The Chilton County tennis team took much from its first trip to the Class 5A state tournament: a seventh-place finish, a Sportsmanship Trophy and an experience worth remembering.

The Sportsmanship Trophy was voted on by the 12 teams at the tournament.

Several Tigers won their matches Monday at the Mobile Tennis Center. Michael Elder (playing in the No. 2 position) and Nathan Gray (6) were singles winners, and the doubles teams of Elder/Cody Cummings (2) and Gray/Justin Mims (3) also were victorious.

Gray and Mims actually won their first two matches, good enough to earn them a return trip to the competition on Tuesday.

“It was an awesome experience, especially in our fourth year,” CCHS coach Chris Miller said. “It will be one of those experiences that these kids will never forget.”

The experience was especially sweet for the team’s seniors, including No. 1 player Cody Jones.

“It went well. We did a lot better than we expected,” Jones said.

Jones also said he was impressed with how the CCHS junior, Elder and Mims, handled the pressure.

“They’re already looking forward to next year,” Jones said.