The A.C. Flora Falcons, 2025 Class 4A Boys Tennis State Champions (l-r): Front–Bennett Daves, Tripp Van Vlake, James Smyth, Will Hewitt, Harrison Mauldin, and Assistant Coach Chris Smith; Back–Head Coach Amy Martin, Will Trumpeter, Jude Smyth, William Beasley, Vijay Sinha, Sam McCormick, Reid Denemark, Will Bryan, and Miles Goetzman.
A rainy day that started around 9:50 a.m. at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center ended around 2:40 p.m. in the dry confines of the University of South Carolina Indoor Tennis Facility. At the end of this day, the A.C. Flora Falcons walked away with the Class 4A Boys Tennis State Championship by earning a 5-1 victory over the Bishop England Battling Bishops.
“Each one gets sweeter and sweeter,” head coach Amy Martin said of her third title with the boys team (2015, 2021, and 2025). She also has one from 2018 with the girls team. “This was the middle school team from 2022. We grew them up from where we left 2021, and they came out and did exactly what they needed to get done this year.”
The Falcons and Battling Bishops were about 20 minutes into their match at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center when the rains came to suspend play. About an hour-and-half later SCHSL officials moved the match to USC, and then both schools had to wait for the conclusion of the 3A finals before play finally resumed a little after 12:30 p.m.
A.C. Flora head coach Amy Martin raises her fourth State Championship trophy in the air. This is her third title with the boys (2015, 2021, and 2025). She also won one with the girls team in 2018.
In another twist, no scorecards were available, which made tracking the matches challenging.
The A.C. Flora doubles team of Will Trumpeter and Tripp Van Vlake was first off the court with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Bishop England’s Andrew Hamilton and Caleb Watson. Van Vlake is also a wide receiver for the Falcon football team and both he and Trumpeter bring that gridiron mentality to the court.
When asked about the match strategy, Trumpeter bluntly stated, “Beat the crap out of them.”
Van Vlake added, “Just do what we’ve always done, just kill ’em.”
“Tripp and Will set the tone for each and every match,” Martin said. “One of the benefits of having only five courts is that they start a bit later and have time to cheer on and support their teammates. They started playing together early last year, and it clicked. And after a slight hiccup in a preseason tournament, they rolled the rest of the season. They both are super role models, and their teammates truly look up to them–literally Tripp.”
A.C. Flora No. 1 James Smyth rips a forehand in his match against Bishop England’s Dante Nava.
Van Vlake is around 6’- 5” tall.
Vijay Sinha then gave A.C. Flora a 2-0 lead downing Bishop England No. 3 Colin Murray 6-1, 6-2.
Falcon No. 4 Will Hewitt followed with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Parker Murphy leaving A.C. Flora one win away from claiming the title.
The only player left from the Falcons’ 2021 state championship team was William Beasley at No. 5 singles. It seemed appropriate that he should get the decisive match this time, which he did with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Lucas Rizzetto.
“Beasley was in eighth grade in 2021, and I had brought him up from JV to finish out that season,” Martin said. “He chose to not get a championship ring, saying that he wanted to earn it. Honestly, I was not sure about that decision, but after about 2-3 weeks into this season, I knew he was well on his way to getting that ring. And then to clinch the match was just super sweet!”
A.C. Flora No. 2 Jude Smyth slices a backhand in his match against Bishop England’s Roland Weir.
Much of the crowd was focused on the battle going on at No. 2 singles between A.C. Flora’s Jude Smyth and Bishop England’s Roland Weir, so it took a few seconds for everyone to realize the Falcons had just won the state championship when Beasley raised his arms in triumph and went to shake Rizzetto’s hand.
Luckily, Jude Smyth finished his comeback victory seconds after Beasley, winning 2-6, 6-1 (10-3), and the celebration truly commenced.
“It just felt good to win for the team and for the fans who came to watch us and support us,” Jude said.
“It is always so hard to know how he is doing; he never displays any emotion,” Martin said of Jude. “(Assistant Coach) Chris (Smith) and I have gotten used to it over the past few years, and since it’s definitely not broken, there is nothing to fix. He played some of his best tennis in the third set tiebreak, finishing at 10-3! Thinking he may have fed off Beasley’s win a bit to close it out, but however he did it, it was awesome!”
A.C. Flora No. 3 Vijay Sinha returns a deep ball in his match against Bishop England’s Colin Murray.
One match remained on the courts at No. 1 singles. There Bishop England’s Dante Nava was able to outlast James Smyth 6-1, 6-4 to salvage a victory for the Battling Bishops.
“The No. 1 spot is a lot of times the sacrificial lamb, but he takes on that role and never ever gives up,” Martin said of James. “He fights for every point and has had some amazing matches this spring. As a team captain, he gives 100 percent and expects his teammates to do the same. I also think it’s kind of nice to have your brother on the next court.”
Speaking of brothers… and sisters.
“A.C. Flora tennis has had several sibling legacies,” Martin said. “Smyth brothers, Hewitt brothers (Will’s brother, Rick, was a big part of the 2021 state championship team), Smith sisters (Frances, who was an eighth grader on the 2018 state championship team, and Emily and Catherine, who are on the team now), Sturgeon sisters (Lani and Siona, a member of the 2018 state championship team), Overdyke brother (William, a member of the 2021 state championship team) and sister (Caroline, a member of the 2018 state championship team). It’s been great to get to know each family! Having grown up in a tennis family, I get it– and I wouldn’t change a thing. It will always be the sport of a lifetime.”
A.C. Flora No. 5 William Beasley lunges for a shot in his match against Bishop England’s Lucas Rizzetto.
And their State Championships will be part of the A.C. Flora legacy forever.
Tripp Van Vlake, A.C. Flora No. 2 doubles, returns a serve against the Bishop England team of Andrew Hamilton and Caleb Watson.
A.C. Flora No. 4 Will Hewitt slams an overhead in his match against Bishop England’s Parker Murphy.
Will Trumpeter, A.C. Flora No. 2 doubles, hits a backhand against Bishop England.
Loading Comments