CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When Kalel Chattin became aware that teammate Ashton Cottrell had dropped his No. 1 singles match Friday, the Cabell Midland sophomore figured the Class AAA boys championship, which the Knights were battling Hurricane for, may well come down to his No. 4 singles match.
That proved to be just the case at the Kanawha City Community Center.
By scoring a victory over the Redskins’ Kellen Pauley, Chattin broke a 3-all tie, lifting Cabell Midland to a 4-3 victory that prevented the Redskins from repeating one year after they secured their first title.
It was the first championship for the Knights’ boys program.
“When our No. 1 seed lost, I figured it was going to end up being 3-all,” Chattin said, “but I just played my heart out, tried making it to balls and hitting it to his backhand. Hit some halfway decent serves at least.”
It was also a tight battle for the girls championship, with University utilizing strong showings from sisters Lyla Byers and Sela Byers, which combined with George Washington’s misfortune, allowed the Hawks to claim their first title by virtue of a 4-3 victory.
Byers, a sophomore, teamed with her younger sister for a victory in No. 1 doubles. The elder Byers helped seal the victory for the Hawks with a No. 1 singles win over Nadia Orcutt.
University’s two other points came in No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles as a result of forfeit from an injury sustained by the Patriots’ Emma Ratrie.
“They had a very unfortunate injury in one of their doubles matches, which carried over to singles,” said UHS coach Justin Byers, the father of Lyla and Sela. “Both sides played hard and our girls ended up on top. Outside of the injury, it was such a great match.”
For University, a No. 2 seed, the first title in school history was aided in a big way from the Byers sisters.
“They are sisters and do love to mess with each other, but so far this week, they’ve been amazing together,” Justin Byers said. “They’re supporting each other. It’s great to see. No black eyes or blood.”
Lyla Byers expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to win the championship with her younger sister.
“We had to stay focused and positive for each other. She really was thrown into all this,” Lyla Byers said. “She plays so many other sports and she’s in lacrosse season right now, too. It means a lot to me that she put her time in to play with me and we could do it together.”
On the boys side, Cottrell and older brother Aiden Cottrell won their No. 1 doubles match, making it somewhat of a family affair for the title-winning teams Friday.
CMHS also got a No. 3 doubles victory from Chattin and Leon Hiesinger, giving it two of three wins in doubles play against HHS.
Aiden Cottrell’s singles win allowed the Knights to finish with a pair of victories in singles matches.
“Every match counts all the way from a No. 1 player to No. 4 player,” Cabell Midland coach Angie Riner said. “It came down to the very last match, which tells me the competition is so strong and talented.”
Chattin’s victory came in come-from-behind fashion, adding in the Knights’ excitement for their first championship.
“I feel like crying right now. I can tell everybody I helped get us a state championship,” Chattin said. “It’s good to see it work out for me. It’s good to play well, especially when it mattered most.”
Like the UHS girls, the CMHS boys were the No. 2 seed, with Hurricane the top seed.
It marked the first tennis title for either UHS program, while Cabell Midland’s girls were previously champion 23 years ago.