Racquet Cat Satterfield qualifies for state

This past week (May 7-8), Lila Satterfield fulfilled a promise she made to Aledo tennis coach Joe McCoy at the start of the spring season.

“Lila had set this goal of making it to state early in the spring and told me weekly she was going to achieve it,” McCoy said. “She worked very hard this spring during the week and on the weekends preparing to make that come true.”

And now it has as Satterfield will compete in girls singles Thursday and Friday, May 15-16, at the Class 5A State Tournament at the Northside Tennis Center in San Antonio. She qualified by finishing third at the 5A Region I Tournament at Texas Tech University in Lubbock May 7-8.

She is the first tennis player from Aledo to advance to the state tournament since the boys doubles team of Ryan Howell and Erik Meendsen qualified in 2014. They won their first match at state before falling in the semifinals to eventual state champions Connor LaFavre/Hunter Holman from Dallas Highland Park, and finished third.

Satterfield, a sophomore, entered regionals on the heels of winning the District 5-5A Tournament in which she went 3-0. She began regional play by easily disposing of Olivia Guzman of El Paso High School, 6-1, 6-0.

Satterfield then took on No. 6 seed Talyn Hardy of Abilene Cooper. After taking the first set in solid 6-1 fashion, she held off Hardy for a 7-5 win in the second set to finish the sweep and advance to the semifinals.

There she met No. 2 seed Sara Shelhamer of Amarillo High, falling 6-3, 6-4. She rebounded, however, to down fourth-seeded Khloe Valdez of Lubbock High, 7-5, 6-1 to garner a berth at state.

“She had a rocky beginning in the third-place match, going down 1-4 in the first set before she gained her form and poured it on,” McCoy said.

While Satterfield is the only member of the team still playing, Aledo players collected six wins in all at regionals.

Boys doubles: Jacob Heckathorn/Francois Britz defeated Elijah Effinger/Dylan Blackshire, Burleson Centennial, 6-1, 6-2; lost to No. 2 seed Nicola Guevara/Max Martin, El Paso High, 6-1, 6-2.

Girls doubles: Natalie Nawrocki/Sydney Byrd defeated Sarienah Gutierrez/Natalie Nararetta, Del Valle, 6-1, 6-1; lost to No. 2 seed Emma Hail/Kalina Trinidade, Lubbock High, 6-1, 6-0.

Mixed doubles: Ben Kurth/Patrice Loftin defeated Chance Dearman/Mady Rose, Cleburne, 7-6, 6-2; lost to No. 1 seed Caden Everett/Julia Lightman, Argyle, 6-1, 6-1.

Girls singles: McKinley Hayes lost to No. 5 seed Kennedi Tovar, El Paso High, 6-1, 6-1.

“We had a very good showing. I am so proud of the entire team, as they represented Aledo well,” McCoy said. “It was nice to see all of them playing some of their best tennis at the end of the season.”