Johnson's Brett Soderdahl returns a shot as his double partner Cliff Pack looks on during the district 26-5A Tournament

The Johnson tennis teams participated in the district 26-5A tournament this past week and will send players on to the Regional tournament in 2 of the 5 events. The most ever by Johnson tennis.

Last year the jags broke into the Regional Tournament with their first representative in boys singles. This year Johnson will send a team in boys doubles and a girls singles on to the Region IV tournament.

Each district sends their top two from each bracket on to the Regional tournament and in the past Churchill and Reagan have dominated all of the Regional spots.

Cliff Pack and Brett Soderdahl teamed up in the boys doubles for the second straight year and after placing third last spring and missing out on the Regional Tournament the two sprinted through the district boys doubles bracket this year.

Pack and Soderdahl were seeded as the #2 team and picked up a first round bye. They then destroyed a team from Roosevelt in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-1 advancing to the semi-final and facing off with Churchill’s #2 team.

Pack and Soderdahl again dominated winning 6-2, 6-0 and moving on to the finals. In the finals the pair of Jaguars played an epic battle against the top seed but fell in three sets. The two Jags would have to play one more match this time against Churchill’s number one team to see who moves on to the Region IV Tournament.

Pack and Soderdahl got off to a quick start and won the first set 6-4. The second set went to tiebreaker and not wanting to move to a third set the Jags put away the Chargers 7-6 to take second place and a birth at the Regional tournament next week.

Taking a similar route was Johnson’s girls singles Paula Gutierrez-Rodriguez. Also a #2 seed in the district tournament, the Johnson freshman Gutierrez-Rodriguez also got a bye into the Quarterfinals. Gutierrez-Rodriguez would blank her Lee opponent in her first match 6-0, 6-0 and be near perfect again in the semi-finals against a Madison opponent 6-1, 6-0.

Gutierrez-Rodriguez would face the number one seed from Reagan, a senior, and one of the best players in Region IV. Gutierrez-Rodriguez would fall in straight sets but battle to put pressure on the Rattler.

Gutierrez-Rodriguez would have to play in a play-back match just like the Varsity Boys Doubles team but her opponent was a familiar face. Johnson’s Hailey Burgess made a surprise run through the top half of the bracket. Burgess,unseeded, defeated her first round opponent from Churchill 6-2, 6-1. Burgess would take out her second round opponent from Lee 6-1, 6-1 before falling to the eventual champion from Reagan in the semis. Burgess would earn a playback match with her teammate after winning the third place match over the Madison opponent Gutierrez-Rodriguez defeated in the semis.

Gutierrez-Rodriguez would defeat Burgess giving Gutierrez-Rodriguez second and a trip to the Region IV tournament and Burgess third.

The Region IV tournament will be played at McFarlin Tennis Center near the San Antonio College Campus April 16-17.

Photos from the final rounds of the 26-5A tournament will be posted to the Jaguar Pride Photography Site

Go Jags!!