LaFayette High School’s tennis teams split their matches with Pepperell on Wednesday at the Rome Tennis Center, while Rambler track and field athletes turned in strong performances at the Calhoun Home Meet later in the evening.
The Lady Ramblers edged Pepperell 3–2 in their match. The doubles teams of Leah Willeford and Rihanna Davis, along with Hazel Scoggins and Makenna Clarke, both earned decisive straight-set victories to help secure the win.
The singles matches were tightly contested. Parker Tudor captured the first set before ultimately falling in a close third-set tiebreaker. Senior Lanie Hamilton clinched the team victory with a hard-fought 8–6, 7–6 (4) win. In junior varsity action, Brenley Miller picked up an 8–1 victory.
On the boys side, the Ramblers dropped a close 3–2 decision to the Dragons. Isaac Hamilton earned a win at No. 1 singles, and the doubles team of Grant Matteson and Marvin Fuentes was victorious at No. 2 doubles.
Head coach Ensley also praised the effort of Traye Stahl, who battled before falling 8–10 in a third-set tiebreaker. The junior varsity duo of Max Bradford and Mike Hardinger also showed resilience, rallying from a 1–7 deficit before narrowly losing 6–8.
Meanwhile, the LaFayette track and field teams had several standout performances at the Calhoun Home Meet.
For the girls, Alex Dodson delivered an outstanding night by winning the long jump with a leap of 14 feet, 6½ inches and also taking first place in the 100-meter dash. Jaslyn Mosley added to the Lady Ramblers’ scoring with a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters.
On the boys side, Porter Sentell led the Ramblers with a first-place finish in the 200 meters and a second-place finish in the 100 meters. Jake Nave placed second in the 400 meters, while Payton Cameron finished fifth in the same event.
In the distance races, Cayden Decker won the 1600 meters and placed fourth in the 800 meters. Noah Vaughn captured first place in the 3200 meters and also finished fourth in the 1600.
LaFayette’s hurdlers also turned in strong performances. Kevin Carmichael won the 110-meter hurdles, Gabriel Candies finished second, and Aiden McGuire placed fourth. In the 300-meter hurdles, Candies took first, McGuire finished second, and Carmichael placed fourth.
Zaire Grissom earned second place in the boys shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 10 inches, marking a new personal record.
The Ramblers also scored in relay competition, with the boys 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 teams each finishing third.