Nevada Preps: The Meadows eyes boys, girls state tennis titles

With a student body about a quarter the size of most large schools, The Meadows is known mostly for its elite academic programs.

And for tennis.

The Mustangs have consistently produced championships over the past decade, including seven regional crowns and four state titles between the boys and the girls since 2021.

Mustangs coach Sean Amberg can’t quite identify the key to his program’s success, but he’s more optimistic than ever that his teams will continue to flourish.

“We’ve got 46 students in the program,” said Amberg, whose program was promoted from Class 3A to 4A after winning the boys and girls state titles in 2022. “We’ve got 18 freshmen and just one senior. It’s very encouraging, and we look forward to the future.”

But the immediate future is Amberg’s primary concern, as his boys and girls teams host Liberty for the 4A Southern Region team crown at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Win or lose, The Meadows and Liberty have secured berths in the state tournament Thursday and Friday at Liberty. Reno and Spanish Springs will represent the Northern Region.

The Panthers boys will look to win a second consecutive state title, and Amberg will rely heavily on the doubles team of Matthew Maddox and Alec Kosyagin. Both players were named to the Review-Journal’s 2024 All-Southern Nevada team after reaching the state singles tournament last year.

“They wanted to play doubles this year,” Amberg said. “Hopefully they will help us repeat and go back-to-back.”

Maddox said he and Kosyagin will approach Tuesday’s final the same way he expects his entire team will.

“It’s mostly about mindset,” Maddox said. “Stay calm and get each other hyped. And you’ve got to be ready for anything.”

Maddox said he thinks The Meadows has a good shot at winning this week’s team title, after which he will turn his attention to his top-seeded doubles team.

“It’s great to play with my best friend,” he said. “We haven’t lost a set this season, and our goal is to win state.”

The Mustangs qualified Jacob Garber, Chase Park and Levi Schaner in the state singles tournament, and the team of Henry Ahmed and Noah Behrens will join Maddox and Kosyagin in the doubles tournament. Both events will be Friday and Saturday at Liberty.

The Meadows girls will be looking for their first state title since 2021. Regardless of their performance in Tuesday’s regional final, the team will join Liberty and two undetermined Northern Region teams in the state tournament.

Somi Song will represent the Mustangs in the state singles tournament, and the doubles team of Sophia Gallardo and Cadence Luh will compete for the state doubles title.

Boys cross country

Shadow Ridge’s Cannon Bishop won the 5-kilometer Coaches Association Invitational 5A division race Saturday at Cornerstone Park. The junior completed the course in 16 minutes, 10 seconds to defeat second-place finisher Pierson Butler of Arbor View by five seconds.

Shadow Ridge placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 to win the team title with 27 points, followed by Arbor View (61) and Coronado (87).

In 4A, Clark’s Andrew Duncan won the event in 16:18, and all five scorers finished in the top seven to give the Chargers the team title.

Moapa Valley’s Hal Thompson completed the 3A race in 16:05 for the win, and Pahrump Valley edged Lincoln County for the team title.

Girls cross country

Coronado’s Brooke-Lynn Miller won the 5K Coaches Association Invitational 5A division race. The junior finished in 18:03 to beat Shadow Ridge’s Elynn Okuda (18:28) and Ryen Hughes (18:53).

Shadow Ridge scored 28 points to win the event, followed by Coronado (32) and Palo Verde (78).

In the 4A race, Clark’s Michelle Stana won in 20:16, and Chargers scored 16 points to dominate the field for the team title.

Pahrump Valley’s Rylan Bliss completed the 3A race in 21:36 to finish second behind Lincoln County’s Sadie Ivins. The Trojans scored 27 points to edge the Lynx by a point for the team title.

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.