Laurens District 55 High School Boys Tennis Team Wins First Region 1 – AAAA Championship

Laurens District 55 High School (LDHS) makes another remarkable first win in athletics. The LDHS Boys Tennis Team won its first Region 1 – AAAA Championship on Monday, April 21, 2025, against Wren with a score of 5-1. LDHS Principal Lewis Compton, Laurens County School District 55 (LCSD 55) Athletic Director Tommy Spires, and Superintendent Dr. Jody Penland were all present to witness and celebrate the historic win.

LDHS Boys Tennis Team Coach Lynne Todd and her team worked hard to win the title. Todd said after the win, “It was amazing, but I was so numb. I was tired mentally and physically. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was a goal we worked so hard for, and we knew Wren was coming hard for us.”

Coach Todd’s lineup at the Region 1 – AAAA Championship was: #1 JP Field, #2 Price Turner, #3 Bates Turner, #4 Dylan Brink, #5 Ryland Edwards, #2 Doubles, Carson Jenkins/Gibson Partee. Other members are Weston Coggins, Judah Norton, Will Brink, Landen Garrett, Zaine Kellett, Carson Hawkins and Matthew Werts (team trainer).

Todd attributes winning to the athletes’ commitment and her coaching team. Assistant Coach Maya Ramirez and 71-year-old former Clemson University Tennis Player Volunteer Coach Carroll Thompson each played a part. Ramirez and Thompson have been working with Todd for three years. Todd, Ramirez, and Thompson coach the team Monday through Thursday for an hour and a half, beginning in January with a month of conditioning before engaging in practices, challenges, and scrimmages in February. Practices include warming up and conditioning (running, sprinting, drills). The three coaches also offer time on the weekends to play with athletes. Additionally, Todd has found instructors as reliable resources – Amanda Sherman from Greenville, Dave Morin from Spartanburg, and Joel Roberts from Presbyterian College- to instruct her athletes outside of practice.

Todd has been the Tennis Team Head Coach since 2020, but was a Volunteer Tennis Coach for ten years, from 2009-2019. Todd’s winning strategy is to wear down her athletes. She teaches them to fight the heat and tiredness and be ready for another match. But Todd is not all strictly business, she incorporates games in her practices too. Her athletes have fun and have learned to become a family. Lynne’s background as A Behavioral Tools Coach has also come in handy.

Ramirez said, “The mindset Lynne was mainly focused on for this season was being positive at practices and matches. That really helped the boys, and they put in the work by staying after practice some days.”

Thompson said, “We work very well together and bring different expertise. We coach about tennis, but we coach about life, and about being good Christians who lift each other.”

Co-captain twin brothers Price and Bates Turner are both very thrilled with this first win and echo what the coaches say. The brothers are in their second year serving as co-captains. Last year was the first time the team competed at the Region 1 – AAAA Championship.

Bates said, “I feel very good, very excited, and very happy, especially that we won this for the very first time! It feels great as a team, and it gives us confidence. Our win brings us closer together. We won because we are a family, and like brothers, we push each other to work harder.”

Price added, “I’m very proud of our team! We have worked on having a positive mindset and being comfortable in stressful situations. We bonded as a team and trusted each other with what we could do. We know we have each other’s backs. As a family, we struggle together and push each other.”

The co-captains’ parents, Meg and Matthew Turner, are very thankful that their children followed in their footsteps with their love for tennis. Meg and Matthew both played tennis at a young age and both played for their high school teams. Matthew played for LDHS when he attended and graduated in 1996. Meg said tennis is a sport that builds confidence, discipline, and work ethic. “Although you win together as a team, it is also a very individual sport wherein each athlete needs to commit to practice and have determination,” shared Meg.

“It’s a sport where someone can grow a lot. I thank all the coaches, especially Coach Todd, for putting a lot of effort into building the team and recruiting members for the team. I thank the district and the high school administration for their support. I encourage parents to contact our coaches to get involved,” added Meg Turner.

Todd said, “I am so thankful for all the support from the parents, colleagues, administrators, Coach Maya, and Coach Thompson. I am also thankful to the Laurens YMCA for giving my team a home to practice and do conditioning and strength training. Most of all, I am thankful for my husband, Walter Todd. He has supported me and continued to show love and respect for me and what I love to do, even when he feels frustrated when I wear myself down. He knows that I love what I am doing.”

The district is requesting support for the LDHS Boys Tennis Team. The team will benefit from having financial support and from having new volunteers and players join. Parties interested may contact Coach Lynne Todd at [email protected].

LCSD 55 also invites Laurens and nearby communities to come out on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to watch the Upper State Championship at Laurens District 55 High School at 4:30 PM. The LDHS Boys Tennis Team has been working on their stamina, mental focus, positive mindset, and footwork to bag the Upper State Championship title.