By Staff
FOLLOW THROUGH n Meridian High School's David Ray returns a backhand during his match with Newton County's Jared Scoggin Thursday. Ray won the boys' singles match by a score of 6-0, 6-0. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Richard Dark/The Meridian Star
April 6, 2001
The Meridian High tennis team upped its record to 6-3 on the season with a 5-0 blanking of Newton County at MHS Thursday, and coach Thad George said getting in a good match was something his team hadn't been able to do very often this season.
The Division 5-5A tournament will be held April 19 at Brandon. "That's what we are focusing on right now," George said. "We are trying to get as many of our players out of (division) as we can so we can have a good shot at state this year."
Most of the rainouts came at a critical point of the season, as the first three matches were canceled due to inclement weather.
In girls' doubles, George still has one-half of the tandem that took the Class 5A crown last year in Erin Brown.
She and new partner Lena Hellms shut out Melissa Kimbriel and Kery McDill, 6-0, 6-0.
Another of George's payers that made a run at a doubles title last year was Ramey Rush. Rush, who competed in Jackson last year with mixed doubles partner Bo Blackledge, now teams with Michael Seto. The duo defeated Kenard Johnson and Cayce Bond, 6-1, 6-0.
In other matches, it was Joseph Johnson and Bentley Crawford getting the better Luke Howell and Brian McDonald in a lengthy affair, 6-0, 7-6.
The girls' singles match also proved to be a mini-marathon, as freshman Kourtney Harris put away Britley Kimbriel, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
George's top boys' seed in David Ray has proved to be tough and Thursday was no exception, as he put away Jared Scoggin 6-0, 6-0.
Richard Dark is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at rdark@themeridianstar.com.