PHS girls win state tennis title

Whitlatch and Bush claim singles titles

By JAY W. BENNETT, jbennett@newsandsentinel.com


CHARLESTON — A victory at No. 2 doubles by senior Lakin Whitlatch and junior teammate Goldie Preston sealed Parkersburg High School’s first girls tennis crown since 2005 as the Big Reds dethroned two-time Class AAA state champion George Washington here Saturday at the Kanawha City Community Center courts on the final day of the West Virginia state tournament.

Whitlatch and Preston were the final match to hit the court and the importance of it was obvious. Lose and the GW Patriots taste victory yet again, or finish on top and win the second tiebreaker after squaring the team score at 13-13.

As was the case, the PHS duo dumped Sarah Cummings and Allie Steel of Huntington in straight sets — 7-5 and 6-3 — to tie the final team score at 13.

However, since both teams had three champions on Saturday, the tiebreaker went to the second criteria and that’s where the red and white captured glory. GW only had the three finalists while PHS had four.

“I’m happy we pulled this one out,” said PHS head coach Pam Reeves, who was honored as the 2007 Mid-East Sectional Boys Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Whitlatch and Preston trailed in both sets, falling behind 5-4 in the first and 3-1 in the second before coming back strong.

“We had played Huntington two other times,” Preston explained. “The first time, we lost in a tiebreaker inside at Huntington because it was raining and at regionals, we won 8-4.”

Even though they didn’t talk to each other about the scenario they were playing under, both knew what was at stake.

“I didn’t think about it really,” Preston added. “I just wanted to win and be a state champion. I didn’t even think about that if we win, then PHS wins the whole thing. It just wasn’t on my mind.”

The same can’t be said for Whitlatch.

“I didn’t tell my partner because I didn’t want her to be nervous,” said Whitlatch, who didn’t know at the time Preston was fully aware of the situation at hand. “Neither of us told each other because we didn’t want to psyche each other out.

“It was kind of nerve racking — we were down and brought ourselves back. We just kept it in and played smart tennis. It’s really nice my senior year to win it all.”

Whitlatch, who defeated Jefferson’s Teal Pindell 7-6 (8-6), 3-6 and 6-0 to win her crown at No. 4 singles, joined sophomore teammate Alex Bush as the Big Reds’ lone individual champions.

Bush, an all-stater as a freshman last year, reached the finals at No. 1 singles for the first time in her career. Despite owning a 1-2 record against finals opponent Stephanie Fox of Cabell Midland, the PHS star — nicknamed “The Shrub” because she’s the smallest Bush in her family — roared to a 6-1, 6-2 straight-set victory. By making the semifinals on Friday, Bush once again garnered all-state status.

Unfortunately for Bush and senior teammate Paige Hathaway, things didn’t work out in the finals at No. 1 doubles as the GW duo of Erica White and Alyssa Hackworth dumped the Big Reds 6-2 and 6-4. PHS held an early 2-1 lead in the first set and went from a 2-1 deficit in the second set to a 4-3 lead, but couldn’t hold on to force a winner-take-all third set.

“When it comes to Alex and Paige or Lakin and Goldie, you just simply tell them to go play good tennis and that’s what they always do,” said Reeves, who watched Whitlatch rally from a 4-3 deficit in the opening set against Pindell to finish her senior season with a 27-0 mark.

“You just have the confidence in them that they are going to go play. That’s what they work for.”

For Hathaway and junior teammate Stephanie Lautar, this was the second state title of the school year as they also were members of the Big Red state championship volleyball team.

“It’s a great way to end the year,” Hathaway noted. “I came in as a ninth-grader and won a state championship and now I’m leaving as a senior winning a state championship, so it’s a great feeling.

“It’s a wonderful team of girls and we’ve had a great year and this just tops the season.”

Huntington and Cabell Midland finished in a tie for third with nine points each while Jefferson tallied eight points to take fifth in the girls team scoring.

For the boys, Parkersburg had to settle for third place as George Washington won its third title in four seasons. The GW Patriots doubled up runner-up Huntington, 16-8, while PHS with seven points and Morgantown with six points followed. Jefferson and Parkersburg South had four points apiece and tied for fifth.

PHS junior Teddy Daub didn’t have things go his way in the finals at No. 2 singles as GW’s Logan Spears won 6-0, 6-0.

“It’s been a great year and I only had a couple of losses,” said Daub, who earned all-state status for making the finals at two singles. “The kid I played was a real tough player and I just didn’t close out any opportunities I had. But all of us had a pretty good season in all.”

Big Red teammate Jawn Smith appeared as though he might make it to a third set in the No. 3 singles title tilt, but the PHS senior was turned back by Nitro’s Jonathan Phillips 6-2 and 7-5.

“He had a really good tournament,” Reeves said of Smith, who trailed 4-1 in the second set before going up 5-4 and finally falling to the Wildcat.

“And Mr. Daub, he’s one kid when it’s time to play, he’s ready.”

It looked like Parkersburg South’s No. 2 doubles duo of Josh Wise and Logan Richards were more than ready to play against GW’s Spears and Ryan Lucci. After leading by scores of 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4, the Patriot tandem couldn’t get anything else going as the GW Patriots rallied to win the first set 7-5 and then captured their state crown by winning the second set 6-3.

No other area players made Saturday’s final round in Class AAA or in Class AA/A.

Charleston Catholic pulled off a sweep in the Class AA/A team race as the Irish girls beat Petersburg 19-15 and the Irish boys dominated the field and runner-up Bluefield, 20-11.