Weddington High School tennis coach Kathy Hatt found herself cheering for both boys doubles teams in the finals at the Class 3A North Carolina High School Athletic Association Individual Tennis Championships last weekend.
That’s because the doubles finals was an all Weddington affair and to top it all off coach Hatt had a son on each of the two Warriors’ doubles teams battling for the state championship.
The Weddington duo of William Hatt and Logan Trimp defeated their teammates Grant Kimner and Henry Hatt 6-3, 6-2 to win the state championship but coach Hatt said everybody came out a winner.
Willam and Henry are twins and both seniors will head off to college in Canada next school year. William will go to school and play tennis at the University of Toronto while Henry will attend school at Acadia University, which does not have a tennis program. The Hatt’s father, Peter, is originally from Canada.
Limner is a junior while Trimp is just a freshman.
William Hatt and Trimp were expected to make a deep run at state after winning the conference and regional tournament. But Henry Hatt and Kimner entered the state championships unseeded and they needed to defeat a powerful doubles team from Marvin Ridge to advance to the title match.
“I cheered equally in the finals,” coach Hatt said. “It wasn’t difficult coaching because they were all already winners. Grant and Henry were not even expected to make it that far, and it was a difficult situation. I was there watching and it was all green on the court.
“I would cheer on the good shots. William and Logan are strong, they are dominant. Henry and Grant fought hard and they didn’t give up. I just coached as encouragingly as I could. It was special, rare. Two of my players were going to be winners and two of my players were going to be runner-ups.”
Trimp/William Hatt started their road to the championship with a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Giles Corzine and Sam Earnshaw of Northwood High School. Trimp/William Hatt then advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-2 decision against Hudson Smith and Sam Garland of Topsail High School.
William Hatt advanced to the doubles semifinals as a sophomore and the doubles finals last season but teaming up with Trimp proved to be a championship-winning combination.
“They were uniquely qualified to take it all the way,” coach Hatt said. “William and Logan are both physically strong boys. They are a good team.”
Trimp/William Hatt then advanced to the finals with a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over the Northern Guilord team of Mark Fujino and Eric Zhang.
“Fujino and Zhang are really great players,” coach Hatt said.
Kimner/Henry Hatt opened the tournament with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alex Kasari and Andrew Zahran of Terry Sanford High School. Kimner/Henry Hatt then advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Henry Kelso and Meade Olson of Asheville High School.
In the semifinals, Kimner/Henry Hatt defeated the Marvin Ridge doubles team of Michael Kronovet and Chris Graveling 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to setup an all-Weddington finals. Limner and Henry Hatt had lost two previous matches with Marvin Ridge this season.
“If three is a charm, make it count and they did,” coach Hatt said. “When they won in the semifinals, they accomplished more than they dreamed of. What they did best is through the whole tournament they improved and they got more confident. Grant and Henry have been playing together their whole tennis career. They have a great friendship and they have the ability to communicate.”
“I had no idea that they would go that far.”
