Spring Fling 2008 Coverage

With three events left, Brentwood Academy now leads the Division 2 standings with 93 points. Chris Vaughn's win in the D2 400 pushed BA past MUS for the lead.

Baylor is now second with 86 points. MUS is third with 79 points.

In Class AAA, Whitehaven's Hollis Moore just took the 300 hurdles in 38.93, edging second-place finisher Thomas Baker of McGavock by one-hundreth of a second in what probably will go down as Friday's best race.

Wooddale is Memphis' top performer so far in AAA with 26 points to rank fourth. Brentwood is way out in front in first with 79 points, and appears on its way to the Class AAA boys team title.

In A-AA, Sheffield, which got a first-place finish in the 400 relay (43.02) is third with 35 points, but trails first-place David Lipscomb by 27.5 points.

In the first all-Lausanne state tennis final, Lynx sophomores Logan Scheidt and Jason Alabaster knocked off teammates Ben Orgel and Patrick Koplin, 6-2, 6-1, in the Division 2-A boys state doubles final to become just the second and third Lausanne male athetes to win a state title in any sport. Former Lausanne track and field standout Alex Pruitt won a D2 state title in the high jump in 2004.

Southern Baptist Educational Center junior exchange student Martin Thomas won the D2-A boys state singles title with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over University School of Nashville eighth-grader Alex Metzman. It was Thomas' one and only chance to win a state title, as he will return to Slovakia in June.

Memphis University School doubles partners Watson George and Will Carter, the defending D2 state doubles champs, fell, 7-6 (5), 6-4, to Chattanooga McCallie's Wes Nelson and Chris Schlabach in the D2-AA boys doubles state final. George and Carter led 6-5 in the first set and were serving, but were broken by Nelson and Schlabach before eventually falling in a tense tiebreaker.

Like George and Carter, Harding seniors April Littleton and Miriam Harding fell in a first set tiebreaker on their way to finishing D2-A girls doubles state runner-up. Littleton and Harding lost 7-6 (3), 6-2 to USN's Caroline Awh and Jillian Berkman.

Lausanne's Jason Alabaster, Logan Scheidt, Ben Orgel and Patrick Koplin

MUS's Watson George, left, and Will Carter.

Houston High's Allison Hodges

It's over....Allison Hodges has earned Houston its fifth state singles title with a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Murfreesboro Siegel junior Kelly Gray.

It's the third state title for Hodges, a two-time state doubles champion who overcome severe blistering on her feet.

----------------UPDATE....Hodges trailing Gray, 4-5, in third set, serving to tie the match......she wins game and is now tied 5-5....This one's turning into an epic battle.

The blood blisters on Houston junior tennis standut Allison Hodges feet must be feeling better.

After losing the first set of her Class AAA state singles final against Murfreesboro Siegel junior Kelly Gray, Hodges fell behind 0-3 in the second set, and at one point had to have her feet treated by trainers.

On the verge of tears, Hodges rallied back to win the next six games and take the second set 6-3.

She's tied now 1-1 in the third set, and appears to be back in form.

Harding's April Littleton and Miriam Harding just lost in two sets in the D2-A final to University School of Nashville's Caroline Awh and Jillian Berkman.

	Allison Hodges gets a piggy-back ride from her dad Lincoln Hodges after her win.

In search of their first team tennis state title since 2005, Memphis University School fell, 4-2, Wednesday to two-time defending Division 2 boys state-champion Chattanooga McCallie in the D2-AA boys final.

Less than 12 hours after being treated in a Murfreesboro hospital for dehydration, MUS senior No. 1 Watson George registered the Owls' lone singles victory, then teamed with doubles partner Will Carter to win, 8-4, at No. 1 doubles. 

But MUS' Cliff Guyton fell, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2, to McCallie's J.P. McLemore at No. 3 singles to give McCallie the 4-2 state-title victory.

Wednesday's scores: Singles - Watson George (MUS) def. David Henry (Mc) 6-3, 6-2; Wes Nelson (Mc) def. Will Carter (MUS) 6-1, 6-0; J.P. McLemore (Mc) def. Cliff Guyton (MUS) 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2; Chris Schlabach (Mc) def. Will Carruthers (MUS) 6-2, 6-2; Thomas Fanjoy (Mc) def. Grant Hopkins (MUS) 6-0, 6-0. Doubles - Watson George/Will Carter (MUS) def. Wes Nelson/Chris Schlabach (Mc) 8-4.

You had to feel for Hutchison senior tennis player Cary Cowart on Wednesday.

Trailing, 3-1, in its Division 2-AA state-title match against two-time defending D2 girls team state-champion Chattanooga Girls Preparatory School, the Sting needed a victory from Cowart at No. 5 singles to force doubles play.

Cowart, in what would turn out to be the final high-school singles match of her career, split the first two sets, and led, 4-3, in the third when she classily reversed a call that would have went her way had she not mentioned it.

Instead, GPS' Meredith Morrow took the game and eventually the match, ending Hutchison's year with a 4-1 victory.

Cowart came off the court in tears, but for Hutchison, which returns all but two seniors, it was a classy and encouraging way to end the season.  

"(Cowart) has been amazing. She's been a really valuable teammate," Hutchison sophomore Hayly Humphreys said. "We got second this year, but next year we'll take it." 

Wednesday's scores: Claire Bartlett (GPS) def. Hayly Humphreys (Hutchison) 6-0, 6-3; Sarah Evans (GPS) def. Maggie Donoghue (Hutchison) 6-2, 6-1; Caroline Orr (Hutchison) def. Cady Jones (GPS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Ann Holley (GPS) def. Lee Leavell (Hutchison) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3; MeredithMorrow (GPS) def. Cary Cowart (Hutchison) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

For years Hutchison has had outstanding tennis teams, but this year's squad has the opportunity today at 11 a.m. at MTSU, to be the first to win a state championship.

The Sting take on two-time defending state champion Girls Preparatory School, and will be the underdogs. It should be an exciting match and our Jason Smith will be there. So check back this afternoon and see if Hutchison wins its first state title and the first-state championship for a Memphis team at the 2008 Spring Fling.