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MANY HATS: Haack pushing all right buttons for Memorial baseball while juggling football; family
Brooks Haack wears a lot of hats at Memorial.
Just a year ago, Haack took over the Memorial Mustangs football program while also serving as the campus athletic coordinator for the red and white. Then, early in baseball season, he stepped in to lead the baseball program as well.
Fast forward a few months, and the Mustangs are headed to their first-ever State Semifinal appearance, where they’ll face Dripping Springs beginning Thursday.
Memorial has been playing loose, confident baseball behind tremendous senior leadership and a team that continues to believe in the moment.
And if that wasn’t enough on Haack’s plate, he’s also balancing life at home with a toddler — and another baby due later this summer.
VYPE’s Matt Malatesta caught up with “Mr. Memorial” on the eve of the Mustangs’ State Semifinal appearance.
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)