At Salisbury High, tennis is a winning tradition

One thing about tennis players on any level: they never let you see them sweat.

Take Adam Martin. The No. 3 player on the Salisbury High School tennis team was the only Hornet to fall in a 5-1 state 2A playoff victory over Brevard Tuesday. Lost the first set 6-0, even. But you’d have never known it.

“You get mad at yourself,” Martin said, angry but calm at the same time, if that’s possible. “But if you show how mad you are, the other player gets confidence. Then, you get more frustrated and it’s downhill from there.”

That type of tennis demeanor is probably why he bounced back in the second set with some spectacular shots before losing just 6-4.

Nearby, that opposite scenario was being played out in the match involving No. 6 player Britt Butler. His Brevard opponent was throwing his racket and screaming.

“I knew all I had to do was hit it in and let him make the mistakes,” said Butler, a senior.

And so it went at City Park. Salisbury tennis, a tradition that is well-known across the state, had moved to the third round of the playoffs.

And believe this. There is a tradition.

No. 5 player Alex Hattaway remembered stopping at a McDonald’s in High Point after a recent match and people asking if he was on the Salisbury tennis team. They seemed impressed when he said he was.

“It kinda shocked me that people up that way knew who we are,” said Hattaway, who also won his singles match. “It’s one of the sports Salisbury is known for.”

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Neighbor Lexington is also known for tennis and the Central Carolina Conference rivals meet Monday in the Barbecue City for the right to advance to the Final Four.

Before the Brevard match was even over, the Hornets were already thinking Lexington. This is a rivalry that compares with the best — and for the past few years, the Yellow Jackets have gotten the better of it. It has been five long seasons since Salisbury beat Lexington.

“We talked about it today,” coach Chris Myers said. “It’s been a while since we’ve made it past the second round.

And who’s waiting for them now that they’ve gotten over that hurdle? The Yellow Jackets, who have already defeated the Hornets twice by 6-3 scores.

Myers was asked about the rivalry. Can you feel intensity in tennis, a gentlemen’s sport?

“I can,” Myers admitted. “I think most of the guys can as well. It’s one of those things. Lexington gets people out to watch when we’re over there.”

If Salisbury is to break through to the semifinals, it surely won’t come down to Hattaway and Butler. Each has lost just a couple of matches and makes Salisbury one of the toughest teams near the bottom of the lineup.

And don’t think there’s an inferiority complex because Butler and Hattaway aren’t closer to the top.

“If you win, it counts the same as No. 1,”Butler said.

Myers isn’t dumb. He knows how important his two bottom players are.

“We really count on those guys,” said the third-year head coach after slapping five with Butler following a 6-4, 6-2 win. “They always seem to come through for us.”

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Hattaway and Butler are the icing on the cake with a cherry on top. Myers knows they can be his secret weapons.

At the top of the lineup, Helmut Shomaker is no secret. He’s No. 1 and is expected to win.

Quiet though he may be.

“He’s a shy kid, which makes it difficult at times,” Myers said. “Most of the guys will talk to you. But he just stands there.”

Shomaker doesn’t stand around on the court. Tuesday, he raced his opponent all over the court before winning convincingly.

Myers walks around the fence about 30 times a match, stopping between games to give a little advice.

The key word is “little.”

“The guys know the game,” he said. “They know where to place the ball and they know how to go after weaknesses. I just remind them.”

With a grin, he adds, “And I whisper. You don’t want the other player to hear you.”

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Now, Salisbury tennis is back in familiar territory, along with other familiar names like Shelby and Lexington.

“Lexington has been strong for years,” Martin said. “They keep beating us.”

Will the Jackets continue that string Monday?

Myers talked about how tough it is to beat a team three times. So to a man, the Hornets know they can do it. It’s a matter of carrying it out with a good game plan.

Martin was not happy with the outcome of his singles match but by the time the victory was completed, he was all smiles. In fact he was already looking to the future, saying his goal for next season was to be No. 1.

Think about that for a minute. Adam Martin was talking about being the top tennis player at Salisbury.

And he lost. But this is tennis. And you’d have never known it.

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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4256 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com .