Photo courtesy of Carlee Petro
The Mountain Brook High School boys and girls tennis teams swept the Class 6A state championships on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at the Mobile Tennis Center. Photo courtesy of Carlee Petro.
Mountain Brook High School continued its dominance of the Class 6A state tennis tournament earlier this week, sweeping both the boys and girls team titles in a commanding performance at the Mobile Tennis Center.
It was the girls’ eighth straight state title, with the boys winning their third straight. The titles pushed Mountain Brook beyond 200 total state championships in the school’s storied athletic history.
“We were just taking it one match at a time, not focused so much on points, but each match at hand to finally get there,” Mountain Brook coach Carlee Petro said. “They worked so hard throughout the season.”
They were the first two titles for Petro, the Spartans’ first-year coach. The Mountain Brook alum took over this season for longtime coach Susan Farlow, and the winning has continued.
“It’s so special,” Petro said.
The boys compiled an overwhelming 81 points — nearly 30 more than runner-up Jasper — and won all six singles titles. Thomas Austin led the way at No. 1 singles, cruising past Northridge’s Will Thorn, 6-1, 6-2, in the final. Quint Freeman posted a 6-0, 6-1 win over McGill-Toolen’s Charlie Kidder at No. 2.
Hews Goodson didn’t drop a game in the second set of his 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 3, while Max Gayden, Tony Sciara and Karna Palaniappan each rolled to straight-set victories as well. Sciara and Palaniappan posted 6-0, 6-0 shutouts.
In doubles, the Spartans took two of the three titles. Sciara and Austin blanked their opponents from Jasper at No. 2, while Freeman and Farley Nunnelley secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3.
The victories were particularly special for Austin, who avenged last year’s state tournament loss with a singles and doubles state title to cap off his career.
On the girls side, Mountain Brook amassed 69 points to top UMS-Wright’s 48, thanks to a collective team effort and multiple individual victories.
The girls entered the season with just one returning player with experience in the top six. Even if there were doubters, the Spartans silenced them by winning it all once again.
“They stepped up and were mentally tough and worked together,” Petro said.
Olivia Roberts earned the No. 2 singles title with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Vivi Evans of Homewood. Leslie Mitchell dropped just one game in her No. 3 singles triumph, and Mary Margaret Malatesta came through in a tight first set before pulling away at No. 5. Sarah Still added another win at No. 6.
Ann Royal Goodson was a semifinalist in No. 1 singles and Kelcie Dowling finished as the runner-up in No. 4 singles. Roberts and Goodson were runners-up at No. 1 doubles, while Dowling and Malatesta reached the final at No. 2 doubles.
Although UMS-Wright captured the No. 1 singles and doubles crowns, and Hartselle claimed No. 2 doubles, Mountain Brook clinched a key victory in No. 3 doubles as Mitchell and Still teamed up for a 6-3, 6-3 win.
One of the most impressive aspects of the tournament was Mountain Brook’s boys and girls earning the maximum number of points the first day, not dropping a match the whole day.
“That is something that I’m very proud of, and how we could keep it rolling going into the second day,” Petro said.
