Memorial wins State... Again
Memorial knocked off Southlake Carroll 10-7 in the Class 6A final Thursday at Blossom Tennis Center, capping a two-day run through the UIL Team Tennis State Tournament that also included a 10-9 semifinal upset of five-time state champion Round Rock Westwood. It is the third team tennis state title in program history for the Mustangs, who also won it all in 2017 and 2019.
The Mustangs finish the fall 18-1. The lone blemish? A season-opening loss to Westwood — a team Memorial would not see again until the state semifinals. Eighteen straight wins later, head coach Brian Mandell and assistant J.P. Bonilla had their revenge and a spot in the final.
Doubles set the tone
Memorial came out of the doubles round with a 4-3 lead, and it was the girls who did the heavy lifting. Lucy Chung and Katherine Varady opened with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the top line. Zoe Smith and Addison Womac rolled 6-1, 6-0, and Grace Martin and Celeste Hoang were nearly as dominant at 6-0, 6-1. On the boys' side, Yosef Elyashkevich and Nicholas Du handled Carroll's Rushil Rajpal and Francesco Poggi 6-4, 6-2.
Girls singles slam the door, boys singles finish it
The Memorial girls were close to untouchable in singles. Chung won 6-3, 6-3. Martin won 6-3, 6-2. Smith won 6-0, 6-3. Womac closed hers out 6-4, 6-2. Four more points, and the Mustangs were on the doorstep.
The clinching points came the hard way. Joowon Kim dropped his first set 4-6, then stormed back 6-2 and took the match tiebreaker 10-3. Aiden Yan did the same — down 3-6, back 6-3, and a 10-6 tiebreaker that gave Memorial its 10th point and the championship.
The road to San Antonio
The Mustangs did not drop a single match in the first three rounds of the playoffs, blanking Pasadena Dobie 19-0, Barbers Hill 11-0 and Pearland Dawson 10-0. They outlasted Austin Vandegrift 10-7 in the regional semifinal, then beat Fort Bend Clements 10-5 for the regional title and a return trip to state.
In San Antonio, the bracket was loaded. Westwood came in 19-0. The Woodlands, the defending 6A champion, was 16-0 before Southlake Carroll took the Highlanders down 10-8 in the other semifinal. Carroll arrived in the final at 20-1. Memorial beat two of them in two days.
Three state titles in a decade. Eighteen wins in a row. A roster that swept the girls' side of the final and came from behind twice on the boys' side to close it out. In Spring Branch, the Mustangs have built a tennis dynasty — and this group just added the biggest trophy yet.
Program notes: Memorial's three team tennis state championships (2017, 2019, 2026) all came under the UIL's top classification. The 2026 title is the first under coach Brian Mandell.
CE King is Houston's new No. 1
There’s a new king of the VYPE Houston Class 6A Rankings!
CE King made a massive statement in a District of Doom showdown, knocking off perennial powerhouse North Shore to claim the top spot. The Panthers looked dominant in a convincing victory, pairing an explosive offense with a stingy defense to deliver one of the biggest results of the season.
But that was just the beginning of a wild week across the Houston high school football landscape.
The Dickinson Gators put together an offensive explosion to crush previously undefeated Deer Park, while Cypress Ranch dominated Waller to remain firmly in the district championship conversation alongside Bridgeland.
Over in District 17-6A, Memorial delivered a statement win over Lamar that essentially clinched the district title for the Mustangs.
Klein Oak running back Micah Rhodes had a monster performance to help shock Tomball, while Cypress Falls knocked off Langham Creek to throw its name into the district title conversation.
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In Class 5A, Angleton survived a scare from a pesky Friendswood squad that continues to look like a team capable of making some noise.
Montgomery delivered a dominant performance against West Fork, while Iowa Colony cracked the VYPE Top 10 with a victory over Kempner.
The private school rankings remained unchanged this week, with the established contenders holding their ground.
With district championships and playoff positioning on the line, the pressure is building across Houston. New contenders are emerging, established powers are fighting to hold their ground, and the road to AT&T Stadium is getting more interesting by the week.
The rankings have changed. The stakes are rising. Who's making the biggest move next?
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THE VYPE Top 25 Class 6A
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CLASS 5A TOP 10
PRIVATE SCHOOL TOP 5
A trio of Mansfiled Timberview players, Truistan Douglas (0), Jason Sydnor and Preston Stauts (8) tackles Ennis quarterback Elijah Leblanc during a game Thursday at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
MANSFIELD — Mansfield Timberview stayed perfect in District 7-5A Division 2 play with a 45-28 win over Ennis on Thursday at Vernon Newsom Stadium.
The Wolves improved to 8-0, surpassing last year’s 7 wins, and are in line to secure a district title in two weeks.
Ennis, which had a four-game win streak, had moments where they were down big. But the Lions kept battling and had a chance to take the lead going into the fourth quarter.
That is when the defense made stops and the offense scored twice to seal the win for the No. 5-ranked Wolves.
“You know it’s a big target on our back,” said Mansfield Timberview wide receiver Trysten Shaw, who had 5 total touchdowns. “We just try to keep working hard and keep our heads down. You know, just stay humble and keep developing.”Ennis had pulled within 33-28 on a touchdown pass from Elijah Leblanc to Jayton Williams with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
The final play of the third quarter featured an interception by Ennis’ Aaron Laza, returning the ball to the 43-yard line.
It was a key takeaway and shifted momentum back to the Lions (4-4, 4-1).
And just like that, it was gone.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Leblanc’s pass was intercepted by Josiah Hall, giving the Wolves the ball back.
Quarterback Steven Hall connected with Shaw for a 22-yard touchdown.
The defense got another stop and forced a punt.
Then Timberview extended the lead.
Hall’s 6th touchdown pass — tying a season-high— came with 3:15 left. He connected with wide receiver/backup quarterback Dalyn Hill for a 53-yard score.
Leblanc threw four touchdowns and had four interceptions, but two of his touchdown passes were on fourth down. Jayton Williams finished with three touchdown catches, including one on fourth down. Aaron Navarro’s lone score also came on fourth down.
The Wolves had four scoring drives of 5 plays or fewer following touchdowns by Ennis.
Two of those were 1-play drives with Hall connecting with Braylin Barnett and Shaw for touchdowns.
The schedule for the Wolves features a winless Everman team and a Corsicana team that is 4-4. It provides a chance to finish the regular season undefeated for the second time in the past five years. The 2022 team went 13-1 and lost to Longview in the quarterfinals.
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