TENNIS TEAM - The Diboll Lumberjack tennis team includes (from left): Estaban Gonzalez, Mariam Arreola, Daniel Guerrero, Jeremy Veliz, Angelina Ancira and Heather Weeks. (Photo courtest Rochelle Miranda)
Contributing writer
The Diboll Lumberjack tennis team traveled to Center last week to compete in the District 20-3A meet.
Players who made the trip were Miriam Arreola, Jeremy Veliz, Estaban Gonzalez, Heather Weeks, Angelina Ancira and Daniel Guerrero.
Veliz and Arreola won third and fourt place medals in the tournament.
Veliz won his first singles match 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 against David Cockran from Crockett. In his next match, he drew a tougher opponent, Gavid Ibarra, last year's district champion. Even though Veliz was outclassed by the stronger Ibarra, he played a strong metch before losing.
Arreola in her first match routed Laura Campbell of Rusk, 6-1, 6-1. The second day of competition, Arreola lost to a pair of storng Center girls. The host team has a beautiful tennis complex with a very strong program that produces many top players every year. Arreola, a senior, said, "I wish I had another year to play."
Head coach Jimmy Davis has wo hard with this year's team that produced the first tennis medal in many years. Davis said, "We plan to get an early start next year, beginning shortly after the football season is over. This will allow the players more time to train and gain more experience before the district meet.
Veliz and Arreola will graduate this year while Gonzalez and Guerrero return next year with Gonzalez expected to be the tope boys single player.
Coach Davis said he has seen Gonzalez get stronger and has matured so much in a short time. Look for him to step up in a big way next season.
Weeks and Ancira, only sophomores in their first season, will return in the doubles competition next season.
Davis looks forward to a stronger court-wise team next year and team members say, "Wait 'til next year."
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