THOMASVILLE — As Zach Bowers paced the grassy area near a row of hard-surface tennis courts at Thomasville High, he paused to watch his top girls doubles team win a few games of their pro set.
It was no surprise when the Oak Grove freshman tandem of No. 1 Jessica Fuchs and No. 2 Marlie Stephenson walked out of the rusted metal gates of the chain-link fence with an 8-2 victory on that cool, sunny Monday evening. The two 14-year-olds routed Thomasville seniors Jasline and January Nelson for their 10th win as a doubles team — undefeated this season.
It was just one of nine matches the Grizzlies won that day, moving to 12-2 in only the second season of the tennis team’s existence. Since Oak Grove opened as the newest Davidson County school in 2017, a lot has changed. The Grizzlies ended their first season 4-17 overall and 3-15 in the Central Carolina 2-A conference. They started 2018 from scratch again with a new coach and a new host of players.
“At the end of the day, I think what’s made this tennis team so unique as compared to last season is that we have absolutely fantastic talent,” said Bowers, who took over as the Grizzlies’ coach in May, replacing Hilary Daniels. “I don’t necessarily think the conditions of the program are any different than they were last year.
“It’s just that we have a lot of really fantastic players and fantastic attitudes out there.”
After one season, the roster spiked from seven to 20 players. And that talent has helped Bowers, a social studies teacher who never previously coached a team or even played much competitive sports in high school.
After spending the past four years at North Davidson, Bowers left to join the faculty at Oak Grove. Taking on the role as a tennis coach wasn’t his decision, but one he embraced, as it came with the teaching job.
“I was just kind of told I’d be coaching tennis, and they didn’t ask me if I had any experience in it or if I had a desire to,” Bowers said. “But I was ready to, and I hardly had any experience in it so I took the time during the summer to learn as much as I could, personally, so that when those girls got out there and practiced that I wasn’t wasting their time.
“It just kind of fell into my lap, honestly, and I’ve done the best that I could,” Bowers said.
And it was enough to break records.
On Sept. 24, Oak Grove defeated Salisbury — the second meeting between the teams this season — winning four singles and two doubles matches in a 6-3 home victory. It shattered the Hornets’ 186-match conference win streak, which began on Sept. 30, 2002. Salisbury, the reigning NCHSAA Class 2-A champion, won state titles in that span in 2006, from 2008 through 2013, and in 2017.
Bowers wasn’t aware of the record until the Lexington Dispatch newspaper and a parent informed him later that night.
“I knew that they were the winningest team and were intimidating, and that ignorance on my part may have played at part in me being like, ‘It’s just Salisbury, guys,’” Bowers said with a laugh. “I was just like, ‘Whoa, so we really did something yesterday.’”
The youth of the roster made the feat even more impressive. The roster consists of eight freshman, seven sophomores and four juniors.
For Oak Grove’s top two singles players, experience isn’t an issue. Stephenson has played tennis much of her childhood, and her father, Buck, is a tennis pro at Grandover Swim and Racquet Club in Greensboro. Fuchs — undefeated this season — has trained for four years, even making appearances at the Junior Orange Bowl International, which is an ITF Junior Grade A tournament in Plantation, Fla.
“It doesn’t matter where you are or where you’re playing, we’re always cheering each other on and are supportive,” Stephenson said after her win in straight sets against Jasline Nelson. “It’s just great to represent the school.”
For Fuchs, what makes the team special is its following. With a school not even 2 years old, it’s not uncommon to see a line of canvas lawn chairs, in the team colors of black and blue, just a few paces away from the courts at an away match.
“People that don’t even get to play all the time come out and support,” Fuchs said. “They’re part of the reason I’m here, that I’m winning, and it really helps.”
Finding success in just the second season of play, Bowers sees the group of girls as the start of a lasting legacy at Oak Grove.
“They know that when they go out there, they’re starting this program,” Bowers said. “They’re going to be the plaques on the wall that you look back on 20 or 30 years from now — you know, they’re building a legacy — and they’re aware of that fact.”
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