season. The Herons were the No. 1 seed in the bracket and swept Dublin and Thomasville before scoring a 3-1 win over ACE Charter in the quarterfinals. Brantley County also defeated Berrien in the semifinals before topping Jeff Davis 3-2.
Class A-Div. II
BOYS: Early County 3, Taylor County 1: Early County celebrated its first-ever state championship on Monday with a 3-1 victory over 2015 state champion Taylor County. The Bobcats entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed out of Region 1 and defeated Clinch County, Telfair County and Screven County in straight sets before clinching the title with its 3-1 win.
GIRLS: Telfair County 3, Irwin County 1: Telfair County won its fourth all-time state title, fourth since 2019 and most recent championship since 2022 on Monday. The Trojans defeated ECI (4-1), Marion County (3-0), Seminole County (3-0) and Johnson County before its win over Irwin County in the finals.
Class A-3A Private
BOYS: Greater Atlanta Christian 3, Darlington 0: GAC clinched the program’s third-straight state title and 10th all-time championship on Tuesday with a sweep over Darlington.
GIRLS: Atlanta International 3, Lovett 1: No. 7 overall seed Atlanta International won its first-ever girls tennis state championship on Monday with a 3-1 victory over the No. 4 seeded Lovett Lions.
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