WVOW Sports
LOGAN The Region IV Tennis Tournament saw a lot of black and orange and gold and blue on the winner's podium last week, as 10 members of the Logan Wildcats tennis team will be heading to the state tournament in Charleston, while the Chapmanville Tigers qualified all six members of their girls’ team in all seven positions for the first time in school history.
The Lady Tigers claimed the regional crown for the second year in a row by edging out the Lady Wildcats. At tournaments end the teams were tied 24-24 in overall matches won, but the tiebreaker went to Chapmanville who won four of the seven titles last week, with Logan claiming the other three championships.
Chapmanville Head Coach Chris Kidd said his girls showed a lot of guts to come from behind to win the championship.
“It honestly felt like déjà vu,” Kidd said. “Last year we were down to Logan by two matches with three to play and won all three to take the region and last week at the conference finals we were down two matches with three to play and won all three to win the conference.”
“This week was even more difficult because Logan was up by four matches with four left to play and we were able to win all four to win the region again,” Kidd said. “Logan has an amazing team and beating them is never easy. They got us twice in the regular season, barely in some close matches and were the only two losses our girls had all season, and last week and this week we barely got them.”
And to have five underclassmen, two sophomores and two freshmen show that much poise under pressure says a lot about their toughness and heart. I couldn’t be prouder of my girls and boys and everything they’ve accomplished this year. To send all six girls and qualify in all seven positions for the first time in school history is an incredible feat.”
In girls No. 1 doubles, the Logan team of Hannah Thompson and Riley Moore defeated Point Pleasant 8-0 and Winfield 8-4 to reach the finals, while Chapmanville’s team of Courtney Curnutte and Jill Blevins knocked off Ravenswood 8-0, and outlasted Huntington St. Joseph in the semis 9-7 to qualify both for the state tournament, but it was Logan taking the doubles title 8-0 in the finals.
In No. 2 doubles, Logan’s Brooke Ooten and Ashton McDonald won 8-1 against Point Pleasant, and 8-3 against St. Joe to qualify for states, and Chapmanville’s Emma Bryant and Carmen Mahon eliminated Sissonville 8-0 and Nitro 8-2 to make the state tournament. But in the final Logan took the crown 8-4 over the Tigers.
"Our girls’ team, led by senior Hannah Thompson played a great regional tournament being runner-up to a great Chapmanville team,” Logan tennis coach Justin Turner said. “We have some experience with our other senior Brooke Ooten, junior Riley Moore and our three freshmen Ashton McDonald, Addy Amick, and Camryn Harvey made an impression, and we hope to continue that in the state tournament.”
In No. 3 doubles, the top seeds Emily Carter and Emily Hughes of Chapmanville defeated Scott 8-1, and Winfield 8-2, while Logan’s Addyson Amick and Camryn Harvey got to the finals with 8-5 wins over Sissonville and Nitro. Chapmanville would claim the championship, and the only state tournament slot in #3 doubles with an 8-3 victory.
In No. 1 girls’ singles, last year's state doubles champion and state singles runner-up Hannah Thompson of Logan knocked off Ravenswood and Winfield 8-1, while last year's state champion from Scott Jenna Butcher defeated St. Joe, 8-1, and fought through a tough semifinal against Chapmanville’s Curnutte 8-5.
Thompson would claim the regional title this time over Butcher with an 8-1 win. Curnutte of Chapmanville also qualified for the state tournament in #1 singles with an 8-1 win over Point Pleasant, and an 8-4 win over Winfield.
In No. 2 singles, Blevins of Chapmanville coasted by Sherman 8-0, and Winfield 8-3, while Moore from Logan breezed to an 8-1 win over Point Pleasant and an 8-2 win over Nitro to qualify both for the state tournament.
The finals were another tight affair, as had been the other three meetings between the two this season, but Blevins was able to outlast Moore in a grueling 9-7 final to take the title.
In No. 3 singles, Bryant of Chapmanville eliminated Sherman 8-1 and was leading 3-0 in her semifinal against Point Pleasant when Bryant’s opponent succumbed to an injury and retired from the match.
Logan’s Ooten reached the finals by winning 8-2 against St. Joe, and 8-5 versus Nitro to send both Bryant and Ooten to the state tournament. In the finals, though, it was Bryant who came out on top with an 8-2 victory.
In No. 4 singles, Mahon of Chapmanville won 8-0 against Point Pleasant before claiming an 8-3 win in the semis over Nitro. Logan’s McDonald romped her way to the finals with an 8-1 win over Scott, and then an 8-0 victory over Winfield.
In the finals, with only one spot open in the state tournament for this position, it was Mahon edging out McDonald in a phenomenal final 8-6 to go to states.
“If we played Logan tomorrow it might be different, but their girls and our girls have worked so hard and know each other so well that you expected it to come down to this,” Kidd said.
The AA/A state tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday this week at the Charleston Catholic Athletic Complex with play beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
“This week said a lot about all of our kids and how tremendous tennis has grown in this county over the past decade,” Kidd said. “My girls showed a lot of guts fighting back and not giving up even when it seemed bleak, and we were able to play our best tennis when we needed.”