Friday, October 31, 1997

Eagles, Cougars hope to meet in regional finals

By TED DUNNAM /Assistant Sports Editor

When the Region I-5A team tennis tournament final is played Saturday afternoon, Abilene High and Cooper hope they'll be meeting for the third time this year.

Until then, each has a lot of work ahead of them as the 16-team field begins play at 8 a.m. today at seven sites in the city. First-round and quarterfinal matches are slated today with the semifinals set for 8 a.m. Saturday and the finals to be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cooper.

A Cooper-Abilene High championship matchup is certainly not a long shot, considering the teams are ranked first and third, respectively, in the state.

"It's an emotional time right now and we're just trying to keep everybody calm," Cooper head coach Jimmy Cole said. "We've been working on a lot of doubles strategies. Other than that, we feel pretty good about everything else."

Cooper, the No. 1 seed, will play ????? at 8 a.m. at ????? while Abilene High, the No. 2 seed, will meet ????? at 8 a.m. in its first-round match.

Outside of Cooper and Abilene High, the two other teams given the best chance of advancing to the state tournament are defending state champion Amarillo Tascosa along with El Paso Franklin.

"Those four teams should be the ones with the best chance to get to state," Cole said. "Cooper and Abilene High have the balanced depth, Franklin is very top-heavy with talent and Tascosa has a really strong boys team.

"Wichita Falls Rider could sneak in there, too. As always, it's a tough regional field."

Cooper takes a 17-0 record into the tournament while Abilene High has suffered only two setbacks this year, both at the hands of Cooper.

"Cooper should be the favorite," Abilene High head coach Fred Scott said. "But we feel we can compete with anybody in the state. We're just going to go out there and give it our best."

What: Region I-5A tennis

Where: Fairway Oaks Country Club, Abilene Country Club, Abilene High, Cooper, Rose Park Tennis Center, Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University

When: 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m and 1:30 p.m. Saturday