For a second straight year, both Amarillo High and Randall will head back to Waco to defend their state crowns after both the Sandies and Raiders defended their regional championships on Friday afternoon.
Amarillo High outlast Abilene Wylie
For the third time in a week, Amarillo High netters bested a top 10 team in No. 7 Abilene Wylie, 10-8, on Friday morning at the Rider Tennis Center in Wichita Falls to garner back-to-back Region I-5A championships and will be able to defend their Class 5A state title next week in Waco.
The Sandies knocked off No. 6 Lubbock High on Tuesday, 10-8, in the regional quarterfinals to qualify for the Region I-5A Tournament, followed by two grueling victories over No. 10 Argyle on Thursday, 10-7, in a semifinal, followed by the victory over Abilene Wylie on Friday.
On Thursday, AHS rallied from a 4-3 doubles deficit to win 10-7 over No. 10 Argyle to set up the finals match with the Bulldogs. The Sandies were looking at a potential 4-3 deficit after doubles play again but Matthew Whitecotton and Caleb Kersh wanted nothing to do with the Sandies falling behind. The duo rallied from a 7-5 loss in set one to dominate the Wylie duo of Tate Heuerman and Talon Baker in set two, 6-1.
In the third set tiebreak, Whitecotton and Kersh were staring at a 9-7 deficit before staving off the Bulldogs duo on three separate match points to win 12-10 and provide Koby Otto’s team with the advantage headed to singles.
That fourth match victory proved crucial as Amarillo High won five of the six matches on the girls side. Wylie took four of the five on the boy’s side. Senior Allex Gonzales of Amarillo High picked up the biggest win for the girls by toppling the Bulldogs Kate Delgado, 6-2, 6-7 (8), 10-7.
Randall upends Canyon for state berth
On the strength of a sweep in girls doubles, the defending UIL Class 4A state champions from Randall downed their CISD brethren in Canyon High for the third time this season, 10-7, to take the Region I-4A championship at the Rose Park Tennis Center in Abilene Friday morning.
Randall’s ability to take 2-of-3 doubles matches that split sets was pivotal.
The Raiders grabbed two of the girls’ doubles matches in straight sets, but it took a third set tiebreak win, 10-8, for Kynley Craddock and Lynn Lee Ramirez to give Randall a clean sweep on the girl’s side. The final doubles match also went the Raiders way as Dax Betzen and Damian Martinez outlasted Canyon’s duo of Isaac Reynolds and Noah Neighbors, 2-6, 7-5, 10-7 to get that important fifth win before singles play.
Randall used four singles match wins on the girl’s side and a big split set victory from Sawyer Eason over Canyon’s Bradley Enriquez, 6-1, 5-7, 10-6 to seal another trip to the state tournament next.
Friday’s victory was easily the toughest test for Randall in the playoffs. The Raiders only lost five total matches before the finals victory over Canyon. Three of those losses came at the hands of their counterparts from Hereford as Randall ousted the Whitefaces in the regional quarterfinals, 10-3.
Randall’s win also proved that District 5-4A was easily the top district in the state as all four playoffs’ teams finished ranked in the top ten headed into postseason.
Next up
Both Amarillo High and Randall will compete at the UIL state tennis tournament on Oct. 25-26 at the Waco Regional Tennis Center on the campus of Baylor University.
