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MERIDIAN — Last Wednesday proved to be a big day for both Adams County Christian School’s boys’ tennis team and Cathedral High School’s girls’ and boys’ teams at the 2025 MAIS Class 5A South State Tournament at the Northeast Park Tennis Center.

ACCS’s boys’ tennis team won the overall team competition thanks to two second-place finishes in boys’ singles and a first-place finish by one of its boys’ doubles teams. Not only that, but the Rebels’ mixed doubles team came in second place.

“My boys won the South State overall and we came home with the trophy,” ACCS head coach Nicole Gatson said. “They played phenomenal. They came to win. And that exactly what they did.”

The No. 1 boys’ doubles team of Wanderlei Griffin and Maddox McDonald came in first place for the Rebels. Zaide Paine ended up in second place in No. 1 boys’ singles behind Cathedral High School’s Alex Monagan while Drake Hale finished in second place in No. 2 boys’ singles. Their mixed doubles team of Emma Massey and Aiden Roche’ wound up in second place.

And while Gatson was not surprised at how well ACCS’s boys team played during a hot Wednesday afternoon, Parklane Academy and Brookhaven Academy were.

“I’m very proud that they played very tough teams. Parklane and Brookhaven Academy have really good teams,” Gatson said. “A lot of the coaches asked me how old my boys are because they haven’t seen them before. They played hard and it was a hot day.

“They came prepared. They fought like champions and we won. The Brookhaven and Parklane teams were surprised about the strength of our boys’ team,” Gatson added. “My guys are ready (for the state tournament). We’re going to go in hoping to bring the state championship. I know they can.”

Those six players from ACCS were not the only players who advanced to the Class 5A State Tournament, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 24 at the Ridgeland Tennis Center in Ridgeland with matches starting at 9 a.m. – weather permitting. So did five players from Cathedral High School.

As far as the team competition was concerned, both the Green Wave and Lady Green Wave came in second place overall. Cathedral’s boys finished second behind ACCS while Cathedral’s girls finished second behind Brookhaven Academy.

Monagan came in first place in No. 1 boys’ singles. And just like at the District 4-5A Tournament a week earlier, he did not drop a single game. Anna Arthur finished in first place in No. 1 girls’ singles. Joseph Misita had to go to three sets in the finals to end up in first place in No. 2 boys’ singles. And the No. 2 girls’ doubles team of Mollie Foster and Kinslee Young came in second place.

“They played very well. They left it all out there on the court,” Cathedral head coach Catherine Pourciau said. “My No. 2 girls’ doubles, they had a tough match against BA in the finals. My No. 2 boys’ singles (Misita), he went to a third set in the finals. That’s always tough. Anna only lost a few games over both matches. It was really low.”