PINE TREE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
P.O. Box 5878,  Longview, TX 75608

903.295.5000

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PT Senior, Blake Hemphill, Signs with Harding University

 

April 17, 2007

 

Blake Hemphill, senior at Pine Tree High School, made it official this week by signing a letter of intent to play tennis for Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas

 

Coach Pat Tomberlain, of Pine Tree High School, coached Blake four years of his tennis career, and Chris Blair at Pinecrest Country Club gave him weekly lessons during the same time period.  Hemphill already had plans to attend Harding in the fall on an academic scholarship when the Harding tennis coach of thirty-two years heard about him from local pro Chris Blair. 

 

Blake and his doubles partner Paul Jang went to the Regional Playoffs last year in Huntsville.  Paul Jang is from Korea, and has lived with the Hemphill family for three years.

 

Blake and Paul are headed to Denton next week for the Regional Playoffs again this year, and in a tournament in Nacogdoches this year, they even defeated the Longview doubles team that is headed to the playoffs as the 5A District Champion. 

 

Blake is continuing a family tradition, as his father, Steve, went to state in the Class 2A doubles competition in 1975.  He looks forward to his tennis career at Harding, and plans to major in Pre-Dental studies.