VYPE Statewide Team Tennis Regional Tournament Preview

Oct 23, 2019

HOUSTON – In just a week the first UIL State Championship of the year will get underway with Team Tennis serving it up in College Station.

But who could get there?

The playoffs push into the Regional Semifinals starting on Thursday across the state with the Regional Final matches set for Friday morning.

VYPE went through each bracket, have provided the matchups, locations, times and some notes on who could get back to College Station.

In Class 6A here is the breakdown.

Region I

Abilene vs Lewisville Marcus (Rose Park Tennis Center – Thurs. 1 p.m.)
El Paso Coronado vs Southlake Carroll (Rose Park Tennis Center – Thurs. 1 p.m.)
Reg. Final – Friday at 9 a.m. at Rose Park Tennis Center

Region II

Allen vs The Woodlands (Mansfield HS – Thurs. 1 p.m.)
Plano West vs Round Rock Westwood (Lake Ridge HS – Thurs. 1 p.m.)
Reg. Final – Friday at 10 a.m. at Mansfield HS

Region III

Seven Lakes vs Clear Lake (Deer Park HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Houston Memorial vs Deer Park (Deer Park HS – Thurs. 1:30 p.m.)
Reg. Final – Friday at 9 a.m. at Deer Park HS

Region IV

Westlake vs Harlingen South (Northside Tennis Center – Thurs. 10 a.m.)
Lake Travis vs Laredo Alexander (Northside Tennis Center – Thurs. 10 a.m.)
Reg. Final - Friday at 10 a.m. at Northside Tennis Center

Houston Memorial has become a power program under Budd Booth's direction. The program won a state championship in 2017. Last year, Memorial fell just short to Round Rock Westwood in the 6A State Championship match. If the Mustangs make it through the next two rounds they will be making their 12^th state tournament appearance in program history and for the 11^th-straight season.

Lake Travis reached the state tournament last year but fell in the semifinals to Memorial. The Cavaliers are seeking their third-ever state tournament berth with a pair of wins this weekend.

So, how does Class 5A – which has been dominated by Highland Park – shake out heading into the Regional Tournament.

Region I

Amarillo vs Colleyville Heritage (Wichita Falls HS – Thurs. 9 a.m.)
Lubbock vs North Richland Hills Birdville (Wichita Falls HS – Thurs. 10 a.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 9 a.m. at Wichita Falls HS

Region II

Highland Park vs Texarkana Texas (Allen HS – Thurs. 2 p.m.)
Frisco Lebanon Trail vs Ennis (Allen HS – Thurs. 9 a.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 10 a.m. at Allen HS

Region III

A&M Consolidated vs Shadow Creek (Cinco Ranch HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Georgetown vs Friendswood (Katy Taylor HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 9 a.m. at Katy Taylor HS

Region IV

Alamo Heights vs Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway (Alamo Heights HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Boerne Champion vs CC Veterans Memorial (Alamo Heights HS – Thurs. 1:30 p.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 8:30 a.m. at Alamo Heights HS

Plain and simply put, Highland Park owns team tennis. The program is seeking its 32^nd state tournament appearance this year to try and go for a fourth-straight Class 5A State Championship. The Scots have built a tradition of tennis excellence, can they add to it in 2019?

Alamo Heights is just behind Highland Park when it comes to number of state tourney appearances. The Mules are seeking their 29^th state tournament appearance in 2019. Last season, Alamo Heights felt o Abilene Wylie in the state semifinals, 12-7.

A&M Consolidated is the only other team in the field that made it to the state tourney a year ago before running into Highland Park. This year, the Tigers are seeking what would be the program's eighth state tournament appearance with a pair of wins this week.

The last classification to breakdown in Team Tennis is Class 4A, which Fredericksburg won in 2018 with a 10-6 win over Canyon.

So, who's in the running for a state tourney appearance this fall?

Region I

Hereford vs Burkburnett (Rose Park Tennis Center – Thurs. 9 am)
Canyon vs Vernon (Rose Park Tennis Center – Thurs. 9 am)
Regional Final – Friday at 9 a.m. at Rose Park Tennis Center

Region II

Argyle vs Kilgore (Grapevine HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Anna vs Willis Point (Grapevine HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Grapevine HS

Region III

Center vs Fulshear (Rudder HS – Thurs. 8:30 a.m.)
China Spring vs Needville (Rudder HS – Thurs. 1:30 p.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 10 a.m. at Rudder HS

Region IV

Fredericksburg vs Zapata (Annemarie Tennis Center – Thurs. 10 a.m.)
Boerne vs La Feria (Annemarie Tennis Center – Thurs. 10 a.m.)
Regional Final – Friday at 10 a.m. at Annemarie Tennis Center

Fredericksburg is going for its third-straight state tournament appearance and going for back-to-back state championships. With a pair of wins this weekend, Canyon will make its second-straight state tournament appearance. Last year, Canyon fell to Fredericksburg 10-6 in the state final. Fulshear is one of the newest programs on the scene and has already made so much noise. Fulshear, the 2019 VYPE Awards Tennis Team of the Year, with two wins this weekend will reach its second-straight state tournament.

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Lampasas' UT Baseball Commit Makes A Name For Himself In More Ways Than One

Lampasas' Ace Whitehead (left) was joined by Badger teammates at the 2020 VYPE Austin Baseball Photoshoot.

Move over Clint Eastwood, there's a new gunslinger in town. Ace Whitehead is his name and he's a multi-sport athlete at Lampasas High School. He jumped on the Central Texas scene as a freshman and sophomore, and turned up the dial so much as a junior that his public profile sits at a personal high going into his senior year.

It started with the 2019 Texas high school football season, when he recorded his best year to date with 4,982 yards and 75 touchdowns. He ultimately quarterbacked the Badgers' football team to its first UIL state semifinal appearance in 33 years.

"I think the most memorable thing was just how we came together as brothers and let everybody know what we're about here," said Whitehead. "We didn't listen to the outside noise or whatever. We just came together as a unit and gave it our all each Friday night."

But, Whitehead's on-the-field play wasn't alone in putting him on the map. He also received statewide attention for his unique name. Twitter users have described it as "QB Name of the Year" and a "quintessential Texas HS QB name", and it's been featured in media stories like the one you're reading.

"I like it," Whitehead said of his name. "I haven't ever really known any different, so it's just kind of normal to me."

"To be honest, it really surprised me when all of that kinda blew up," he said. "Around Lampasas, it's not really special or anything. It's just been my name that everyone calls me. My real name is Asher. My great grandpa's name was A.C and so my parents gave me the nickname "Ace" at birth and it just stuck."

The buzz continued in 2020 because college baseball programs were starting to show more interest in his athletic abilities and fans wanted an encore during the Texas high school baseball season. COVID-19 wouldn't let him top his fall performances because it cancelled the spring sport's campaign, but it still worked out for him. The 2021 recruit's name appeared in more headlines when his dream school, The University of Texas at Austin, offered him a baseball scholarship and he announced his commitment on June 17th.

"It's super exciting to have the opportunity to join a team that historically is one of the greats and one that had tradition like The University of Texas," said Whitehead.

"I've been a huge Longhorn fan my entire life," he continued. "I really can't think of a time that my favorite color wasn't burnt orange."

Before he relocates to the Forty Acres, Whitehead is hoping for high school sports to start and end around their normal time so he can accomplish more in his hometown.

"It's very important to my teammates and I to be able to represent our community again," he said. "I know that our senior class really wants to give it our all one last time for Lampasas."

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll

Volleyball season is RAPIDLY approaching! VYPE wants the fans to vote for their favorite DFW Volleyball player! This week, it's the Middle Blockers!

The VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll is now live! Fans will have the chance to vote until Monday, July 20th, at 7 p.m.

Please note that the use of voting software or bots will result in a deletion of votes and a potential DQ from the contest. PLEASE try to keep this fair and fun for all involved!

All athlete polls and their content are only associated and created by VYPE Media and its staff. The content is not created or voted on by any corporate sponsor or marketing partner. Please contact VYPE Media directly if you have any questions, comments, or concerns around our Fan Polls.

<a href="https://poll.fm/10580015">VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll (Poll Closes Mon 7/20 at 7pm)</a>

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Malatesta: Texas Educators, This is your ultimate test

Here's my take.

COVID-19 is here to stay. It's a way of life. It's not going away on September 1st or October 1st or next March 1st. There is not going to be a vaccine any time soon.

So, it's time to draw a line in the sand – to play or not to play. To do in-person school versus online.

Stop with this bleed-out of information. The Big 10 is not playing non-conference games; the NBA bubble; Major League Baseball playing in front of no one; school districts are going online learning and not playing sports.

Blah, blah, blah.

Make a DECISION! Have some courage. That goes for public and private schools and universities.

The Ivy League cancelled all fall sports. Bad decision, but at least they had the guts to MAKE A DECISION. The State of Louisiana has said they will not play football until they reach Phase 4 of re-opening, which is likely to not happen. Why? The state simply doesn't have the infrastructure or money to set up protocols to deal with COVID-19. This is coming from an LSU graduate, I know.

This is Texas, where high schools are woven into the fabric of the culture. The school binds communities from Houston to El Paso. And don't forget, participating in extra-curricular activities is a choice. If the risk is too great for a student and their family, don't participate. It's that simple.

So, rip off the Band-Aid and succumb to the fear of liability or get creative and get students back to school and participating in extra-curricular activities.

The reasons why sports and students should go back to school range from mental health to learning life-lessons on the field of play, in the classroom or in the band hall. I could literally give you 100 reasons why kids should go back.

Let's just take IN THE CLASSROOM.

Do educators understand the amount of cheating going on with online schooling from elementary school to college? Kids aren't learning anything. They are just finding away AROUND learning to get an A.

People, this is just the beginning. Before you know it, this online schooling is going to become the way of life. Let's just disconnect our kids some more. Great idea (sarcasm).

Ask any educator in any time period, because I have. Teens thrive with structure. They need discipline. They need positive role models like teachers and coaches. They need motivation. Are kids passionate about athletics, theater, ROTC and band or math? Extra-curricular activities are the juice that quenches the thirst for fun while at school.

Come on people, you remember.

…

So, here's why we shouldn't play…

We don't know how this virus works and affects people – young and old. We believe, over 138,000 Americans have died. With that uncertainty, there are 100 arguments against returning to universities or pre-schools.

So, our lives are paralyzed due to the fear of the unknown. To the fear of liability. No one wants a death of a student with an undiagnosed health condition or a grandparent on their hands. To the fear of getting a Virus – that by today's numbers has killed less than one-percent of those who have gotten the COVID-19 in the US.

…

So, let's circle back to the beginning. The numbers of cases are GOING to go UP. Students are GOING to get COVID-19. It's okay. We have to live with the new normal. It's not a death-sentence to 99-percent of the population.

These are tough decisions to be made – make one and don't look back.

I'm not a doctor, but my vote is to let the kids participate in school and extra-curricular activities. There will be another virus, trust me on that. Kids are looking for you to be BRAVE.

Here's the deal. Would you rather take a young person's motivation and dreams away while being mentored by some of the COUNTRY'S TOP EDUCATORS because of the fear of the potential unknown? Kids need teachers, coaches and ROLE MODELS more than ever. Like, EVER.

Ya'll are the educators. Ya'll have the doctorates. Come up with a plan and protocols, give students and parents a CHOICE and let's go, either way.

The future of this generation is depending on it. Or just let them TikTok the rest of 2020.

You think I'm joking.

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