Lee captures tennis tourney title

Published 10:41 pm Tuesday, March 4, 2014

LONGVIEW — Robert E. Lee took first place in boys doubles and mixed doubles at the recent Eastman Chemical High School Varsity tournament. REL also grabbed third place in boys singles girls doubles.

All of this enabled Lee to finish as the overall first-place team at the tournament, which was comprised of 13 area schools. Host Longview was second with Texas High third.

William Shelton and Peyton Drain grabbed top boys doubles honors in what turned out to be an all-Lee final. Shelton and Drain defeated teammates Sam Leguizamo and Harrison Boyton, 8-6. Liberty-Eylau’s Nick Bradley and Anfernee Kennedy finished third.

Leguizamo followed his runner-up in boys doubles with a championship in mixed. He and partner Priyal Patel won the final 8-6 over Jaylon Seastrunk and Madison Woodard of Longview.

In boys singles, Sam Hollis advanced to the semifinals before being stopped there. He rebounded to defeat Luis Flores of Gladewater 8-3 to capture third place. Lee’s Hunter Dockery won the consolation final, defeating Henderson’s Logan Haddix, 8-1.

Spring Hill’s Mary Nichols won girls singles, defeating teammate Lydia Wallis 8-0 in the final. Henderson’s Madeline Morris was third with Longview’s Matayia Jones fourth.

In girls doubles, Lee’s Kathia and Griselle Esparza finished third after defeating Mallory Decherd and Katherine Spurrier of Spring Hill, 8-4. The girls doubles champ was Anna Surholt and McKenna Barker of Hallsville, who topped Spring Hill’s Karly Branch and Brooke Terry.