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Head Coach (Boys and Girls):
Geoff Watts

Catholic High Tennis takes tremendous pride in promoting the best student-athlete experience for our tennis players.

• In 2014, 2015, and 2016, our Catholic High Boys’ Team won the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) 1A Team Academic State Championship in (Team GPA).
• During these same 3 years, our Girls’ Team finished in the FHSAA top ten (Team GPA).

On the court, Catholic High Tennis has won numerous District and Regional Championships, earning many FHSAA State Tournament appearances (see below).

• In order to achieve this success, Catholic High Tennis strives to compete with the best during the regular season, travelling annually to locations across the Southeast for dual matches – Tallahassee, FL (FSU Indoor Tennis Facility); New Orleans, LA; Birmingham, AL; with new locations such as Atlanta, GA, and Orlando, FL constantly sought out.
• Catholic High Tennis also competes in no less than 2 tournaments per season – DecoTurf High School Tennis Team Championships, Chattanooga, TN; McGill-Toolen Tennis Invitational, Mobile, AL.
• All relevant match results are recorded and posted to player UTR rating.

Both our Boys’ and Girls’ teams have numerous FHSAA State Tournament appearances – our No. 1 goal at the start of every tennis season.

• In 2017, our Boy’s team repeated as FHSAA 1A State Runner-Up.
• In 2016, our Boys’ team finished as the FHSAA 1A State Runner-up, improving on a 3^rd place from 2015.
• In 2011, 2012, and 2013, our Girls’ Team earned FHSAA State Tournament berths, finishing 3^rd overall in 2011 and 2013.
• Catholic High Boys’ Individual FHSAA State Champions include: No. 1 singles player Chris Ephron (2015); Boys’ No. 1 doubles team Chris Ephron & Danny Sullivan (2015).
• At No. 2 doubles, Reed Taylor & Kyler Frahm finished as FHSAA 1A State Runner-up (2015).
• Catholic High Girls’ No. 1 singles player Lizzie Nowak earned four-consecutive Pensacola News Journal Player of the Year Awards (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) while competing on the No. 1 singles line at CHS and the FHSAA State Tournament (Individual/Team) those same years.
• In 2016, Lizzie and partner Frances Taylor finished as FHSAA 1A State Semi-finalists in the No. 1 doubles individual draw.
• In 2021, No. 1 singles player Justin Lyons finished as overall FHSAA State Tournament Runner-up.

It will always be our goal at Catholic High Tennis to compete at the highest level while enjoying the camaraderie of diverse and enthusiastic team personalities along the way. We thank all parents for their unwavering support throughout each and every Catholic High Tennis season.

CHS Tennis Tournament History

Boys

District Championships:
2001(2A), 2002(1A), 2003(1A), 2004(1A), 2005(1A), 2010(1A), 2011(1A), 2013(1A), 2014(1A), 2015(1A), 2016(1A), 2017(1A), 2018(1A), 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A), 2024(1A)

Regional Championships:
2001(2A), 2002(1A), 2012(1A), 2013(1A), 2014(1A), 2015(1A), 2016(1A), 2017(1A), 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A)

Regional Finalist:
2003(1A), 2004(1A), 2005(1A), 2008(1A), 2010(1A), 2012(1A), 2018(1A), 2024 (1A)

FHSAA State Tournament (Team):
2001(2A), 2002(1A), 2013(1A)–6th, 2014(1A)–6th, 2015(1A)–3rd, 2016(1A)–State Runner-Up, 2017(1A)–State Runner-Up, 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A)–State Runner-Up

FHSAA State Tournament (Individual):
2015 (1A) – Chris Ephron: State Champion No. 1 Singles (Team Draw)
2015 (1A) – Chris Ephron: State Champion No. 1 Singles Runner-up (Overall Draw)
2015 (1A) – Chris Ephron & Danny Sullivan State Champions No. 1 Doubles (Team Draw)
2021 (1A) – Justin Lyons: Ghost Draw Champion No. 1 Singles / State Runner-up No. 1 Singles (Overall Draw)
2022 (1A) – Justin Lyons: Semifinals No. 1 Singles (Overall Draw)
2023 (1A) – Justin Lyons: Semifinals No. 1 Singles (Overall Draw)
2024 (1A) – Ben Ling: Semifinals No. 1 Singles (Overall Draw)
2024 (1A) – Ben Ling & Gannon Davis: Semifinals No. 1 Doubles (Overall Draw)

Girls

District Championships:
2004(1A), 2005(1A), 2010(1A), 2011(1A), 2013(1A), 2014(1A), 2015(1A), 2016(1A), 2017(1A), 2018(1A), 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A), 2024(1A)

Regional Championships:
2011(1A), 2012(1A), 2013(1A), 2017(1A), 2018(1A), 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A), 2024(1A)

Regional Finalist:
2004(1A), 2005(1A), 2008(1A), 2010(1A), 2014(1A), 2015(1A), 2016(1A)

FHSAA State Tournament (Team):
2011(1A)–3rd, 2012(1A), 2013(1A)–3rd, 2017(1A), 2018(1A), 2019(1A), 2021(1A), 2022(1A), 2023(1A)–State Runner-Up, 2024(1A) Semifinals

FHSAA State Tournament (Individual):
2010 (1A) – Kallie Erickson & Lucy McLaurin No. 1 Doubles Round of 16
2014 (1A) – Megan Wuthrich & Katie Chastain No. 1 Doubles Quarterfinalist
2015 (1A) – Lizzie Nowak No. 1 Singles Round of 16
2015 (1A) – Lizzie Nowak & Milan Carro No. 1 Doubles Quarterfinalist
2016 (1A) – Lizzie Nowak No. 1 Singles Round of 16
2016 (1A) – Lizzie Nowak & Frances Taylor No. 1 Doubles Semifinalist
2021 (1A) – Gabby Goyins: State Quarterfinalist (No.1 Singles Overall Draw)
2022 (1A) – Gabby Goyins: State Semifinalist (No. 1 Singles Overall Draw)
2023 (1A) – Gabby Goyins: Ghost Draw Champion No. 1 Singles/State Runner-Up (No. 1 Singles Overall Draw)
2024 (1A) – Gabby Goyins: Ghost Draw Champion No. 1 Singles/State Champion (No. 1 Singles Overall Draw)

The Sophie Goyins Award

Perhaps the most important lesson athletics teaches young people is how to manage adversity. One of the passages in our team prayer speaks to this:

To encourage, console, and enjoy one another through inevitable and sometimes unyielding tribulation.

Winning a tennis match is always a happy occasion. However, winning a match on a day you struggle, fall behind, and/or are pushed to a point where mentally you might be close to conceding defeat to your opponent, is the most rewarding victory of all.

In 2013, Catholic High senior Sophie Goyins weathered the “inevitable and sometimes unyielding tribulation” by winning her singles match in comeback fashion vs. rival Pensacola Washington High School. Her equally determined opponent that afternoon was up one set, 4-1, and 40-15. Had Washington won that match, the overall dual match would have been over.

Photos