Owen tennis makes postseason push

Warhorses advance to third round of dual team tournament, Florence and Kraak advance to state championship

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 4, 2026

Owen tennis head coach John Faircloth, right, and assistant coach Chris Barcklow celebrate with 2026 NCHSAA 3A West Regional Doubles Champions Luke Florence and Silas Kraak. Courtesy photo

A pair of Owen postseason runs on the tennis court will continue, following a 5-3 team victory, April 30, and a West Regional championship, May 3, for doubles partners, Luke Florence and Silas Kraak.

The Warhorses will return to the third round of the NCHSAA 3A Dual Team State Playoffs for the second straight year, while Florence and Kraak represent the program’s third consecutive regional doubles champions.

Owen finished the regular season with an overall record of 5-9, posting a 3-5 mark in the Western Highlands Conference. The performance earned the team a No. 11 seed an a first-round bye in the postseason.

The Warhorses upset No. 6 seed West Davidson, 5-3, on the road, in the second round, as the sophomore Kraak defeated junior Alex Williams, 6-0, 6-0, in a matchup of No. 2 seeds. Sophomore Keegan Berry dispatched freshman Bear McAfee, 6-2, 6-2, in the fourth slot, while freshman Theo Price dispatched sophomore Brayden Barker in the No. 5 singles match. Fellow Warhorse freshman Jared Robles notched another singles victory for the Warhorses, surpassing sophomore Drake Richardson, 6-1, 6-2.

The doubles team of Florence Kraak dispatched the Dragons pairing of Alex Williams and Jacob Edward, 8-3.

The Warhorses will travel to Hendersonville at 7 p.m., Monday, May 4, to face the No. 3 seed and WHC champion Bearcats.

Florence and Kraak defeated Hendersonville doubles partners Alex Chacon and Ethan Jones in the semi-finals of the NCHSAA 3A Individual Tennis West Regional match, securing a match against the top seed of Adrian Melecio and Kevin Fernandez, of Mountain Heritage, in the finals.

The Owen duo avenged a mid-April loss to the Cougars’ top doubles partners with a 6-3,, 6-2 win to claim the regional title. Florence and Kraak will travel, Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9, to Burlington, where they will compete for the NCHSAA 3A Doubles Individual Tennis State Championship.