Teale, Staples earn repeat trip to state
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville senior Jaxson Staples readies for the point while Kason Teale serves behind him on Friday in St. Joseph.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Kason Teale and Jaxson Staples’ state hardware count is getting pretty special. They were All-State players for the first two Final Four runs in Spoofhound soccer history which produced two third-place trophies.
In tennis, they have added to that with a sixth-place doubles finish last year — the second-best finish in school history. Now, they are looking to add to that as their senior years wind down.
“It was a fun experience last year,” Teale said. “We hope to get better than sixth this year.”
Staples and Teale earned their way back to state on Friday afternoon with a 6-2, 6-0 sectional victory over Carrollton’s Corey Terryberry and Carson Fisher.
“Sports is always about getting better, so we want to go down there and place higher than we did last year,” Staples said.
The lopsided victory didn’t always feel that way as the Carrollton duo got off to a fast start with the first game and took a 2-1 lead in the first set. Momentum quickly flipped though.
“Just a little bit of nerves I think, honestly,” Staples said. “We got comfortable playing with each other, so once we settled in a little bit, we relied on each other and played fine.”
Teale and Staples took command and won 11-straight games en route to a straight-sets sweep.
The Spoofhounds’ serving was key in the win and remains a point of emphasis as the postseason continues.
“The key for them at state is not only their partnership and how they talk during games, but also their serving,” Maryville coach Nicole McGinness said. “They got some good serves in today, but they can still work on that to continue the momentum going to state.”
Staples says the Carrollton duo was fun to play with.
“Super good guys,” Staples said. “They were really funny. We enjoyed playing that one.”
District 16 swept District 15 in sectionals. In the other doubles match, Savannah’s Noah Gould and Brighton Kurre beat Chillicothe’s Joshua Adams and Jadon Collins, 6-3, 6-2.
In singles, Savannah senior Cole Horton rolled 6-0, 6-0 over Chillicothe’s Anthony Trantham. The day’s best match was the other singles match with Benton’s Ridge Stagner beating Trenton’s Bradyn Sager in tiebreaker 7-5, 2-6 (10-8).
The two singles players and two doubles teams from District 16 will head to the individual Class 1 State Championships on May 16 through May 18 at Springfield’s Cooper Tennis Complex.
“Every match we play, we get more chemistry and just know what each other are going to do,” Teale said. “That helps us against other teams.”
