Team Detail
FEBRUARY HALFTIME REPORT – CCES Boys Tennis Program
The Boys Tennis program is not one unacquainted with success. They have a rich history with 25 total state championships, accounting for a quarter of all CCES titles and more than any other program. This impressive number of championships includes a run of eight in a row, from 1999 to 2006. Their first title came in 1976 and their most recent was in 2017. While there are only a few players remaining from that last championship team, this current team has its sights set on earning a trip back to Cayce [location of the tennis state championships].
Current Head Coach Jim Burford, a ’98 CCES alum, is in his ninth year with the program. He has climbed up the ranks from the transportation coordinator, to assistant JV Coach to Head Varsity Coach last year. He states: “I take a great deal of pride in the quality young men we’ve produced and the success the program has brought the school.”
Coach Burford notes how important the leadership of co-captains Earle and Sam Russell will be for this team. Earle and Sam are both seniors and have been on the Varsity Tennis team since the seventh grade. Earle is looking forward to a healthy season after “missing large portions with injuries” in three out of his five seasons, including last year. They both mention the team’s goal of “getting back to state.” To accomplish this, Sam notes how they will strive to “get better as a team under the tutelage of Coach Burford.”
When asked what they will miss about being a part of this program when they graduate, they shared reflections about their time on the team these last six years. Both Earle and Sam remember being 7th graders on the team and looking up to the older players. Earle states: “I learned a lot from them” and they helped him understand “the importance of getting good grades.” Sam notes: “I will miss the memories I have made with everyone on the team” over the years.
While graduating and moving on from their time at CCES will no doubt be bittersweet, they still have their sixth and final seasons ahead of them. Coach Burford and these two captains have high hopes for what this team can accomplish. The 2020 season starts Monday, March 9th, with a match vs JL Mann. The team will have several matches a week until playoffs begin in late April. Their opponents will include Landrum, Riverside, Seneca, Southside Christian, St. Joseph’s, Southside, Asheville School and Spartanburg Day. This team’s goal is a 26th state championship for this program and we are excited to watch them compete this season!
If you are interested in learning more about Christ Church Episcopal Schol, visit cces.org. Click here for information about admission, here for more information about athletics, and as always, GO CAVS!
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Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.