Regional tennis roundup

AHS, Cooper players could earn state berths

LUBBOCK - They won't be favored to win any titles, but Abilene High and Cooper tennis players will have a realistic shot at earning state berths when the Region I-5A tennis tournament is played today and Saturday at the Lubbock Municipal Tennis Center.

Abilene High's Meiling Parks and Sara Stevens should be the No. 2 seed in girls doubles. Cooper's Theron Cole and the Eagles' Mitch Aston will be represented in boys singles, while the Cooper boys' doubles team of Chuck Haddox and Chris Caceres will try to profit from new life.

"In my opinion, they've made the most of their second chance," Cooper coach Jimmy Cole said. "They've really redoubled their efforts. I'm as much to blame for them not getting to regionals. I felt like I went through the motions getting them ready for district."

Haddox and Caceres qualified for the regional tournament after Midland High's team was ruled academically ineligible.

The Cooper duo is joined at the tournament by surprising Theron Cole, who won the 4-5A boys singles title from the No. 4 seed.

"Theron has never played with so much confidence," coach Cole added. "The district tournament has done so much for his confidence level. He feels like he's a super competitor now.

"Theron doesn't play well if he's relaxed - he loses his focus. He needs to be a little nervous to keep him moving. He'll have to kill more giants to get to state, but he can do it. Matt Parkhill did it last year."

Abilen High head coach Kim Gidley feels strongly about her girls doubles team earning a trip to Austin.

"Meiling and Sara have really come a long way," she said. "I think they're capable of winning region, but our first priority is to get to state. They're in a rhythm now and hopefully they can keep it up.

"Mitch is in a great situation. He's a very dangerous player and there's a good chance people won't be prepared to play him. He's capable of beating anybody in the draw." -- TED DUNNAM

Parker, Everett headed for state

ODESSA - Wylie's Parker Briley and Sarah Everett of Breckenridge are headed back to the Class 3A state tennis tournament in Austin. And they'll be joined by the Wylie boys doubles team of Travis Adams and Tim Kute.

Briley, who won the state doubles championship last year with partner Lee Livingston, captured the Region I-3A boys singles title Thursday at Odessa College. The Wylie sophomore defeated Caleb Clark of Monahans, 6-2, 6-0, in the championship match.

Briley is also a member of Wylie's golf team which captured the Region I-3A championship earlier this week.

Everett, the defending Class 3A state champion in girls singles, successfully defended her Region I-3A crown Thursday, beating Pam Gerik of West, 6-2, 6-2, in the finals.

Adams-Kute defeated Cory Echols and Chad Petross of Vernon, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals but lost a tough three-set match in the finals to Edward Leija and John Luxton of Reagan County, 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 6-4.

The Wylie duo, however, didn't have to be involved in a playback and will advance to the state tournament May 7-8 in Austin as the Region I-3A runner-up.

Richards upholds family name

Jarad Richards was playing for a lot of things Thursday afternoon at the Region II-A tennis tournament at Hardin-Simmons University' Streich Tennis Center.

First, a trip to the state tournament was on the line, followed by the chance to beat a personal nemesis.

And finally there was the family name to uphold.

Richards, a junior from Cross Plains, went out and did all three with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Irion County's D.J. Rainey in the boys singles championship match.

The victory sends Richards to the state tournament in Austin, which begins in two weeks. Rainey, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, survived a playback by beating teammate J.P. Dennison, 6-0, 6-0, to keep his state-tournament berth.

Richards not only earned the trip to the state tournament, he also secured his first-ever win over Rainey in three attempts. He lost to the Irion County senior in the first round of last year's regional tournament.

And he also atoned for Rainey's 6-2, 6-4 win over Coby Richards - Jarad's brother - in this year's first round.

"I hadn't ever beaten him, so this was a big win for me," Richards said. "I guess I was playing for a little bit of revenge because of that, and because he beat my brother in the first round this year."

Richards, the tournament's second seed, beat Dennison in the semifinals, bouncing from a first-set 6-3 loss to win the final two sets, 6-4 and 6-0. He then continued his strong play in the final.

"I just finally started playing my kind of tennis after I lost that first set in the semifinals," Richards said. "After that first set I started hitting the ball instead of dinking it over the net. I was just trying to play too conservatively.

"Once I got to the championship match, though, I started playing my kind of tennis and hitting the ball really well," he said.

In the girls singles championship, top-seeded Kami Williamson of Menard beat second-seeded Kim Stansberry of Eden, 6-2, 6-4, to earn a state-tournament berth. Stansberry then won the playback match against Shanna Hutton of Cross Plains, 6-2, 6-0, to keep her state tournament bid.

In boys doubles, the second-seeded team of Spencer Branch and Chris Martin of Brock beat the fourth-seeded team of Gregory Gibson and Jim Bob Haggerton of Grady, 6-2, 6-1.

And in girls doubles, the top-seeded team of Marcy Mauldin and April Mohler of Irion County won the championship with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Briana Horner and Ami Beal of Santa Anna. Horner and Beal then lost their playback match, as well as their trip to the state tournament, to Grady's team of Alison Cooper and Tarah Schuelke, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3). -- LANCE FLEMING

Memphis qualifies two for state tourney

For those wondering what suddenly stirred up the wind Thursday, there were several Cyclones making a big impact at the Abilene Christian University tennis courts.

After the perfectly calm, mild weather for the opening day of the Region I-2A tennis tournament Wednesday, the Memphis Cyclones and the Eldorado Eagles survived strong southerly winds and brutally high gusts Thursday to dominate the field.

For what is thought to be the first time in school history, the Cyclones are sending two boys doubles teams to the state tournament.

Meanwhile, Eldorado had two singles players and one doubles team qualify for the state tournament.

The first and second place finishers in each division advance to the state tournament, which will be in two weeks in Austin.

In the boys doubles final, Memphis seniors Zach Helton and Jason Fowler won the championship with a 6-4, 6-3 win over teammates Joey Salinas and Erminio Yannis. Helton and Fowler had beaten Salinas and Yannis in four of their five meetings this season in tournament finals, but were seeded second to them because their one loss was in the final of the district tournament.

"I agreed with (the seeding) because they beat us in district," Fowler said. "We knew we had to play everybody to get to the finals and to get to state."

Helton, who reached the state tournament the past two years with a different partner, said, "It was a big wake-up call. In district we lost to them in three sets, and in a playback (against a Wellington team) we lost the first set and were down two match points in a tie-breaker.

"I knew when we saw the draw we had a good shot. I was just hoping we would both make it."

Eldorado junior MaKenzie McCravey entered the tournament seeded second to sophomore Kristen Beedy of Spearman after having lost to her twice last year - in the regional final and in the Class 2A state final. But this time it was McCravey who came out on top, battling through the horrible winds to post a 7-6, 6-3 victory.

McCravey's first thought after the match was a simple one.

"Relieved," said McCravey, who also went to the state tournament as a freshman regional champion in doubles with a senior teammate. "This year I felt like I left off where I was last year. I try not to think about (losing to Beedy). I knew I had nothing to lose.

"With the wind, I kind of had to change my game. I had to think about what I was going to do with the ball every time and change the way I hit the ball."

Eldorado earned two more state berths on playbacks.

In boys singles, fourth-seeded Casey Snelson of Eldorado beat third-seeded Felipe Trevizo, 7-5, 6-1, then topped No. 2 seed Caleb Ashley of Canadian in a playback. This was the third straight regional tournament for Snelson, a junior.

And in girls doubles, Eldorado's Whitney McGinnes and Kim Beach, seeded fourth, downed top-seeded Kasey Dunnihoo and Misha Davis of Spearman 6-1, 7-5, then held off third-seeded Tiffany Williams and Kristen Spillman of Wellington in their playback, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Top-seeded Kareem Abdullah of Clarendon successfully defended his regional championship in boys singles with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over Ashley. Abdullah lost in the semifinals at the state tournament last year as a sophomore.

"That's some crazy stuff right there," Abdullah said of the wind, which he seemed to handle as well as anyone on the court. "I was trying to do my best. I just had to keep playing."

The only area player still in action Thursday was Cassie Tindol of Coahoma, who earned third place in girls singles with a 6-4, 6-1 win over third-seeded Velvet Canada of Plains. -- MARK WILSON