The Chillicothe Hornets Tennis players took three of the four state qualifying places in the district individual and doubles tournament. Chillicothe already easily won the team title but the individual titles took some work.
     #3 seed Gabe Poling of Chillicothe was crowned district champion after a hard fought 3-set victory over #1 seed Isaiah Swann of Trenton 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. Poling earlier beat the #2 seed from Maryville 6-2, 6-1 in the semi-finals. It was almost an all-Chillicothe final. Swann of Trenton held off Chillicothe’s Jeremiah Applebury in the semi-finals 6-2, 6-1. Applebury went on to finish 3rd in the tournament.
     In doubles play, it was an all-Chillicothe final with Wade Dietz and Chase Reeter beating Johnson Young and Grant Peterson 6-2, 6-3. Dietz and Reeter beat a Maryville duo 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals. The top two singles and top two doubles teams all qualify for the state singles and doubles tournament in addition to the entire Hornets team qualifying for the next round of post-season play. The last singles district champion from Chillicothe was current Hornets Coach Aaron Douglas in 2002. The last district doubles champion from Chillicothe was in 2006 with Jacob Fellhoelter and Roy Yeomans.
    After the victories, Coach Aaron Douglas was all smiles. "Guys my only comments regarding tennis is that it's been a perfect season, we have restored CHS tennis to a state of complete dominance. Our boys have truly enjoyed the trips we've taken and the time we've spent together. It's easy to coach a team with such intense work ethic and a strong desire to win. Having a sophomore win the district in singles is phenomenal (Gabe Poling) Wade and Chase are an ultra talented, untouchable doubles team. Grant and Johnson communicate extremely well on the court and they defeated some difficult opponents on Thurs (number 1 Trenton and Savannah dbls team). Also, Jeremiah taking third place in singles was an equally impressive feat considering he is our 6 player. He played his heart out and defeated high ranked players from Savannah and Cameron (in three sets). I'm proud of his performance...it was a remarkable day that we will never forget."