While Chatham Central had the best record of any Chatham County girls tennis team in 2021 — finishing the year with an overall record of 12-3, the main thorn in their side were the girls at Chatham Charter, who had their own storybook season last fall.
Charter opened up the 2021 season with a 6-2 win over Central and defeated the Bears two more times, the second time in the third round of the 1A state playoffs. The Knights ended up finishing the year 14-8 overall, advancing all the way to the 1A state finals before falling to Mount Airy, 5-0.
The Knights will have some work to do to reach those same heights this fall, as they graduated three of their top four singles players in Emily Stecher, Ashlyn Hart and Lorelei Byrd. The top returner this season for Chatham Charter is senior Rebecca Brookshire, who went 14-4 at No. 5 singles in 2021 and 8-3 in doubles with Stecher.
Still, the Knights hope the experience of playing some of the toughest competition in the state during their playoff run will help the entire program moving forward.
“They gave it all they had and left everything out there on the courts,” Eldridge told the N + R after the 2021 state title match. “They never gave up and they handled the match with grace and sportsmanship. I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of this team. I will use them as an example for years to come.”
Speaking with the News + Record earlier this week, Heather Brooks, the coach of the Chatham Central tennis team, said she’s looking forward to the rivalry between Central and Charter this fall.
“I hope to get at least two wins off them this year,” Brooks said. “We already have them twice on our schedule. That’s kind of our rivalry in tennis.”
Before last season, Central had won nine matches in a row against Charter. Their last loss to the Knights prior to 2021 came on Sept. 3, 2014, when Charter upset Central, 5-4.
Chatham Charter head coach Kelly Eldridge has led the Knights’ girls tennis team since the school opened back in 2013. She has an overall record of 79-50 in her eight seasons as varsity head coach so far.
Charter opened the 2022 season Tuesday on the road at Raleigh Charter. The Knights also play at North Moore on Friday.
Eldridge, Brookshire and the rest of the team only have one other school – Southern Wake Academy – competing in their conference. The Knights were 2-1 against the Lions last fall.
Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.