Historic season for DC Tennis to end at State Tournament

 




Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

No matter how things go Thursday and potentially Friday for Dyer County tennis duo Clay Dodds and Seth LaRue, they are assured of one thing. Their 2024 season as well as that of the Choctaw tennis team as a whole will go down as a historic one for the program.

As part of the first Dyer County Choctaw tennis team to win both district and regional championships, LaRue and Dodds will begin a journey on Thursday morning which could culminate in a TSSAA Class AA Doubles State Championship for the duo. All the unbeaten team need to do is win two more matches.

This also marks the first time any Dyer County tennis players – singles or doubles – have reached the state tournament.

“The boys team, from last year, they set goals,” Dyer County Head Coach Marjorie Sanderson said. “They said –  ‘Next year we want to win the Hornet Cup. Next year we want to go to districts and win them. And win regional. We want to go as far as we can go.”

The Choctaws put the work in.

“They practiced more than I have ever seen a team practice for as long as I have been coaching,” Sanderson said. “They won the Hornet Cup – best out of six schools.

“The boys team won district and they won regionals. They lost in sectionals to Collierville.”

In addition to the doubles team's success, teammate Bo Dodds won the district tournament and placed runner-up in the region tournament.


Sanderson said it is amazing to see the team set goals and just work as hard as they could to reach them.

“They just set those goals and just kept trying to attain them,” the Choctaw head coach said.

Sanderson admitted it will be fun to watch Dodds and LaRue compete on in the TSSAA Large Class State Tournament.

“I am so happy for them,” Sanderson said. “What is exciting is that I feel like they are earning it.

“They are not letting the season just happen to them. They’re trying to steer it that way to reach their goals. It’s a first for me, too. I’ve had a lot of individuals go to district finals but I have not had them go off to state. I am really excited for them to be there.”

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