NATCHEZ &045; Thanks to the play of Tyler Metzger and Ainsley Moore as well as many newcomers who stepped up to the challenge, River Oaks swept the team championships at the MPSA Class A South State Tournament Wednesday at Duncan Park.

This was the second straight year that coach Cheryl Metzger’s team won both the boys and girls South State titles.

&uot;We are very pleased,&uot; Metzger said. &uot;I had a new mixed doubles team that seemed to blend in together. Our No. 1 singles players had a little more competition this year, but they still seemed to dominate. My boys and girls No. 2 singles are new at this level and they both played great.&uot;

The mixed doubles team Metzger was referring to was top-seeded Sarah Mintz and Thomas Sartor, who defeated unseeded and upset-minded Sadie Henderson and Hunter Hale of Tensas, 6-4, 6-1.

Henderson and Hale qualified for the State Tournament and advanced to the finals by knocking off second-seeded Kylie Berry and Jake McCoy of Franklin Academy in the semifinals earlier in the day, 6-4, 7-5.

&uot;We had 11 teams in the tournament,&uot; Huntington coach Emily Guida said. &uot;By the time the semifinals started, all 11 teams were still in it. That’s the first time that’s ever happened. We have three new schools here at South State &045; Laurel Christian, Sylva Bay and Newton County Christian School.&uot;

As far as area teams were concerned, Tensas and Huntington did quite well and one of Wilkinson Christian’s doubles teams pulled off a big upset on Tuesday.

In No. 1 boys doubles, top-seeded Thomas Crigler and Tyler White defeated Matthew Moorehead and Tomlin Wilson of Glenbrook in the finals, 6-3, 6-2.

&uot;It was a pretty close match,&uot; White said. &uot;We were taking on a senior and a sixth-grader. They were both good tennis players. They just made more mistakes. The last two years we ended up runners-up at State. We hope to win this year.&uot;

WCCA’s No. 1 boys doubles team of George Davis and Seth Netterville had one of the biggest upsets of the two-day tournament when they defeated second-seeded Stephen Landaneau and Hall Schneider of Briarfield in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

Moorehead and Wilson defeated Davis and Netterville in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.

In No. 2 boys doubles, top-seeded Matt Vinson and Jim White of Tensas won in the finals over Glenbrook’s John Michael Callen and Levi Madden 7-5, 6-4.

&uot;It was pretty close,&uot; Vinson said. &uot;We had close games throughout the tournament. We played two tiebreakers. We were lucky to win. It’s a lot of hard work. It feels pretty good.&uot;

In No. 1 girls doubles, third-seeded Amy Amacker and Lori Lensing of Briarfield defeated top-seeded Emily Anders and Katie Moak, 6-2, 6-1.

In No. 2 girls doubles, unseeded Carleight Keene and Mary Hopkins of Briarfield stunned top-seeded Molly Ashmore and Julie Moak in a three-set match that took almost two hours, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

&uot;I’m very happy both teams going to State,&uot; Guida said. &uot;They played very well. They were both very competitive matches. The No. 2 girls doubles was a closer match. I hope we see them again in the finals (at State).

River Oaks swept the championship in singles’ competition, led by Metzger and Moore, who enabled the Mustangs to win No. 1 boys singles and No. 1 girls singles South State titles for the third straight year.

Metzger, the No. 1 seed in No. 1 boys singles, defeated second-seeded Tyler Ellington of Franklin Academy in the finals, 6-1, 6-2.

In No. 2 boys singles, top-seeded Mickel Husted defeated unranked Mark Kneipp of Laurel Christian, 6-1, 6-1. Kneipp qualified for State and advanced to the finals with an upset win over second-seeded Matt Padgett of Franklin Academy in the semifinals, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

In No. 1 girls singles, top-seeded Moore defeated second-seeded Andrea Boyles of Laurel Christian, 6-2, 6-2.

In No. 2 girls singles, top-seeded Anna Raymond defeated second-seeded Madison Moorehead of Glenbrook, 6-4, 6-3.

The Class A State Tournament will take place next Wednesday at Ridgeland Tennis Center.