Jemison’s boys tennis team will compete in the Class 4A, Section 2 tournament on Thursday with a good chance of making the state tournament.

Jemison’s girls (7-6, 2-3 against section foes), meanwhile, will compete as the No. 4 seed in their sectional beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the O’Connor Tennis Center in Montgomery. The top two teams advance to state.

“They could surprise us,” coach Benton Morton said. “They’ve surprised us all year.”

The Panthers have only two players—No. 1 Ashley Gothard and No. 2 Jessica Swindle—back from last year’s team.

Jemison’s boys, meanwhile, will enter sectional play at O’Connor with No. 1 seeds at three positions (Andrew Morton at No. 5, Jake Long at No. 6 and Morton and Long at No. 3 doubles) and a 12-1 overall record. Their only loss, in their first contest of the season, was to St. James, who JHS will meet again in the sectional.

“We’re definitely better than we were at the beginning of the year,” Morton said. “We just have to handle the pressure.”

Jemison’s boys have finished second in the sectional for six consecutive years.