Winning any district title in team tennis is a great accomplishment. But it’s even more significant to earn the title in what many people feel is the toughest 5A tennis district in the state.

Independence High School earned the District 9-5A title Wednesday when it won a showdown with the other Frisco ISD team previously undefeated in district play, Lebanon Trail. The Knights beat Lebanon Trail 11-8 in the final matchup of the regular season, a battle that that took two days to finish because of weather – and because the individual matches were so competitive.

Independence earned the District title 9-5A after finishing third the last two seasons. Lebanon Trail was the District champion in 2019 and Heritage was the 9-5A champion last year.

The Independence-Lebanon Trail match was the closest District competition of the season for both teams. The Knights and Blazers had each won their first eight District matchups convincingly, despite playing in a District that features six teams in the top 10 of 5A Region 2, which encompasses much of North Texas.

In the midseason Texas Tennis Coaches Association rankings, the FISD teams in the Region 2 rankings were Independence (2^nd), Lebanon Trail (3^rd), Liberty (4^th), Centennial (5^th), Wakeland (6^th) and Reedy (8^th).

Independence, Lebanon Trail, Liberty and Centennial will be the Frisco ISD representatives in the UIL team tennis playoffs, which begin the second week in October. Last year, all four of FISD’s playoff teams made it at least three rounds in the postseason.