After a 9-1 start against some of the state’s toughest competition, Wylie High tennis has its sights set on another deep postseason run.
Article by Greg Jaklewicz
The road warriors conquered again.
The Wylie High tennis team played its first nine matches on the road, all in the Fort Worth-Dallas area, against some of the toughest competition in the state. The Bulldogs won nine times, losing only to Class 6A No. 8 Coppell.
A 10th match was cancelled by the opponent.
Coach Adam Cherry’s team returned to Abilene for school and their match, taking down Amarillo Tascosa 17-2.
The team is 9-1 overall heading into the Abilene ISD tournament beginning Aug. 28. WHS will face 6A teams Franklin and Coronado, with 6A girls single finalist Makenzie Baptist back. Baptist beat Wylie standout Hope Willis in last year’s AISD tourney.
Wylie lost 12-7 to Coronado, one of only three losses all season for the Bulldogs.
Wylie also could see San Angelo Central and Lubbock-Cooper, which Wylie swamped in the Class 5A bi-district round.
District play isn’t far off. The Bulldogs take on Wichita Falls Legacy on Sept. 1.
Battling the big boys
Wylie’s start basically mirrors how the program began the 2026 season, which ended with Wylie ranked No. 3 in the state. The Bulldogs won the Region 1 championship but drew two-time defending champ Frisco Centennial in the semifinals. Centennial downed Wylie 10-3, then topped Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 10-1 for its third straight title.
Cherry’s crew is aiming for its first state championship at the 5A level. The Bulldogs have been to four state tourneys, also going in 2018 (losing 10-1 to Highland Park in the final), 2021 (losing 10-2 to Highland Park in the final) and 2024 (losing 10-2 to Centennial in the final).
Already this year, Wylie took a solid 12-7 win over Centennial. That win came without Willis. The two-time defending state singles champ was playing in a tournament elsewhere and Cherry had to adjust his lineup. Still, the Bulldogs lost just two matches on the girls side.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the first state rankings are out and another Frisco school, Independence, is ranked No. 1. Highland Park is No.2 and Wylie No.3. Centennial is ranked No. 5.
In the 2025 playoffs, Centennial crushed Independence 10-1 for the Region 2 championship and state berth. Centennial in the third round beat Highland Park 11-7 - its closest playoff match.
It appears there may be a new sheriff in town.
Cherry said a tipping point in favor of Independence could be the return of Shriya Aviur, who was homeschooled last year. She lost to Willis 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the state singles tournament in 2025.
“That girl is back, and that definitely is going to make a difference,” Cherry said.
“That girl is back, and that definitely is going to make a difference,” Cherry said. The boys are pretty even, he said, so a matchup between Wylie and Independence could be a barn burner.
To get to that potential showdown, Wylie must navigate a tough Region 1 that includes No. 6 Amarillo and No. 15 Argyle. Additionally, two of Wylie’s district foes are state ranked by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association - No. 22 Legacy and No. 25 Abilene High.
That’s good for Wylie, helping the team stay sharp before the playoff season begins.
If early results count, the Bulldogs should be up to the task.
In addition to beating Centennial, Wylie downed 6A No. 13 Frisco Wakeland, 5A No. 17 Lovejoy, 6A No. 21 Wylie, and 6A No. 14 Flower Mound.
It seems as if the tennis road leads through Frisco. No fewer than eight Frisco ISD schools are ranked in 5A (seven) and 6A (one). That’s eight of 50 ranked schools, or 16 percent.
Cherry liked his team opening with a 12-7 win over Frisco’s first 6A school, Wakeland.
“That was a very good win,” he said.
Wylie had two match points in a 10-9 loss to Coppell, which was a state tourney team last year.
“To win a state championship, it’s going to be matches like that. We can learn from that.”
“That could’ve gone either way,” Cherry said. “To win a state championship, it’s going to be matches like that. We can learn from that. It tells everyone early on that any match you felt like you could’ve won could determine if the team wins or loses.”
Coppell topped Wylie 14-5 in 2024, so the recent match showed Wylie’s improvement, he said.
Cherry said everyone looks at power rankings but those could be skewed toward metroplex schools. Despite its recent success, Wylie still may be flying under the radar.
Prepping for district, and beyond
In district play, Wylie will be challenged by Legacy. The boys teams match up well.
The Bulldogs won the doubles title with James McCall and Witten Sides but Legacy took the singles win with Kingston Rodriguez.
At the regional tourney, Hayes Clark-Krew Luxton avenged the loss to Wylie in the title match and were first-round winners at the state tourney.
Clark returns. The Wylie duo, now both seniors, also won its first-rounder at state.
McCall is the No. 1 singles player for Cherry, who says it’s pretty much wide open after that. He is deep on the boys side.
Rodriguez, too, is back for Legacy.
Wylie should have the advantage on the girls side, especially with Willis in the lineup. According to UTR rankings, Wylie has the No. 2 5A girls team behind Independence.
Cherry said the boys are moving up in the rankings.
For both squads, Cherry has the luxury of stiff competition. Nothing now is set in stone and, besides, the coach doesn’t want to show his hand. Changing his lineup has several advantages, including stoking the competition between players and keeping opponents guessing.
For example, he changes partners for Willis. By matching her with different teammates, Cherry is expanding his options. That goes for the entire team, boys and girls.
“In the preseason, I like them playing with everyone. If I think a certain grouping is best for a certain team, they feel comfortable that they’ve played together. It’s not a shock to the system playing with the same partner,” he said.
“It keeps it fun and also builds team chemistry.”
He’s doing that with McCall and Sides, too, though they will be the No. 1 duo in the spring.
“In the team season, my whole mindset is what is best for the team,” Cherry said. “It’s splitting James and Witten up is best for the team, that’s what we’ll do.”
Against Tascosa, Sides and No. 4 singles player Wyatt Gilreath played No. 1 doubles, he said. They won.
No. 1? Good chance
Cherry is not concerned about the rankings.
It’s nice if Wylie is No. 1, and maybe the Bulldogs are the best team. The playoffs, however, are many weeks away.
“It kinda thought we’d be 1 because of our preseason schedule,” he said. On paper the teams may look better but he said Independence and HP haven’t played as tough of a schedule.
“We were 1 last year and didn’t win it, so let’s try 3,” he said, smiling. “We’ve had a pretty good preseason showing, and I’m pleased with that.”
