FILES HIGHLIGHT BOP TENNIS LIST

t was another outstanding season for a pair of area girls tennis players, Northside’s Kate Files and Greenwood’s Olivia Gaston. And the best may still be yet to come for both, as they are still underclassmen. Both Files and Gaston won their respective conference championships and each finished third at state, with Files placing third at the 6A state tournament and Gaston third in the 5A state tourney. Files finished her sophomore season with a record of 19-1, which included winning the 6A-Central championship. She also defeated Gaston in a head-to-head match in the regular season. Gaston, a junior, ended her season with a record of 12-3, including a perfect 8-0 record in 5A-West conference play. They are among this year’s selection of the River Valley Best of Preps tennis team, and they will be recognized at next year’s River Valley BOP banquet. The third annual River Valley Best of Preps banquet is set for May 30, 2019 at the Fort Smith Convention Center, with Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas scheduled to be the guest speaker. Also selected to the BOP girls tennis team was the Southside doubles team of Mackenzie Shell and Anna Magness, the 6A-Central runner-up, as well as the Northside doubles team of Addison McDougal and Mary Alex Cole. Both those teams reached the quarterfinals at state, as did Greenwood’s doubles team of Karli Fisher and Leighton Haralson. Southside’s Jordan Cormier and Greenwood’s Abigail Woodring, who made the quarterfinals at the 5A state tourney, round out the girls list. On the BOP boys tennis list, Van Buren’s T.J. Saniseng claimed the 6A-West championship and was a quarterfinalist at state. Another quarterfinal qualifier was the Clarksville doubles team of Matt Jackson and Braden Nelson, who did that in the 4A state tourney. Also named to the BOP boys tennis squad was Northside singles player Will Thames, Northside’s doubles team of Griffin Huckelbury and Sam Carlisle, Greenwood’s doubles team of Auston Shown and Jonathan Mitchell, Subiaco Academy’s singles player Conner Gosalvez and Booneville singles player Grant Goers. River Valley Best of Preps Girls Tennis 1. Kate Files, Northside 2. Olivia Gaston, Greenwood 3. Jordan Cormier, Southside 4. Abigail Woodring, Greenwood 5. Mackenzie Shell, Southside 6. Anna Magness, Southside 7. Addison McDougal, Northside 8. Mary Alex Cole, Northside 9. Karli Fisher, Greenwood 10. Leighton Haralson, Greenwood Boys Tennis 1. T.J. Saniseng, Van Buren 2. Will Thames, Northside 3. Griffin Huckelbury, Northside 4. Sam Carlisle, Northside 5. Auston Shown, Greenwood 6. Jonathan Mitchell, Greenwood 7. Matt Jackson, Clarksville 8. Braden Nelson, Clarksville 9. Conner Gosalvez, Subiaco Academy 10. Grant Goers, Booneville

FILES HIGHLIGHT BOP TENNIS LIST

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Times Record | 11/25/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford