H.S. TENNIS: USJ's Markos, Reasons win state title

MURFREESBORO - Cade Reasons stared at the top of the net, having hit the tennis ball there only to see it bounce up and fall unfavorably on his side of the court for the third time.

The USJ sophomore looked at doubles partner George Markos and said "Can I catch a break?"

The Division II-A state championship, though, was less about breaks than it was quality of play. In that category, both Bruins proved to have plenty.

Reasons and Markos, a junior, gave USJ its second boys' tennis doubles championship in three years with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Knoxville Webb's Rajeev Jadhav and Parker Hamilton.

It capped a convincing week for the USJ pair, who did not drop a set in three wins - one over University School of Nashville and two over different Knoxville Webb duos.

"I knew if they were playing like they can play, I knew there wouldn't be a team that could beat them in this thing," USJ coach Ted Measley said.

Though Reasons transferred from Jackson Christian and thus sat out last season, he and Markos have been friends for years.

"We're such a good team that we pick each other up when we're down at points, so I knew he had my back when I was going down and I had his when he was kind of falling a little bit," Reasons said.

Reasons shouted happily after a good shot here or there and muttered with frustration a couple times, while Markos stayed mostly quiet.

"They just complement each other so well," Measley said. "Cade's got a very fiery temper. He's real emotional ... And then George is an introvert. He's an opposite. He keeps it all in, so [with] that blend they kind of calm each other down in a sense.

The Bruin duo trailed four games to three in the first set before taking the next three games and thus the first set.

"We knew we had it from then on," Markos said.

A nice backhand by Reasons clinched the second game of the second set, and though USJ dropped the next two games it won the next four to capture the title.

Both players travel throughout the South to find top-level competition, and Reasons said the two have learned to play well in "clutch situations."

Measley said Reasons, now bigger and stronger and an avid worker, has improved individually by maybe 30 percent in the last three months.

Markos, who also plays basketball, missed the start of tennis season with a knee injury. But after he returned, he developed pain in his right elbow a couple weeks ago from not hitting for a while. It still lingers.

"I can still go big with it. I try to forget about it as much as I can," Markos said.

He pushed through it, hitting three strong shots in a row for a 3-1 lead in the first set and slamming another shot down the alley to put USJ up 1-0 in the second.

It was the first boys' doubles title for USJ since George and J.R. Markos beat teammates Graham Taylor and Harrison Norton for the 2013 title.

Measley said traditional powerhouse Knox Webb will lose a couple players. USJ adds a couple, including Jackson Christian transfer Mason Woods. George Markos' other brother, Paul, is also coming back.

"We'll lose just two seniors, so we'll be the team to mess with next year," Measley said with a smile.

Markos and Reasons carried confidence into the tournament, kept it with them through three wins and will take it into next year, too.

"First of all we're getting that state title as a team," Reasons said. "I'm going to go ahead and call it right now. We're going to get it."

Craig Thomas, 425-9634