High Expectations, Strong Start
By Greg Jaklewicz, Wylie ISD Communications
Photos Courtesy of Facebook Page @Abilene Wylie High School Tennis
Expectations were high for Wylie High School team tennis this fall. However, the busy start to the season only heightened hopes for a season that many believe will result in a serious sate championship push.
Wylie tennis proved to be a road warrior, winning seven of eight out-of-town matches and both home matches to launch 9-1. That strong start powered Wylie, pegged No. 7 in the Texas Tennis Coaches Association’s preseason rankings, to No. 1 in its first update.
Wylie is ranked just ahead of 2024 state champion Frisco Centennial, based in part on a 10-8 win over Centennial at the Plano West Tournament. Centennial whipped Wylie 10-2 in last fall’s title match.
“We got revenge on Centennial. It will feel a whole lot better to win that match in October,” Cherry said. Still, he said, it shows his players they can compete at the highest level.
Wylie’s success is more eye-opening because the Bulldogs were without 2025 UIL singles champion Hope Willis for the first six matches.
That presented an opportunity on the girls’ side for players to play up. They stepped up.
Playing the Best
Wylie traveled east to take on a slate of many of the best teams in the state. This has been the plan since Mark Hathorn was the head coach. Adam Cherry, his successor, has ramped up that plan — play the best. Right away.
“We’re going out there trying to win every match because that’s what prepares you for what’s down the road,” said Cherry, who has begun his third year as head coach.
Down the road, that could mean a Wylie-Centennial rematch.
A 2007 McMurry grad, he coached for one year at Sweetwater before going to Lucas Lovejoy. There, his teams regularly played the metro powerhouses, including the bevy of good Frisco ISD schools. Though the drives are longer now, Cherry has continued to take his teams east to play the tennis beasts before school starts.
Wylie has played up but regularly trounced the good 6A teams in the area. It was necessary to travel to face tougher competition.
Hathorn, by the way, has returned to Wylie to assist his former assistant whom he also coached at McMurry University. Hathorn was 137-7 over five years at WHS, and he was named Class 5A coach of the year in 2021.
Hathorn also is the coach at West Junior High; Savannah Fisher is the coach at East.
Kings and Queens of the Road
Wylie’s first matches included a 10-9 win over Grapevine, the top team in Region 1, according to preseason rankings. Statewide in Class 5A, Grapevine was No. 6 and Wylie No. 7. Grapevine slipped to No. 4 in the region.
Wylie also topped state-ranked Midlothian and current Class 5A No. 19 Lucas Lovejoy, both by 16-3; current Class 6A No. 9 Allen, 11-7; and No. 12 Class 5A Corsicana, 12-7.
In what may well be a historic footnote, a match at Coppell High School pitted Wylie against Wylie.
The Abilene team made the Dallas-area Wylie Pirate walk the plank in a 17-2 win.
The Bulldogs’ only loss was 11-8 to Southlake Carroll, the current No. 3 team in Class 6A.
The Bulldogs bounced back from the loss, however, to take key wins over Allen and Centennial.
Cherry’s team then embarked on a well-earned break. The Bulldogs resume play Aug. 22 in the Abilene ISD Invitational. Cherry said the competition will remain strong, with three solid El Paso teams (5A EP High and 6As Coronado and Franklin) entered along with district rivals Abilene High and Cooper.
Now that Wylie has shown what it can do, the Bulldogs will have to stay the course. A win over a powerhouse program in a tournament is not a playoff win.
Wylie will complete District 4-5A play Sept. 23 at Abilene High, so just over a month remains before the postseason. The district is small, with only five teams — AHS, Cooper, Wichita Falls schools Legacy and Memorial, and Wylie.
The Bulldogs also will take on current Class 6A No. 15 San Angelo Central and No. 24 Midland Legacy in non-district matches.
New Courts, Big Feats
Wylie soon will be on its own courts. WHS now has a dozen, which is key in a dual match. At the Plano tourney, construction limited play to six courts, extending the day. To go 2-1 there against three top-rated teams in the heat for 6-7 hours was a feat.
“On paper going into that, you probably thought we’d go 0-3 but we went 2-1, so we’re just thrilled with those results,” Cherry said.
Wylie’s run is more impressive when the size of the other schools is considered. Southlake, which Cherry says has the top boys team this side of 6A No. 1 Westwood, has about 160 players in its program.
Cherry’s roster currently lists 32 players.
“Our kids fought really hard and we had a lot of close matches that could’ve gone either way,” Cherry said of the Southlake match.
Allen has about 7,000 students; Wylie has just over 1,500.
Being Strategic
Cherry said the rush of tournament matches was Wylie’s version of practice. Tryouts were July 28-31 and the team was on the courts for a doubleheader that Friday. They soon hit the highway.
Though he had to adjust for the absence of Willis, Cherry said his strategy to start the season is to play his boys and girls at different spots.
“I like to mix up where kids play and who they play with,” he said. “I don’t just leave the lineup the same for the preseason matches.”
This is important in doubles, where court chemistry is paramount.
Willis returned to the team for the Lovejoy match after competing in the National Open Hard Court Championships in San Diego, Calif.
A junior, Willis was among the top 120 players in her age division invited to the West Coast. She won her first singles and doubles matches there.
She will anchor the Bulldogs’ girls team but No. 2 player Kiley Hirsch proved formidable at No. 1 during Willis’ absence.
Cherry said depth will be a strength in addition to putting the top 5A player on the court each match.
“Just having her doesn’t translate to team success. A lot of times, who wins at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 determines who wins the team match,” he said.
Depth and Competition
“They had to play harder people, and I think that helped push us out of that comfort zone,” he said. “That will help us in the future. They will be used to playing harder people.”
Compared to other girls’ teams, Wylie is scary strong. And that’s vital in team play. A win in mixed doubles could be huge.
On the boys side, Cherry is awash with talent. Recently, his No. 8 player beat last year’s No. 1 player.
“On any given day, our 1-boy through 8-boy could beat each other,” Cherry said.
No boy went unbeaten during tryouts.
“Depth-wise, it’s one of the deepest boys teams I’ve ever gotten to coach,” he said. “We looked good out of the gates” in doubles, he added.
Centennial is strong on the boys’ side. Cherry said Frisco Wakeland, currently ranked No. 4, has a standout girls’ team, so how that potential Region II matchup plays out will be interesting.
Hopefully, Wylie plays the survivor in the state tourney.
On the Road to a 5A Title
Why shouldn’t Wylie look forward to another state tournament appearance?
Cherry lost one girl and two boys from last year’s runner-up squad.
“We have a big junior class,” he said. That, of course, includes Willis, who starred as a sophomore. “We were really young last year with three freshman girls in the lineup.
“This year and next year should be a really fun season.”
Willis and senior Arabella Dlugiewicz are team captains, Cherry said. He said Willis will lead not only with her ability and sharing that with her teammates, but also with her on-court demeanor. She also is praised for her sportsmanship, giving calls to her opponent even when that opponent could be taking calls away from her.
“A lot of girls look up to her, whether she knows it or not,” Cherry said.
That is the kind of team Wylie wants to put on the court — one that wins but with respect.
Staying Sharp
Despite the fast start, Cherry said his players have work to do. Putting away a point, playing at the net and service return, for example. So even though the competition ahead may not be at the level it has been, the Bulldogs will work to get better.
Intrasquad and match play will keep the fire stoked, Cherry believes. Competition between teammates will make the team better.
“Our tryouts were intense. The matches were so competitive,” he said.
A Proven Program
Wylie tennis led the way in the school’s transition from Class 4A to 5A. After winning 4A titles in 2014, 2016 and 2017, Wylie advanced to the 5A finals vs. Highland Park in 2018. This was during a run of six straight 5A titles by Highland Park, which currently is No. 3.
Key to Wylie’s tennis success has been playing a brutal preseason schedule. Cherry said the WISD administration has supported the plan with the resources necessary to travel out of town to the best tournaments.
“It’s what we need to do to stay successful,” Cherry said.
Wylie has climbed to the top of 5A tennis.
For now.
But it’s where Bulldogs tennis stands in Waco come late October that matters.