KHS tennis team opens spring with good outing in Ennis
HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: First names for tournament players other than Kilgore were not available.

Spring tennis has begun at Kilgore High School, although the weather certainly seems like anything but spring: one of the first two tournaments was played in snowy weather, and another had to be postponed a day due to a wet court.

Kilgore opened the spring tennis season with a good showing, coach Jason Maroney said, at the Ennis tournament last weekend. The Bulldogs were to play in a tournament at All-Saints on Tuesday, but due to soaking-wet courts, that tournament was postponed until today.

The Ennis tournament, with snow swirling around the players, was appropriately named the Ennis "Polar Bear" Tournament.

"The weather was pretty brtual," Maroney said. "We got snowed on pretty heavily on Friday."

He noted that eight of his 16 varsity players won trophies, and all of them placed in the top 10 of their brackets.

"Each bracket had about 20 competitors," he said. "...We had three doubles teams in championship matches, but we failed to win one. That was tough, but the kids were still happy that they actually made it to the championship."

Josh Bailey and Jody Madding made up one of those teams that played well. Madding and Bailey beat the Van team of Jaynes and Pastori, 7-5, 6-3, in the first round; beat the Mexia duo of Dornack and Phillips in round two; won again in round three, beating the Wills Point team of Groening and Waymire, 6-1, 6-1; and lost in the title matchup, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6 to Waxahachie's Vincent and McClendon.

The girls team of Emily Mitis and Brittany Conner also made it all the way to the finals, finishing second overall. Conner and Mitis beat Babalek and Hollingsworth of Ennis, 7-6, 6-3; beat the Van team of Clark and Chastain, 6-0, 6-1 in the second round; beat another Ennis team, Lane and Price, 7- 6, 6-1 in round three; and lost in the championship to Emerson and Hawkins of Wills Point, 7-6, 6-2.

The mixed doubles team of Trevar Compton and Callie Cunyus also had a great day, winning a pair of matches before losing in the fourth round. Cunyus and Compton had a first-round bye, then beat Van's Verner and Willgus team, 6-4, 6-4, and won their third-round match over Sulphur Springs' Hardin and Jackson, 6-1, 6-4; they lost to the Wills Point team of Prather and Drake, 4- 6, 1-6 in the fourth round.

Other teams won early, lost later-round matches and still had a nice outing. Ethan High and Joe Worden finished eighth overall. They beat Smith and Painter of Sulphur Springs, 6-1, 6-1; beat Robinson and Wagner of Nacogdoches, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, and then lost their last three. Eric Applegate and Shelby Duncan finished fourth in mixed doubles, winning their first two matches before losing their final two.

Lauren Terry and Meredith Gregg were consolation finalists. They lost a 2-6, 2-6 decision to Van's Smith-Hollon duo; got a second-round bye; beat a Sulphur Springs team of Lira and Moore, 6-3, 6-3; and then lost, 2-6, 6-7, in the consolation finals to the Wills Point team of Wicks and Howell.

In singles play, Kilgore's No. 1 girls single Haley Smith finished third. She beat Mexia's Donaho, 6-1, 6-0; lbeat Van's Lay, 6-2, 6- 0; lost to Wotton of Ennis, 6-4, 1-6, 3-6; and won her fourthround match over French, another Ennis player, 6-1, 6-3.

Spence finished seventh overall for Kilgore. She beat won her first-round match, then lost to Ennis' French in the second round, and to Jacksonville's Day, 5-8, in round three. She did beat Van's Lay, 9-8 (7-3).

Josh Way brought home the boys' consolation championship. Way lost his first-round match, then got red-hot, winning four straight matches.

After losing to an Ennis player in round one, Way beat Mexia's Trantham, 6-0, 6-0; beat Van's Waldrop in the third round; beat another player, Mexia's Crenshaw, 6-7, 6-1, 10-6 in the fourth round; and beat his own teammate, Kade Bittick, in the fifth and final round, 6-2, 6-0.

Bittick had a good day, as well. He lost in the opening round to Van's Roberio, 1-6, 0- 6; beat Caldwell of Wills Point, 6-7, 6-4, 10-1; and beat Lee of Mexia convincingly, 6-0, 6-0 before losing to Way.