Witnessing a single athlete win state in Boys Tennis is generally a very rare feat, yet this year senior Phillip Deaton managed to pull it off. Although expected due to Deaton’s incredible mastery of the sport, the victory was nonetheless a milestone in Bellarmine Boys’ Tennis history.

When asked if he was nervous for the State title match, Deaton said, “There were some nerves before the match but that all went away once the match started. It felt great to represent my school and bring home another state title, our 4th this year. The hardest part of the match was probably closing it out at the end and just staying focused.”

Deaton commented on the early wake up times each day at the tournament saying, “The hardest part of the tournament was waking up really early for a few of the matches.”

But he added, “The best part of the tournament was being with teammates and enjoying myself after matches. I am definitely looking forward to playing college tennis while winning matches for my team and representing the school well.”

Fellow senior Devin Larsen-Niggam and junior Vasanth Ramachandran participated in the tournament as a doubles team, ninth grader Charlotte Savage and senior Tatum Brady also participated as a doubles team, and junior Xavier Nazzal attended to support the team.

The State title of Phillip Deaton will be immortalized in the large stone tablet outside the tennis courts where all the previous State champions are listed. Clearly, Deaton’s victory at State is a milestone in Bellarmine history.