Texas Panhandle and South Plains netters were impressive over the last week as 48 athletes qualified for the UIL state tournament as regional tournaments were held from Amarillo to Abilene.
San Antonio will be the host once again for the state tournament on March 7-8 at multiple courts across the city hosting the top three qualifiers from each region.
Region I-5A
Amarillo ISD will be sending three doubles teams to the UIL Class 5A state tournament headlined by a pair of girls doubles teams from Amarillo High.
At the Region I-5A tennis tournament Friday and Saturday, Sara Shelhamer and Olivia Hefley showed why they are legitimate contenders for gold. Failing to lose a set the entire tournament, the talented duo took down their Sandie teammates, Ava Marie Earthman and Merdith Artho, 6-2, 6-1.
In mixed doubles, the Tascosa pair of Bradley Brown and True Rush survived a split set victory over Kenndi Tovar and Roberto Aragon of El Paso High in the semifinals, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the finals. The Rebels netters fought hard in the final match but fell to the top seed, Sara Gyorgy and Noah Malin 6-4, 6-4.
Region I-4A
It was another impressive performance at the Region I-4A tennis meet Monday and Tuesday for Canyon ISD as the district had 15 netters qualify for state.
On the courts of the McLeod Tennis Center in Lubbock, all eyes were on the matchup in mixed doubles where Randall’s duo of Kynley Craddock and Jensen Betzen faced off again against Canyon’s Hannah Terry and Cooper Richardson. The matchup between the top two seeds in the tournament didn’t disappoint as Craddock and Betzen backed up their district win with another victory, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2).
In girls’ doubles, it was also a rematch in the finals between Randall’s Chloe Dyess and Abri Hays and the Canyon duo of Samantha and Kaylee Melear. Dyess and Hays won that meeting in split sets, but the Melear sisters flipped the script this time, winning 6-2, 7-6 (8).
Canyon picked up its second gold medal, this time in boys doubles, as the top seeded pair of Austin Schoenenberger and Kale Morton were victorious over Gavin Perez and Dylon Ruiz from Burkburnett, 6-4, 7-5.
Boys’ doubles was also historic for West Plains as Paul Mendez and Jace Parker used a 6-3, 6-2 win over the Seminole pair of Aldo Caballer and Derek Ware to grab a bronze medal and a trip to state as the first Wolves boys doubles team in history to accomplish that.
The last area gold medal was locked down by Sawyer Mulkey of Lubbock Cooper Liberty as he denied Canyon of a third gold by downing the Eagles’ Carter Neighbors, 6-1, 6-3. Randall’s Gavin Yarber made it a 1-2-3 sweep for area athletes in boys singles as he took down Levelland’s Nathan Ellis, 6-2, 6-1 for bronze.
Lily Harding of Randall was the final CISD player to make state as she backed up her district win over Canyon’s Hadlee House with another for third place, pulling out a tough 7-5, 6-3 win.
Region I-3A
Only one player from the South Plains qualified for a trip to San Antonio during the Region I-3A tournament held at the Rose Park Tennis Center in Abilene Friday and Saturday.
However, that one win was as impressive as any across the Texas Panhandle or South Plains. Shallowater’s Riley Criswell took down two higher ranked players to capture the boy’s singles title.
Criswell took down Vernon’s Truett Schur 6-4, 6-4 in the regional quarterfinals before taking down the top-seed, Tag Hooks of Peaster, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. In the finals, it was another Vernon netter on the other side in Hunter Boatman and that didn’t faze the senior.
In a tightly contested first set, Criswell and Boatman battled back and forth with Criswell taking the tiebreaker, 7-5. It was more of the same in the second set but the Mustang netter refused to be denied, posting a 6-4 second set win and nabbing the top spot out of the region.
Region I-2A
The Rebel Tennis Center must have felt like a second home for Reagan County as they qualified nine athletes to state during the Region I-2A meet on Monday and Tuesday.
Despite the dominance of the Owls netters, several area athletes picked up wins in the third-place match to grab a spot at the state meet.
Braddock Foster continues to impress at any sport he enters as he teamed with Carlee Castillo for bronze. The Farwell duo beat Neveah Gonzalez and Patrick Hernandez of Fort Hancock, 6-1, 7-6.
Vega’s girls doubles squad of Rachel Adams and Hannah Adams took the third-place match by beating Kyndall Weston and Madison Galindo of Sonora. 7-5, 6-3.
In boys’ doubles, the Olton pair of Ryan Vega and Sebastian Sparkman earned a trip to state with a thrilling win over Aspen Reyher and Tomas Chacon of Sudan, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (2) in the third-place match.
Region I-1A
Dominance at the Region I-1A meet is becoming old hat for Nazareth and this year was no different.
The Swifts netters won gold in every category but boys singles as 11 total athletes qualified for state. In fact, Amarillo-area athletes locked down all but three spots at the state tournament with impressive play on Monday and Tuesday on the courts of South Plains College in Levelland.
Madison and Kate Brockman locked up the first regional title and their third straight trip to state with a 6-4, 6-1 win over teammates Taryn Wethington and Kambri Cleavinger.
Addie Schulte and Ethan Brockman backed up their district title with another victory over Taylor Wethington and Daniel Schacher, also from Nazareth, 6-1, 7-5, for the mixed title.
Zane Schulte and Rhett Ethridge picked a great time to get hot as they notched the third gold for Nazareth with a dominating 6-0, 6-1 win over Damian Valdes and Carson Tucker from Valley.
The fourth gold was also the second one for Lexi Ramaekers as the senior grabbed her second straight title in girls’ singles with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Ali Mahler from Fort Elliott.
Speaking of back-to-back titles, that’s what Angel Ochoa pulled off in boys singles. The senior dropped the first set to Will Sims from Miami before posting wins in sets two and three for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Two other area athletes grabbed bronze medals and a spot in the state tournament. Happy’s Celia Middleton will be making her second straight trip as she took down Miami’s Mia Calvert, 6-0, 6-1 in girls singles. In mixed doubles, Bentley Brooks and Jack Kotara from Miami topped Booker’s Brandon Martinez and Estephany Valencia, 6-3, 6-3.
TAPPS 1-2A state tournament
Texas Panhandle schools and athletes dominated the TAPPS Class 2A State tournament last week at the Waco Regional Tennis Center.
Lubbock All Saints Episcopal School won both the boys and girls team titles in dominating fashion by having athletes in every final of the state championships.
Jacob Moss and Jake Wischmeyer led the way for the Patriots boys’ doubles team by topping their teammates, Chase Rushing and William Eppright, 6-4, 6-3 in the finals to make it a one-two finish for the Lubbock netters.
Sebastian Hidalgo of Lubbock All Saints also finished with a silver in boys singles, losing to Noah Ward of Bracken Christian School in the finals. Hidalgo got to the finals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Holy Cross Catholic Academy’s Peter Weinheimer in the semifinals.
On the girl’s side, Tinley Stauffer became the first female tennis player to win a state title at Ascension Academy as the sophomore didn’t lose a match all spring season en route to gold.
Stauffer beat the defending state champion, Rayleigh Duplechin of Legacy Christian Academy, 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals after starting the match out down 0-3. The finals went smoother for Stauffer as took down Claire Deykin of Bracken Christian School in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4.
Blayne Robison was making history as well for San Jacinto Christian Academy. The senior picked up her fourth straight girls doubles title as her and her partner, Alayna Daniel, were never really pushed. The duo played four games at the state championships and never lost a set before dispatching of Emersyn Cross and Blair Wischmeyer of Lubbock All Saints with ease, 6-1, 6-1.
Harper Burrell of Lubbock All Saints also medaled by grabbing third in girls singles as she lost to Deykin in the semifinals.
