Spring Branch ISD Featured News

They made history just two years ago, and returned to Texas A&M University recently to repeat: Memorial High’s high ranking Tennis Team has now won a state championship for the second time in as many years.

Following on its 2017 state championship victory, the first in program history, the Mustang team won the UIL Class 6A state tournament on Oct. 31 on the courts at the College Station university campus.

The Kube Channel 57 has named Memorial as Team of the Week. A filmed award presentation to the team and coach by Allegiance Bank will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, and again at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. 

In separate district sports news this week, 10 student runners from Memorial and Stratford high schools will compete this Saturday in the state cross country meet, scheduled at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. (Read more below) 

Mustangs Ride to Second State Championship

Memorial Tennis defeated Southlake Carroll and Plano West with 10-7 scores and won the right to hang a state champ banner once again. 

Memorial Examiner newspaper staff writer Jack Marrion sums it up: “Making its 11th consecutive state tournament appearance, Memorial now has two state titles to support its standing as one of the elite high school tennis teams in Texas.”

Coach Bud Booth told Marrion after the team’s second state win that it remained an exciting moment for him and the team.

“Every time you win a championship like that it’s overwhelming. It has to set in. After winning in 2017 and then making the finals last year, I know the kids, this was their focus all season. I’m very proud of them. It was quite a competitive road to get it. They definitely earned it,” Coach Booth said.

Memorial’s tennis team finished the season 19-0. Only three teams – Seven Lakes, Clements and SBISD’s Stratford high schools scored more than one point against the Mustangs before the state tournament.

After winning District 17-6A, Memorial Tennis defeated Ridge Point, Tompkins and Deer Park to reach the regional final. The Mustangs rallied from behind in doubles play to win the regional championship 10-5 against Seven Lakes. News accounts suggest that the state matches followed a similar comeback pattern.

In all, the Memorial Examiner notes that eight Memorial tennis players have now earned a second state championship title, no easy accomplishment. Drew Morris and sisters Aleksandra and Natalija Dimitrijevic were among Memorial’s key team players two years ago. They led a strong, dominant girls side this fall, according to the newspaper.

Already, Coach Booth is looking forward to the spring season, which might end in May trips to state for team and individual student-athletes.

“We should have a very successful spring season,” Booth told Marrion. “I’m sure we’ll do fine. I’m looking forward to that.”

State Cross Country & Related Sports Updates

Spring Branch ISD will send 10 runners to the UIL state cross country championships on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

Stratford High girls qualified as a team for the sixth year in a row, a significant accomplishment. 

Meanwhile, three individual runners – Memorial High seniors Blakely Buckingham and William Jackson, and Stratford High sophomore Emanuel Galdino – have won places in the Round Rock state race by qualifying as Top 10 runners not on state-qualifying teams.

Stratford High team members include seniors Faye Gibb, Hope Sage, Marlene Soto and Olivia Hirst, all of whom helped the team place 8th overall at state last year. Gibb, Hirst and Sage will make their appearance at state this Saturday.

Team members also include Megan Broom, Gianna Avila and Kirby Crow.

In other district sports news, Memorial High Volleyball will plays Ridge Point at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Don Coleman Coliseum in the 6A Area Round. Memorial finished as the district runner-up defeated Westside in the Bi-District round to advance to Area this week.

Memorial High Football will finish district play as the 4th place team in district and will be the 2nd place seed in the 6A Division II bracket for 17-AAAAAA. 

2019 Memorial High Team Tennis

Freshmen: Tara Ahmadi, Britton Buckingham, Ayush Kothari, Sofia Mazzucato, Chase Scholz, Stuart Simpson

Sophomores: Graydon Buckingham, Kanari Hirano, Eric Kuo, Ariana Sadiku, Rashmi Singal, Regina Torrado

Juniors: Corbin Barrus, Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, J.J. Edmonds, Kyle Imperial, Sarah Lootens, Drew Morris, Abigail Shuvalov, Gavin Simpson, Alex Yang, Yann Zigman 

Seniors: Natalija Dimitrijevic, Harrison Herzog, Jenny Reynolds, Kiran Singal