Tension was high Sept. 29 when the Randall varsity tennis team took the court against Amarillo High. Both teams were undefeated and the outcome would determine which team took home the district championship.

Doubles competed first where Randall took an early lead. The Raiders were ahead of the Sandies 6-1 when Singles competition began.

“We struggled in Singles,” senior Brooklyn Hall said. “Amarillo High came back and tied it up.”

Players and fans from both sides sat on the edge of their seats as the Randall freshman, Melinda Thomas, took the court to face off against her Sandie opponent. It all came down to Thomas’ match; if the rookie freshman could pull through, the Raiders would win the title.

“Every player on the team was watching and cheering after each point,” Hall said. “When (Thomas) won, we all hopped the fence and ran onto the court.”

Thomas was crying. Players were crying, and Coach Darby Norman was “very, very happy.”

The Raiders, who are now 20-0 for the season and 7-0 in district, will face Abilene Cooper in Bi-District Monday at Lubbock High. Cooper is the 4th seed in their district, but Hall said the Randall team isn’t taking this match lightly.

“If we win against Cooper, we will face an El Paso school for Area,” Hall said. “After that, we would most likely face Abilene Wylie in Quarter-Finals. They are going to be tough, but I still think we can win.”

The Raiders are currently ranked 3rd in state where Wylie is ranked 2nd. As the newcomer to 5A competition, Wylie has a reputation for dominating 4A play and are sure to be looking to do the same in 5A. However according to Hall, the Raiders,who finished 24-3 in the season last year, are equally as intent to get over their own hurdles. Norman said their main focus is to work on the little things they need to improve on, and carry the momentum over to playoffs.

“Last year, we lost to Amarillo High and got second in regionals,” Hall said. “The year before that, we got 2nd in regionals too. In tennis, only one team from each region makes it to state, and our goal is to be that team.”