Ocean Springs looks to repay Madison Central in title match
Ocean Springs had one of South Mississippi’s most dominant dynasties of the last decade as the Greyhounds reeled off six straight tennis state championships.
Madison Central snapped Ocean Springs’ streak last year, but with a new coach at the helm of the program this year the Greyhounds are looking to strike back in 2017 with a rematch against the Jaguars.
“Its been a fun season,” said Ryan Joiner, who previously coached soccer and tennis at St. Stanislaus. “Coming in with such a talented program, the biggest thing for me was to keep the ship moving and make sure the kids are doing what they’re supposed to.”
The Greyhounds will have 12 athletes competing for individual titles, beginning Monday evening, but the Ocean Springs-Madison Central rematch begins 9 a.m. Class 6A and 4A’s championships will take place at Parham Bridges Tennis Center in Jackson. Class 1A/2A, 3A and 5A will compete at FNC Park in Oxford.
“Its been on the kids’ minds. They feel like they have something to prove to get that streak going again,” Joiner said. “Madison is tough. We played them earlier in the year but we’re both totally different teams.”
Joiner said the Greyhounds won their regular season meeting 4-3 but both teams were missing key players. Monday’s rematch, Joiner said, will take a complete team effort if the Greyhounds are going to reclaim their trophy.
“One of our courts is going to have to be really special,” Joiner said. “We feel like how we’re going to line up, it’ll be equal but someone will have to play their best match of the year to flip the script (from last year).”
One of Ocean Springs’ leaders this year is Caroline Hudson. Joiner said Hudson is as consistent as anyone in the state — and she’s only a freshman.
“She just has game. She really works at it,” Joiner said. “She's a dedicated tennis player. She's fit. She runs, lifts weights and eats right. She's the total package.
“And as she matures she's just going to get better.”
Other Greyhounds competing on Monday are Michael Phillips, Slay Wagoner, Will Evans, Cole Wagoner, Beck Guidry, Abby Chapman, Sophie St. Amant, Isabella Rubenstein, Megan Nguyen, Andrew Bowie and Anna Hudson.
You again?
Stone High is back in the Class 5A state championship match. And of course, the Tomcats will face Oxford for the seventh consecutive year. The Tomcats and Oxford will compete at FNC Park in Oxford. The Chargers are looking for their 10th consecutive state championship.
Patrick Ochs: 228-896-2321, @PatrickOchs
Team matchups
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Madison Central vs. Ocean Springs
Class 4A: New Albany vs. Newton County
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Oxford vs. Stone
Class 3A: MSMS vs. St. Andrew's
Class 1A/2A: TCPS vs. Sacred Heart
Matches start at 9 a.m.
Individual championship participants
BOYS
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Biloxi's Wesley Fontaine, Ocean Springs' Adam St. Amant, George County's Grant Eubanks, Hancock's Elliott Nolan
Class 4A: St. Stanislaus' Thomas Healy
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Stone's He Feng Ou, Long Beach's Anthony Scafide and Klayton Pace, Picayune's Joseph Massengale
Class 3A: St. Patrick's Anthony Schloegel
Class 1A/2A: Resurrection's Patrick Roth
GIRLS
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Hancock's Abigail Garman, Gulfport's Megan Bankston, St. Martin's Viviana Giorgi, Ocean Springs' Caroline Hudson
Class 4A: Pass Christian's Alejandra Rodriguez and Our Lady Academy's Hayden Henry
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Picayune's Brooke Warden, Stone's Anna Stringer, Long Beach's Nathalie Salvador, Pascagoula's Briley Sikes
Class 3A: St. Patrick's Lillie Guida
Class 1A/2A: Resurrection's Bettina Boland
BOYS DOUBLES
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Ocean Springs' Beck Guidry and Michael Phillips, Biloxi's Jacob Butera and Ryan Raines, Ocean Springs' William Evans and Slay Wagoner, and Gulfport's Jonathan Switzer and Jay Warren
Class 4A: Vancleave's Drew Summrall and Wade Talliancich, and St. Stanislaus' Nour Tayara and Sebastian Walker
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Stone's Kyle Bond and Orren Ladner, West Harrison's Darion Ladner and Daniel Layton, Gautier's Foil Hayden and Luis Sanchez and Stone's Will Ladner and Trey Wegner
Class 3A: St. Patrick's Evan Chubb and Luke Seicshnaydre, and St. Patrick's Alexander Gioe and Jackson Ward
Class 1A/2A: Resurrection's Noah Criddle and Austin Harbin
GIRLS DOUBLES
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Ocean Springs' Abby Chapman and Sophie St. Amant, Gulfport's Aubrey Buford and Abigail Mechatto, Gulfport's Kate Hopkins and Julia Richardson, and Ocean Springs' Meghan Nguyen and Isabella Rubenstein
Class 4A: Bay's Karime Alonso and Minerva Alonso, and Vancleave's Stori Endt and Delaney Moran
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Long Beach's Sage Barrett and Kaitlyn Brewer, Stone's Noel King and Koda Shaw, Long Beach's Emory Hillman and Linsey Stringer, and Stone's Lainey Cunningham Emily Grace Luke
Class 3A: St. Patrick's Grace Schloegel and Grace Stenum, and St. Patrick's Beyla Bleichner and Molly Bowen
Class 1A/2A: Resurrection's Sarah Hults and Allyson Massey
MIXED DOUBLES
At Parham Bridges Tennis Center, Jackson
Class 6A: Biloxi's Sydney Fontaine and Raymond Iam, Gulfport's Elizabeth Switzer and Gordie Verrett, St. Martin's Delynsi Che and Austin McCollom, and Ocean Springs' Anna Hudson and Cole Wagoner
Class 4A: Our Lady Academy/St. Stanislaus' Jacob Estrada and Paige Palazzo, and Vancleave's Madison Ely and Luke Langlinais
At FNC Park, Oxford
Class 5A: Pascagoula's Omega Davidson and Bryce Gordon, Stone's Nicholas Alexander and Kaylen Bond, Long Beach's Andrew McMillan and Reagan Picchi, and Picayune's Logan Dorn and Gelsey Guerra
Class 3A: St. Patrick's Logan Ward and Meg Weatherly
Class 1A/2A: Resurrection's Edward Boland and Lillie Boland
This story was originally published May 7, 2017 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Ocean Springs looks to repay Madison Central in title match."