Henry breezes in Class 5A semifinals|[5/08/06].

JACKSON – Despite his opponent’s best efforts, there was little chance of slowing down Jordan Henry on Monday.

The Vicksburg High senior dropped only one game while rolling into the semifinals of the Class 5A state tennis tournament at Parham Bridges Park. Henry dispatched South Panola’s Grant Goforth in the first round 6-0, 6-0, then routed Ocean Springs’ Amol Patel 6-0, 6-1 in round two.

&#8220You can’t be unhappy with that,” Henry said with a laugh. &#8220I was hitting my serves in, and that was a big part of it. Just trying to be consistent was all I was trying to accomplish.”

Henry’s match with Patel seemed to move in slow motion, as compared to another being played right beside them. Two players grunted and slugged rocket shots from baseline to baseline as Henry and Patel traded high, soft shots and generally looked like they had never stopped the pre-match hit-around.

Henry said he was working on his shot placement against Patel, and it took him less than an hour to finish the match and move on to the semifinals for the third straight year. Henry was to face Tupelo’s Alex Thomas at 9 a.m. today.

&#8220I guess that match I wanted to be consistent. Not overpower too much, just try to hit my shots,” Henry said. &#8220The farther you go in any tournament, the more you’re going to have to work. I’ll probably have to put more power into it tomorrow.”

The rest of Henry’s Vicksburg High teammates had mixed success on Monday. They breezed through the first round in the three divisions they were entered in, then lost convincingly in the second round.

Willie Brown and Jordan McBride won their first-round boys’ doubles match over Natchez’s Brian Hughes and Franklin Chatman 6-1, 6-1, then were stymied in the second round by Tupelo’s Jason and Jody Vinson 6-1, 6-1.

&#8220We just didn’t play well at all. They were good players, though,” Brown said. &#8220When we went down 3-1 in the second set I thought it was looking pretty bad.”

VHS’ girls doubles tandem of Catherine Figueroa and Grace Ga-as knocked off Oak Grove’s Coury Zachery and Ali Norman 6-3, 6-0 in round one, then lost to Grenada’s Kathryn Harlow and Corbin White 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.

In girls’ singles, Christine Figueroa beat a player from Southaven 6-0, 6-1, then lost to Northwest Rankin’s Allison Hartman by the same score. Vicksburg coach Kevin Manton said that, despite the second-round losses, it was a good day and good year overall for the Gators.

&#8220I’m tickled. I’m proud and glad for them, that every one of them won in the first round,” Manton said. &#8220They’re young yet. Other than my seniors (McBride, Brown and Henry), we have two 10th-graders and a seventh-grader out there.”

In other state tournament action, Warren Central’s mixed doubles team of Karrie Taylor and Seth Hudspeth lost in the first round to Gulfport’s Mary Maher and Tom Farragut 6-0, 6-2.

Several St. Aloysius players were to begin their quest for a state title this morning in the Class 1A tournament. The defending state champions in mixed doubles, Jeremy White and Bonney Neill, will open against Cathedral’s Carni Willard and Adam Blackwell.

Hardy Farris and Chris Guizerix will face Cathedral’s Matt Goss and Austin Cardneaux in the boys’ doubles semifinals, while Matthew Jenkins and Gulfport-St. John’s Jonathan Guel will tangle in a boys’ singles semifinal.

The Class 1A tournament has only eight players in each division, making it a one-day affair. Class 5A invites the top 16 players.