STATE EXTRA: Wilson wins tennis title

RADFORD — Things were looking sharp for Wilson Memorial on Saturday against Gate City, as each WMHS girl won the first set of her singles tennis match.

But after clinching three of those matches in the Group A team championship, the Green Hornets ran into a catch.

No. 2 Hannah Shields struggled to hit a backhand return, as the ball bounced twice on her racket, going wide of the baseline and giving Gate City senior Morgan Taylor the match. Taylor’s 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory began a rally that ended with Gate City and Wilson Memorial tied, 3-3, forcing doubles play.

After being ousted by George Mason in the Region B tournament in 2007 and 2008, Wilson Memorial had finally stepped within reach of a state championship with three doubles matches remaining. Wilson Memorial capitalized by winning its first two doubles matches against Gate City, clinching a 5-3 victory and its first state championship since 1980, when it beat Clintwood, 7-2.

“We will take credit from us and give it to them, because we were there mentally, physically; we were all there,” Taylor said. “And it came down to one point because I really thought, I really think me and Tori [Bowen] would have pulled it out in doubles.”

Wilson Memorial wrapped up the match at just past 1 p.m., and the school was holding graduation at 3:30 p.m. in Harrisonburg — about a two-and-a-half hours away.

Wilson senior Christine Coffield was slated to be the opening speaker at graduation, as the student with the second-highest GPA, while her coach Seth Lovell was also a designated speaker. Understandably, there was some concern about their availability.

“The principal, Doug Shiflett, asked me, he said ‘Seth, if you promise that as soon as that match is over, you’ll get out of there and try to get back up to graduation, we’ll just go with you all and won’t really have a backup,’ ” Lovell said in a phone interview from his car after the match.

Luckily, Coffield and her partner, Jamie Stark, didn’t have to finish their doubles match — thanks to Shields and Kala Guy. Wilson Memorial’s No. 2 doubles team clinched the winning match, beating Alex Fritz and Rachel Carter 6-3 in the deciding set.

Guy hit a backhand winner, bringing match point, and that’s when the mayhem ensued. Her and Shields stood one point away from clinching the third state championship in school history.

Unfortunately, Coffield and Stark didn’t realize that the match wasn’t over. They rushed over to congratulate Guy, only to be pushed back. After they receded, the rest of the WMHS girls threatened to charge the court as well. No. 6 seed Katie Hock prematurely rushed her teammates, but she was quickly ushered away.

“We tried to stay focused, but, just knowing that they were so close to being done over there — we kind of kept on looking,” said Coffield, whose doubles match was the only other match in progress.

The next point ended with Fritz hitting a forehand long to Shields’ side of the court, at which point she was fully rushed by her teammates — and the celebration wasn’t stopping this time.

“It was so embarrassing,” Coffield said. “But, oh well. At least we got to celebrate the second time around.”