Wallet
The high Catholic Catholic champion has a rare combination of talent
John Shearer, Shopper News
Lillian “Lillie” Murphy of Catholic High has capped a high school career by winning the state tennis title of State Division II-AA on May 23 for the second consecutive year.
She also won the double titles of her first -year and second year students and three consecutive championships of the state team her three first cycle years after the team also won in 2021. The Lady Irish team this year also reached the final before losing against Baylor de Chattanooga in what was considered a slight year of reconstruction.
With such a CV, Murphy is considered by tennis observers in the region as one of the best tennis players in Knoxville high school in recent years. But incachering his reasons for all his success may not lead to the same agreement.
Her coach, Rusty Morris, thinks she has a lot of positive physical and mental skills that make her difficult to beat. Meanwhile, she highlighted some of the intangible assets which, according to her, helped her succeed and enjoy the sport.
“What I lack technique, I compensate in mind,” she said with a laugh by phone a few days after the state tournament while trying to summarize her secret to succeed.
Lillian Murphy of Catholic High School won his second consecutive title in a simple state in what his coach called a “dominant” performance. She signed to play at Furman University.
This spirit, however, came with a rigorous routine to practice tennis six days a week, and to practice or play two to four hours a day when it has no match. She also does complementary physical training three times a week.
All this work and this talent gave him the complete skills, said his coach. And as successfully in many sports, its ability begins by being a good defensive.
“She has incredible defensive skills, and it’s hard to get a bullet in her,” he said. “It can rush and recover it deeply. It is difficult to get a bullet by it that it cannot come back deeply.
“And she is fast and good in a loop and keeping the ball. And she has a good forehand. Usually people are one or the other (offensive or defensive players), but she can do both. And she is a fighter and makes her teammates around her better.”
Despite the ease in which she plays now, Furman’s signatory entered tennis almost unexpectedly. His mother, Whitney, grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky, without a sporting background, while his father, Paul, played basketball at Bearden High.
But after starting to play tennis at the Cherkee Country Club as an adult that works, and she started to make them balls to have fun at the age of 4 or 5, passion was born.
“At the age of 8 or 9, I started taking lessons at the Knoxville Racquet Club,” she said. The professional who started working with her there, Dave Thornton, the father of the former Catholic teammate and current player of Lady Vol Maeve Thornton, is still his personal teacher, she said.
In addition to playing tennis this fall in Furman, she also plans to study business or entrepreneurship. Her father works in real estate development and she could possibly get involved in this workline, she said.
She will also study closely the configuration of the tennis landscape and will see if her game can continue to develop at university or beyond, while knowing that many factors can come into play.
Regardless of her long -term future, it has been in sport for her for many years. She admitted that she leaves with many great memories to play and be part of the Catholic team. This includes when they won the title of the 2024 state team after their younger sister, Lauren, returned from various injuries to obtain the body point in the final.
“And my first year in the state final against Baylor, I won the doubles,” she said about her first big game in 2022 on a high school stage. “And this season was fun to see the girls appear. I was quite satisfied with our opinion. ”
And win the state title in a single second time this year in a dominant way – 6-1, 6-2 on Margarette Berdy de Baylor at the Adams tennis complex in Murfreesboro – was also special. For her, the experience of being there for the second time was like having an additional coach.
Murphy is considered by tennis observers in the region as one of the best tennis players in Knoxville high school in recent years.
“It was like a good way to end my career in high school, and it helped have the impression of being there before,” she said. “I took care of the business, and it was a big victory.”
Coach Morris, who is also a tennis director of Cedar Bluff Racquet Club, said that she is one of the many players to have helped Catholic in recent years with Maeve Thornton, Eleni Liakonis and Payton Carroll, among others.
And this year has been special for her of the way she dominated the state tournament to achieve the feat of never having lost a simple match in the past four years.
“This is the most dominant performance I have seen for some time,” added Morris in summation.
Rooms
The family creates a lasting lifestyle, sweet by sourdough, on Good Works Farm
Al lesar, shopper news
There was a time when Kelly Lopez could not do well.
Cookies would become believed or burned to a crisp.
Hairdresser for years, Lopez never dreamed that cooking would become one of his passions.
Kelly Lopez sells bakery products, flowers and vegetables on the stand opposite Good Works Farm in Corryton.
Of course, while living most of her life in the west, she had no idea that she would never kiss a farm in eastern Tennessee.
Kelly’s parents live in Corryton for a while. Since 2015, she and her husband Albert wanted to move their family near them. It took seven years to put everything in order, but they sold most of their goods and bought a 2½ acres farm at 6403 Maloneyville Road adjacent to Kelly’s parents – an invisible view.
The population of Good Works Farm – apart from Albert and Kelly Lopez and their daughters – includes 22 chickens, one rooster, two hens of Guinea, two cats and four dogs.
“We bought the farm after calling ahead of a real estate agent,” said Lopez. “We were looking for a place that would give us a lasting lifestyle. We found this and we love it. ”
Farm of good works Madness for a few years.
Flowers, bakery products and products for sale
The population of the farm – apart from Albert and Kelly and their daughters, aged 12 and 4 – includes 22 chickens, one rooster, two hens of Guinea, two cats and four dogs. Several “big fatty ducks that do not fly away” should be added.
Kelly Lopez’s specialty is the pastries in the leaven. It makes English muffins, cookies, simple sourdough bread and variations in cinnamon and jalapeño twist.
There is also a 4,000 square feet garden in which berries, tomatoes, grapes, potatoes, corn, cucumbers and flowers are planted.
Overwhelmed flowers and vegetables that are not used by family and friends are sold on the stand in front of the farm, as well as the bakery products that Lopez made. It also manufactures natural beauty products.
His specialty is the concocations in leaven, more than bread. She cooks English in leaven and sourdough cookies. In addition to simple sourdough bread, there are variations in cinnamon or jalapeño torsion.
Hard work leaves no regrets
A miche of sourdough bread takes two days to do.
“Lots of time and patience is entering the bread,” said Lopez. “On Wednesdays, I do the dough. After being assembled, you stretch and fold. Then, it rests. After that, it is put in the refrigerator during the night. Having it in bulk it makes it easier for the intestine.”
A natural sourdough bread is $ 8 at the stand. The Twist and Jalapeño cinnamon versions are $ 12. Cookies, with the favorites being chocolate chips and ses, cost the bag for 5 $ 5.
Additional products that are not used by the Lopez family and family friends are sold at the stand in front of Good Works Farm in Corryton.
“Many people have never heard of sourdough cookies, but they are great,” said Lopez. “You don’t really taste the leaven, but they have an excellent texture.”
In addition to taking care of the farm and cattle and cooking, Lopez said that she school at home her two daughters. They only had a tractor recently, so the previous work was carried out by hand.
“I love it here,” said Lopez. “There has been a lot of hard work – blood, perspiration and tears that started everything – but I have no regrets. Some people can’t wait to go on vacation. I like to be at home here.
“I love seeing people enjoy something I have cooked. This is the best satisfaction that we can have. “
Lopez said so far that the eggs they get are not for sale. They are given to family and friends.
For more information or to place an order, go to Good Works Farm TN on Facebook or Instagram.
Kelly Lopez and her family sell products, flowers and pastries to the leaven in a stand in their house in Corryton, Good Works Farm.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest events in your community