TUESDAY PREPS: River Region tennis players win individual state titles

COMBINED REPORTS

GIRLS TENNIS

Montgomery Academy’s Barrera wins second straight tennis championship

MOBILE -- Montgomery Academy junior Gabby Barrera repeated as the No. 1 singles state tennis champion, beating Huntsville High’s Mazie MacGrotty 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.

Barrera also won the No. 1 singles title in Class 7A a year ago and reached the Class 6A finals as a freshman before losing to Mountain Brook’s Pippa Roy.

Barrera teamed with Mae Mae Voltz to win the No. 1 doubles championship as well, beating the Huntsville duo of MacGrotty and Abby Brown 6-1, 6-1. 

Voltz and Montgomery Academy’s Lola Campbell also reached the singles finals, but both lost to Vestavia Hills players. The Rebels’ Kenley Outzen defeated Voltz at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-3, and Caroline Helms defeated Campbell at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-1.  

Vestavia Hills won the 7A championship with 41 points, followed by Auburn (30), Huntsville (27), Montgomery Academy (20), Hoover (13), Fairhope (10), James Clemens (4) and Daphne (0).

By qualifying for the state tournament, the Montgomery Academy girls ensured they will remain in Class 7A as part of the Competitive Balance Factor. 

LAMP’s Dabeen Choi wins singles, doubles title as Golden Tigers finish fourth

MOBILE -- LAMP’s Dabeen Choi won singles and doubles championship in the 4A-5A state tennis tournament to highlight the Golden Tigers’ fourth-place finish. 

Choi won at No. 4 singles, defeating Russellville’s Kinsley Palmer, 6-4, 6-1, then teamed with Hannah Baik at No. 3 doubles to defeat Palmer and Lily Cate Pace, 6-2, 6-4.

LAMP’s Grace Liu also reached the finals, losing to UMS-Wright’s Kate Huddle, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 3 singles.

UMS-Wright won the title easily with 75 points, followed by Russellville (45), Jasper (40), LAMP (35), Douglas (32) and Randolph (27) among the 17 teams scoring points in the tournament. 

BOYS TENNIS

Montgomery Academy finishes in sixth place 

MOBILE – All six Vestavia Hills’ players reached the singles finals and all six won state titles, giving the Rebels their third straight 7A boys’ tennis championship on Tuesday at the Mobile Tennis Center. 

Four of the players eliminated Montgomery Academy players on the way to the finals, leaving the Eagles in sixth place. 

Vestavia Hills won the title easily with 58 points, followed by Florence (26), Auburn (20), Hoover (16), Bob Jones (14), Montgomery Academy (9), Fairhope (4) and Daphne (0).

By qualifying for the state tournament, the Montgomery Academy boys ensured they will remain in Class 7A as part of the Competitive Balance Factor. 

Two LAMP players win titles as Golden Tigers finish third 

MOBILE -- LAMP’s Ian Kim won a state championship at No. 2 singles for the second consecutive year, but the Golden Tigers could manage enough points to repeat as team champions in the 4A-5A state tennis tournament at the Mobile Tennis Center on Tuesday. 

Houston Academy won its first-ever state tennis championship in 4A-5A with 73 points, running away from Jasper (49), LAMP (41), Deshler (36) and Russellville (29) among the 16 teams scoring points in the tournament. 

Kim was the only repeat winner from 2023, winning the No. 2 singles title with a hard-fought win over Russellville’s Josue Tomas, 7-5, 6-2. LAMP teammate Wonjun Lee won the No. 6 singles title with a win over Houston Academy’s Landon King, 6-3, 6-3. 

GIRLS SOCCER

St. James 10, Central-Phenix City 0

PHENIX CITY -- Katie Brightwell scored eight goals and assisted on two others as the Trojans defeated the Class 7A Red Devils 10-0 on Tuesday.

Brightwell, who became the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s all-time leader in goals scored earlier this month, increased her career total to 247.

The Trojan defense continued their stingy play, recording their 10th shutout this season in 15 games while allowing only seven total goals. 

Natalie Barton recorded the other two goals, along with one assist. Mary Grace Hixon continued her unselfish play, recording the opening two assists. Ragan King, Hailey Vance and Hope McCain provided an assist each.  

St. James (13-1-1) returns home to play Prattville Christian Academy in the opening round of the 1A-3A state soccer playoffs at Carlisle Field on Tuesday. 

Prattville Christian 8, Holtville 0

PRATTVILLE -- Avery Rogers had three goals and three assists as the Panthers played its final regular season home game with an 8-0 shutout of Holtville at Panther Stadium on Tuesday. 

Bella Carothers added two goals and two assists, Addison Sutton had two goals and an assist and Ella Pegg scored a goal. 

Kendall Jordan recorded the shutout victory in goal. 

PCA (7-9) will travel to play Trinity on Thursday before opening play in the 1A-3A state soccer playoffs at St. James on Tuesday. 

BOYS SOCCER

Catholic 8, Houston Academy 1

Tymari Isner and Joe Reeves each scored a pair of goals as Catholic closed out the regular season with an 8-1 victory over Houston Academy at Catholic on Tuesday. 

Max Freeman, Stott Blancas, Ariyn Gilbert and Ben Chitlik each added a goal for the Knights. Freeman also assisted on three goals, while JP Costa had two assists and Juan Escalante, Reeves and Chitlik had one assist each. 

Catholic will play on either Monday or Tuesday in the first round of the 4A state soccer playoffs. 

Prattville Christian 13-14, Autaugaville 0-4

PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian played its final home game of the regular season on Tuesday and played Autaugaville in a pair of games at Panther Stadium. 

In the first game, Cade Segars scored four goals and assisted on another in a 13-0 victory. Liam Taylor added two goals and two assists, Cody Chapman had two goals and an assist and Brady Roberson had a goal and two assists. Lathan Rybarczyk added two assists. Spencer Perkins, Kasen Stuart, Wade Pratt and Micah Newsom each scored a goal. 

Wade Mora recorded the shutout victory in goal.

Segars had four goals and five assists in the second game as the Panthers defeated the Eagles 14-4. 

Liam Taylor added two goals and two assists, while Brady Roberson and Brodie Whirley each had a goal and an assist. Brooks Reid, Joshua Rybarczyk, Lathan Rybarczyk, Wade Mora, River Finlayson and Wade Pratt each scored a goal. 

PCA (7-9-1) will travel to Trinity for its final regular-season game on Thursday, then travel to St. James for the first round of the 1A-3A state soccer playoffs on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL

Trinity 11, Catholic 9

Micaiah Shelton hit a home run and Emma Rose Meldrum drove in five runs as the Wildcats defeated Catholic for the first time since 2014. 

Shelton hit a two-run home run, her fourth of the season, in the bottom of the first to get the Lady Wildcats on the board. Shelton finished the day 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch, two runs scored and two RBIs. Leading the Wildcats at the plate, each going 3 for 4, were Evie Knight (who scored three runs), Meldrum (who scored twice) and Harper Johnson (with three RBIs). 

Marley Sharpless was 2 for 4, scoring twice, Madi Milton added a hit and an RBI for an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

In the circle, Milton pitched two innings, giving up four hits, two earned runs and striking out one. Sharpless pitched the remaining five innings, picking up the win while allowing seven hits and two earned runs. 

Trinity will finish the regular season on Thursday at Dadeville at 4:30pm.

Prattville 4, Tallassee 2

Mady Cate Lindsey pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three as the Lions closed out the regular season with a 4-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.

Zarria Bozeman went 1 for 3 with a triple and an RBI, Kaylee Robles went 1 for 3 with a triple, Addi Lee went 1 for 1 with a pair of RBIs, Brooklyn Johnson went 1 for 2 with a double, Cadence Foster went 1 for 2, scored a run and stole a base and Emma Moore went 1 for 3 and scored a run. Maddie Putteet added an RBI.

Prattville returns to action in the area tournament on Friday, playing Enterprise at noon.