On Monday, April 13, the DEA boys’ tennis team competed in the Region 4A Tennis Tournament at East Georgia State College and delivered an outstanding performance highlighted by both individual and team success.
In singles play, Bentley Smith led the way with a strong showing. He opened the tournament with an 8-1 quarterfinal victory over James Martin (TJA) before falling in the semifinals to Christian Parker (CA) 2-6, 1-6. Smith bounced back to claim 3rd place with an 8-5 win over Brodie Hart (CA). Eli Way advanced in his opening match against Gabe Wiley (CA), winning 2-0 before Wiley was forced to retire due to injury. Way’s run ended in the quarterfinals with a 3-8 loss to Parker. Matthew Fordham also reached the quarterfinals, where he was defeated 1-8 by Ethan Hayes (TJA).
The doubles tournament showcased DEA’s dominance, culminating in an all-DEA championship match. Paxton Dixon and Ben Griner advanced to the finals with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Jonathan Lindner and Landon Willis (TJA), while AJ Edenfield and Jack Evan Fields earned their spot with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Ryder Rabun and Tyler Thigpen (TJA).
In the championship match, Edenfield and Fields captured the title in a competitive three-set battle. They won the first set 6-3, Dixon and Griner responded by taking the second set 7-5, and Edenfield and Fields sealed the victory with a 10-5 win in the deciding tiebreaker.
Edenfield, Fields, Dixon, and Griner were all named to the 2026 Region 4A All-Region Team and will compete in the state individual tournament on April 20-21 in Macon.
In addition to their individual accomplishments, the DEA boys’ tennis team secured the Region 4A Team Championship for the second consecutive year. They will return to Macon to compete in the State Team Tennis Tournament on April 28-29.
Team members are Paxton Dixon, AJ Edenfield, Bentley Smith, Ben Griner, Jack Evan Fields, Eli Way, Matthew Fordham, River Holloway and Lawton Wiggins.
