Dayton uses senior year to take St. James tennis to new heights

Good coaches tend to push the right buttons.

Pressure mounting ahead of a crucial match, St. James boys tennis coach Patrick Cannon would ask his star pupil Jeffrey Dayton a simple question.

“How many people are there in China?,” Cannon would ask, according to Dayton. “How many of those people care if you win or lose?”

Certainly, few if any in China would care if he lost. In the same vein, Dayton rarely experienced the bitter taste of defeat at the varsity level.

A prodigy since breaking on to the scene as a seventh-grader, Dayton capped a stellar prep career with a third-place finish in the state AAA-AAAA singles tennis tournament. Moreover, he was named all-state for a third consecutive year.

As a result of his excellence on the tennis court, the St. James star is adding another accomplishment to his resume.

Dayton is The Sun News’ Boys Tennis Toast of the Coast Player of the Year. It is the fourth consecutive year in which he has earned area top honors locally.

“It is just such an honor and a privilege to see your hard work pay off,” Dayton said. “The past four years have went by so fast, but also were so fun.”

The Anderson University signee recently put a bow on his high school career, losing only five of 70 S.C. High School League (SCHSL) sanctioned events. Four of those defeats came during his first season at the varsity level as a seventh-grader.

According to Dayton’s coach, seeing his progression from a wide-eyed rookie to one of the area’s best was a joy to behold.

“He just got better and better with each year,” St. James’ Cannon – the Toast of the Coast Boys Tennis Coach of the Year – said. “Of course, we wanted him to finish with a state title, but he also did all he could against an amazing opponent (in the state semifinals). I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

While his accolades as a singles player may get all the headlines, Dayton’s contribution to helping St. James to its first region title in boys tennis may actually be what he takes the most pride in.

“To go out there and leave our mark on the program means so much,” he said. “We worked so hard and were able to meet one of our goals.”

Dayton also cherished the rivalry he had with Socastee’s Britton Bellamy, knowing a challenge was ahead each time the two were pitted against each other.

“Though most matches I felt no pressure, Britton Bellamy always was different,” he said. “He was always that one that really made me bring my best; hopefully he felt the same about me.”

Dayton said there are certain facets of his game that he'd like to improve before heading to college, particularly continuing to make strides with forehand shots. But if his coach knows anything, he's up to the task.

“(Dayton) is an awesome player who learns fast,” Cannon said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Dayton uses senior year to take St. James tennis to new heights."