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TOP SIX: Tompkins cornerback Blake Jenkins announces top schools
Katy Tompkins cornerback Blake Jenkins is one of the biggest recruits in the Greater-Houston Area for the class of 2027 and Jenkins cut down his list of schools to a top six on Friday.
Jenkins top six schools consist of Alabama, Houston, Michigan, Texas, SMU and Vanderbilt.
"Obviously they're six great schools academically and I feel like they're all on the uprise of being strong programs in the future as well," Jenkins said. "All the corners coaches at each of those schools I have a strong relationship with and excited to build on that in the future and go on my official visits with these schools."
Cutting down his list of offers from 32 to six schools also lifted a weight off Jenkins shoulders as he now can lock in and focus in those schools specifically to help him ultimately make a decision.
"It definitely relieved a lot of stress because I had a lot of schools in contact with me and recruiting me," he said. "Just being able to focus on the main schools I really want to focus is huge."
Jenkins will visit each of the schools in his top six from late May to late June and mentioned he plans on making a decision sometime in June or July.
As far as what the Tompkins star is looking for on his official visits, academics and the right fit will be his two biggest factors.
"What I'm looking for is if I can see myself going their as a person. I know the football side but want to see me being a student there and how the academic side of things is," Jenkins said. "All six schools I can see my self being there with those coaches for three to four years."
Jenkins has a busy next two months ahead of him as far as his recruitment goes and is looking forward to a big senior season next fall.
MATCH POINT: 2026 UIL Tennis State Tournament Recap — Familiar Faces Claim Gold Again
Champions were crowned and dynasties continued to grow at the UIL Tennis State competition in San Antonio, where the state’s top athletes converged for a showcase packed with star power, repeat winners, and breakthrough performances across the classifications.
In Class 6A, Seven Lakes’ Allan Xu added another state title to his résumé after capturing the Boys Doubles championship one year removed from winning the Singles crown, while The Woodlands star Ahona Chowdhury claimed the Girls Singles title against a loaded field. Houston Memorial also celebrated a championship moment behind the Mixed Doubles tandem of Yosef Elyashkevich and Catherine Shen.
Class 5A featured one of the tournament’s most dominant performances, as Aaditt Rishi secured his third consecutive UIL championship, further cementing his legacy among the state’s elite competitors. Meanwhile in 4A, Taylor’s Rylee Michna captured her fourth straight UIL title, continuing a remarkable run of consistency on Texas’ biggest stage.
Across every bracket, this year’s tournament reinforced why Texas remains one of the premier hotbeds for high school tennis talent in the nation.
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UIL TENNIS STATE TOURNAMENT
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE BRACKETS FROM THE UIL STATE TOURNAMENT
CLASS 6A
Location: Northside Tennis Center -- San Antonio, TX
BOYS SINGLES
Champion: Sebastian Zavala (Allen)
Runner-Up: Aidan Xu (Seven Lakes)
BOYS DOUBLES
Champion: Allan Xu & Matei Calin (Seven Lakes)
**2nd championship for Xu, who won the 6A Singles title in 2024
Runner-Up: Brandon Brown & Sebastian Dasprez (Strake Jesuit)
GIRLS SINGLES
Champion: Ahona Chowdhury (The Woodlands)
Runner-Up: Makenzie Baptist (Coronado)
GIRLS DOUBLES
Champion: Jastine Escamos & Angela Shu (Clements)
**2nd championship for Escamos, who won the 6A Mixed Doubles title last spring
Runner-Up: Natasha Rosseland & Isabella Young (Clements)
MIXED DOUBLES
Champion: Yosef Elyashkevich & Catherine Shen (Houston Memorial)
Runner-Up: Daniel Nelligan & Karina Zaharieva (Clear Lake)
CLASS 5A
Location: Northside Tennis Center -- San Antonio, TX
BOYS SINGLES
Champion: Aaditt Rishi (Lebanon Trail)
***3rd consecutive state championship for Rishi, who won the 5A Mixed Doubles crown for the past two seasons
Runner-Up: Brodie Keller (W.T. White)
BOYS DOUBLES
Champion: Steven Hu & Collier Muenker (Highland Park)
Runner-Up: Aarohan Sharma & Akshay Kommineni (Centennial)
GIRLS SINGLES
Champion: Hope Willis (Abilene Wylie)
**Back-to-back championships for Willis
Runner-Up: Victoria Torres (CC Flour Bluff)
GIRLS DOUBLES
Champion: Olivia Hefley & Sara Shelhamerf (Amarillo)
Runner-Up: Ella Wertz & Dylan Liebhardt (Wakeland)
MIXED DOUBLES
Champion: Sara Gyoergy & Noah Malin (Grapevine)
Runner-Up: Caleb Hobbs & Hannah Hobbs (Midlothian)
CLASS 4A
Location: Annemarie Tennis Center -- San Antonio, TX
BOYS SINGLES
Champion: Aariz Rehman (Panther Creek)
**Back-to-back championships for Rehman
Runner-Up: Cale Gray (Panther Creek)
BOYS DOUBLES
Champion: Parker Hollingsworth & Max Haakenstad (Lindale)
Runner-Up: Koushal Damacharla & Bowen Young (Celina)
GIRLS SINGLES
Champion: Rylee Michna (Taylor)
****4th straight UIL title for Michna
Runner-Up: Amanda Tanaka (Richland)
GIRLS DOUBLES
Champion: Lillian Kate Carson & Kennedy Carson (Wimberley)
Runner-Up: Caroline White & Madelynn White (Lampasas)
MIXED DOUBLES
Champion: Jensen Betzen & Kynley Craddock (Canyon Randall)
***3rd straight championship for Craddock, who won the 4A Mixed Doubles competition a year ago
Runner-Up: Cooper Richardson & Hannah Terry (Canyon)