WACO - The Wylie High School tennis team on Friday emphatically punched its ticket to the Class 5A team tennis tournament.

At the regional tournament in Wichita Falls, Wylie eliminated Argyle 10-2 and Grapevine 10-5 to become one of only four teams still playing.

The state tournament turnaround is quick.

Wylie on Wednesday heads to central Texas for a rematch with Frisco Centennial at 11:30 a.m. at Hurd Tennis Center on the Baylor University campus.

The winner takes on the survivor of the Corpus Christi Flour Bluff vs. College Station A&M Consolidated match earlier that morning.

Wylie is 24-2 and has played the most matches of the four 5A teams remaining. However, Flour Bluff is 25-0.

For the tournament, unbeaten Flour Bluff was tabbed the No. 1 seed and Wylie No. 2. Officials flipped for seeds 3 and 4 and gets No. 3 Centennial, likely the harder foe.

Conversely, in the current state rankings, the top two 5A teams meet in one semifinal with Nos. 9 and 22 facing off in the other.

“Definitely not the easiest draw we could ask for,” Wylie coach Adam Cherry said.

However, Centennial had to be dealt with at some point.

“Our goal has been to win the state championship, and that road leads through Centennial one way or another,” he said. “So, we gotta get fired up out of the gate and take it to them.”

The Bulldogs are taking on the two-time defending champion. Centennial won easily a year ago but earlier this season, Wylie downed Centennial 10-8.

Centennial, 14-5, is making its fourth straight Final Four appearance. The Titans did not win in 2022, falling 10-7 to Amarillo High in the finals.

Wylie had to beat Amarillo High to continue its 2025 journey to Waco.

The Bulldogs earlier this year beat Class 6A Allen 11-7. Centennial lost 10-9.

One of Wylie’s two losses was 11-8 to Southlake Carroll, also in 6A. Southlake trimmed Centennial 11-4.

These scores on paper give an advantage to Wylie but are close enough not to assume a Bulldogs’ victory.

Wylie is looking for its first Class 5A championship on its fourth try.

The Bulldogs lost in the finals in 2018, 2021 and last year.

Overall, Wylie is making its eighth appearance at the state tournament. The Bulldogs won the Class 4A championship in 2014, 2016 and 2017, while also appearing in 2015.

Cherry now has taken a team to state twice to match his mentor and former Wylie coach Mark Hathorn. Hathorn is assisting his former student at McMurry University.