Midland High, Legacy vie for state spots at regional tennis tourney

Five Midland ISD seniors are still fortunate to be playing high school tennis this late in the season.

Legacy will be represented by its boys doubles team of Andre Perez and Preston Crutchfield and its mixed doubles team of Kate Hendricks and Cameron Newton at the Region I-6A Tennis Tournament, Friday and Saturday at The Courts of McKinney.

All four Rebel players are seniors, while Crutchfield, Hendricks and Newton are first-time qualifiers.

Midland High will be sending both of its girls singles players to the regional tournament, which includes three-time District 2-6A champion Marisa Stewart and freshman Dalihee Rios Trifiro.

The top three finishers in each 16-entry bracket qualify for the UIL Class 6A Tennis State Tournament, May 7-8 in San Antonio.

Stewart, a senior, is seeking a repeat trip to the state tournament where she lost in the quarterfinals.

Stewart was the 2025 Region I-6A runner-up in girls singles and is a four-time regional qualifier.

Stewart beat teammate Rios Trifiro, 6-1, 6-4, in the District 2-6A girls singles final, April 10 in San Angelo.

"It was a slightly different but very nice experience because we know each other well and we train together every day," Rios Trifiro said of playing Stewart. "She was already quite familiar with my style of play, so I knew it was going to be a competitive match. At the same time, I tried to focus on my game and stay mentally strong throughout the game."

Rios Trifiro got her spot by beating San Angelo Central's Addison Koll, 6-1, 6-1, in a playback spot for the district's second and last qualifying spot for regionals.

Both LHS doubles teams won playback matches at the District 2-6A Tennis Tournament to punch their ticket to McKinney.

Perez and Crutchfield beat San Angelo Central's Brady Stewart and Delane Syler, 6-2, 6-0, to earn the second-place spot.

"In the playback, we played super smart, we played super aggressive," Perez said. "We didn't make too many unforced errors. We got up early and kept on going. We brought a lot of energy and that's basically what helped us come out on top."

Perez will be making his fourth regional appearance, but first as a doubles player. Perez qualified for the 2025 UIL state tournament after placing second in boys singles at the Region I-6A championship.

Newton and Hendricks defeated Midland High's Joey Maldonado and Lorelei Parrish, 6-4, 6-1, to garner the district's second-place spot in mixed doubles.

"I'm just super proud of me and my partner Cameron," Hendricks said. "We worked hard this year. We were able to pull it through, so I'm super proud of us and I'm super excited."

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