Pairings set for 12-4A tournament
HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

Photo by Lester Murray GO, CALLIE! - Kilgore's Callie Cunyus (above) and teammate Trevar Compton are seeded No. 2 in the mixed doubles division of this week's District 12-4A tennis tournament, to be played at several different sites in Jacksonville. The top two finishers in each division move on to regionals in Denton later this month.

The District 12-4A tennis tournament is two days this week, and those two days are what the Kilgore High School tennis team has been getting ready for this entire spring season.

The tournament will be played in its entirety in Jacksonville, and begins Tuesday.

Kilgore, coached by Jason Maroney, hopes to have as many top-two finishers as possible in the five categories of boys singles, girls singles, boys doubles, girls doubles and mixed doubles. The top two in each division go to the regional tournament later this month in Denton.

The schedule, involving KHS players, for Tuesday's 12-4A first round:

• Boys singles: The Bulldogs have two players enrolled in this division - Josh Way, seeded fourth, and Kade Bittick. Way will take on Jacksonville's David Houser on the courts at Jacksonville Middle School at 9:30 a.m. Bittick will also play at 9:30 at the middle school, and faces Hallsville's Don Krenek.

• Girls singles: Haley Smith and Emily Spence represent Kilgore here. Smith, seeded second overall, faces Marshall's Amanda McMinn at the Buckner Park courts in Jacksonville on Tuesday at 8 a.m. McMinn is unseeded.

Spence, seeded fourth, faces Marshall's Paige Magouirk at 8 a.m. at the middle school.

• Boys doubles: Kilgore has two teams competing for the boys doubles title: Ethan High and Joe Worden, and Jody Madding and Josh Bailey. The boys doubles competition begins at 9:30 a.m. Madding and Bailey will face the Henderson team of Mostyn and Hardy, and win or lose, Madding and Bailey will play again at 1 p.m. High and Worden also play at 9:30 against the Nac team of Campbell and Beringer. The boys doubles matches are on the courts at Jacksonville High School.

• Girls doubles: The Kilgore duo of Brittany Conner and Emily Mitis are seeded second and have a first-round bye. They'll play at 11 a.m. at the Jacksonville High School courts against the winner of a match between teams from Pine Tree and Marshall.

Lauren Terry and Meredith Gregg give KHS a second shot at the girls doubles title. Terry and Gregg play at 8 a.m. at the high school against the Whitehouse team of Ford and Kidwell, who are the No. 5 seed.

• Mixed doubles: Callie Cunyus and Trevar Compton, who have played very well together this season, are one KHS team in mixed doubles, and are seeded second overall. They have a first-round bye, and won't play until 12:30 p.m. Mixed doubles is being played at the Jacksonville Country Club courts.

Also representing Kilgore in mixed doubles is the team of Eric Applegate and Shelby Duncan. Duncan and Applegate are the No. 4 seed, and are in action at 8 a.m. at the country club against the Jacksonville team of Dumas and Carpenter.