In two previous matchups, Canyon’s team tennis squad had barely taken down District 4-4A rival Randall, taking the first meeting 10-9 and the second one 11-8.
Based on those outcomes and the way the Raiders have dominated UIL Region I tennis the last several years, no one would have imagined a dominating win but that’s exactly what the Eagles came away with.
On the courts of the Rose Tennis Center in Abilene, Canyon handed Randall a convincing 10-2 defeat in a Region I-4A finals to send the Eagles to the UIL Class 4A state team tennis tournament for Wednesday and Thursday at the Waco Regional Tennis Center & Baylor University.
Doubles competition is where the tone is set in team tennis and both squads had gotten the better of the other in their previous matches, holding a five to two advantage heading into singles play. That laid the foundation of what was anticipated to be a dog fight for wins to gain an advantage over the other.
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The fight, however, was controlled by Canyon. After picking up early wins in mixed and the number one boys doubles spot, the Eagles did something they hadn’t done all year. The twin sister duo of Samantha and Kaylee Melear upended the Raiders pair of Kynley Craddock and Emerson Daniels for their very first win over the pair, 6-4, 6-2.
“Samantha and Kaylee did an amazing job of executing the game plan we laid out almost to perfection,” Canyon head coach David DeLeon said. “Kynlee Craddock will go down as one of the best ever in Class 4A and for them to get a win in that situation against her and her partner Emerson Daniels was amazing.”
That win was pivotal as Canyon added a victory at the number two boys’ doubles soon after. Lawson Posey and Carter Neighbors, playing number three boys doubles, won a tightly contested match, 6-4, 3-6, (10-7) over Randall’s Eli Godwin and Keaton Daniels to give the Eagles a 5-1 advantage.
The final doubles match of the day was in girls doubles where DeLeon knew how important that match was.
“Cooper (Richardson) and Austin (Schoenenberger) had played really well against Randall so we felt confident we could pick up a couple of wins there,” DeLeon said. “A win at number two girls’ doubles would really set us up for a special day.”
Picking up that big sixth match was the doubles pair of Hannah Terry and Hadlee House. After splitting with Abri Hays and Autumn Bell, the Eagles duo grabbed a super set 10-5 win to give Canyon an almost insurmountable 6-1 edge heading to singles.
It didn’t take long for Canyon to get that tenth win as Richardson and Schoenenberger, playing the first and third singles spots, notched wins as did Kaylee Melear in the third girls’ position.
Needing one last win, Johnna Finke showed how much every player on the team matters as she finished off the Eagles victory with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Emerson Daniels at number six girls to clinch a spot to the state tournament.
Canyon’s head man was emotional after the win.
“It’s hard to put into words what this means,” DeLeon said. “The amount of work and sacrifice we made to make it to this point is a team effort. This group of seniors and juniors, that make up the bulk of our team, have been with me since junior high. They bought in, had a passion for tennis and have been chasing this moment for a long time.”
With the win, the Eagles will be making their first trip to state since 2019 when Canyon fell to Fredricksburg. The draw determining who will play each other will be held Sunday but the second ranked Eagles know they will be playing at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Waco Regional Tennis Center looking to claim a gold medal and a place in the annals of Canyon High.