Amarillo High Dominates 3-5A Draw
It was a historic day for Amarillo High as the Sandie netters had all 16 players earn medals with 12of those advancing to regionals during the District 3-5A tournament on Monday and Tuesday at the Rebel Tennis Center.
Leading AHS was the girls doubles duo of Morgan and Halle Rose. The pair took down teammates, Allex Gonzalez and Sara Shelhamer, in a thrilling three-set battle, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Morgan Rose and Gonzalez have faced off numerous times in the past. Rose paired with Eleanor Archer last year to win the Class 5A state crown while Gonzalez partnered with Karli Lakey to play in the state tournament as well.
In mixed doubles it was a 1-2 finish for Amarillo High as well as Caroline Artho and Barrett Stroud knocked off the top seed, Alex Earthman and Seren Wilson, 6-4, 6-4 to grab gold.
Earthman and Wilson fought back through the playback bracket to take second with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 win over Palo Duro’s Matthew Rogers and Anastasia Sanchez.
The fourth seed, Jamin Yott and Camdyn Clifton of AHS, grabbed gold in boys’ doubles with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory over Tascosa’s Spencer Berryman and Parker Austin.
Berryman and Austin, the No. 3-seed, made the finals by pulling an upset over the top-seed from AHS, William Ritter and Nate Wright, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Tascosa had a very successful day as well sweeping the boys and girls singles titles.
On the girls’ side, top seed Bradley Brown cruised to a district title with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Maria Steans of AHS. Brown was dominant the whole way losing only eight total games in three matches.
Steans then had to face her teammate in Ava Maria Earthman in the playback match and advanced to the regional tourney with a back and forth win 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Tucker Haynes of Tascosa, the top seed in boys’ singles, didn’t have as easy a time but still took gold, 6-0, 6-2 over Caleb Kersh of AHS in the finals.
Haynes rallied for a three-set win in the semifinals over Matthew Whitecotton of AHS, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0. Whitecotton took silver after getting a playback victory over Kersh when the AHS netter had to retire in the first set with Whitecotton up 5-3.
The top two finishers advance to the Region I-5A Tournament set for May 8-9 on the courts of Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Canyon ISD dominates 4-4A tournament
It was an impressive performance from the three Canyon ISD schools Monday and Tuesday at the District 4-4A tournament on the courts of the Amarillo Tennis Center.
Between Canyon, Randall and West Plains, all three were able to get a total of 12 players advancing to the regional tournament.
The West Plains mixed doubles duo of Scout Adams and Cooper Richardson beat Hereford’s Brandon Ysaguirre and Macy Betzen in the finals, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
For Adams and Ysaguirre, this was just another in a long series of matches the two have faced off against one another. Ysaguirre paired with K’Linda Mason last year to beat Adams and her partner, Parker Steinman, in the state finals. The Hereford pair then beat Orlando Ingersoll and Jazzy Phillips of Randall in the playback match, 6-4, 6-2.
In girls’ doubles, Randall’s Kynley Craddock, a state semifinalist last year with Landrey Posey, is now paired with Gabby Dishong but the results are the same. The talented duo never lost a set to take gold. In the finals, they took down Bryley Jesko and Brooke Rebstock of Canyon, 6-2, 6-2.
Seeded second in the boys’ doubles bracket, David Eck and Isaac Reynolds of Canyon took the top spot with a tough split set victory over the top seed of Daxon Betzen and Bryson Shelton from Randall, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1.
Betzen and Shelton will advance to regionals, however, as they took down Kevin Garcia and Will Sims of Hereford in the playback match, 6-2, 6-1.
Ella Dudley of Hereford was close to a state tournament appearance last year before falling in the playback match to Jesse Stephan of Wichita Falls, 7-5, 6-3. Dudley is back and she’s hoping to get that state ticket this year.
The top seed grabbed gold with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Canyon’s Lauren Brooks. Brooks will join Dudley at the regional tournament as she won a playback match against teammate Samantha Melear, 6-1, 6-0, to take silver.
The biggest surprise of the district meet was the showing of West Plains unseeded boys’ singles player, Talon West Gilbert. The Wolfpack netter didn’t lose a set in four matches and overwhelmed Jorge Estrada of Pampa in the finals, 6-3, 6-1. Estrada, unseeded as well, beat the top seed, Izayus Fuentes of Hereford, 7-5. 6-2 in the playback match to join Gilbert in Lubbock in ten days.
The Region I-4A meet will take place on the courts of Texas Tech University on May 10-11, in Lubbock.