GR Tennis team fares well at state tournament

Green River made a great showing at the state tennis tournament in Gillette, with two players being named to the All-State Tennis team.

Patrick Marchal and Laura Cecilia were named all state at the end of the competition. Patrick, playing in the Singles No. 2 division fought his way to the finals before losing his first match of the season to Matt Paris of Kelly Walsh High School, taking second in the tournament. Cecilia, playing in Singles No. 1 for the girls, also made her way to the championship match before being defeated by Grace Dereemer of Cheyenne Central High School.

Head coach Phil Harder said he was happy with the tournament’s outcome. The boys team took sixth overall, while the girls finished fifth. He said Cecilia was the first Lady Wolf to make it to the Singles No. 1 finals in several years. With six players in the top four at the tournament, Harder said the young team played an awesome weekend of tennis.

“They were pretty good,” he said.

Harder said he is looking forward to next year. Harder plans to continue building the team by getting younger players involved in the sport. He said he is thankful for his coaching staff and the support the players’ parents have shown over the season.

Boys

In Singles No. 1 competition, Gregory Marchal defeated his first opponent, Jesse Brown of Powell, before getting knocked out of the main bracket by Brendan Lock of Cheyenne South, who would go on to become the state champion in the division. Gregory took on Torrington’s Ethan Creagar, being defeated by Creager in two sets.

The team of Jarrett Atkins and Danny Christensen playing in the Doubles No. 1 division defeated their first competitors, from Cody, but fell to Jackson’s Jackson Santomauro and Aaron Scher in the second round. They faced Thunder Basin High School’s Isaac Howell and Colton Pilon in the consolation bracket’s second round and was removed from the tournament after losing in two sets.

In Doubles No. 2 action, Elliott Potter and Jon Leininger were defeated in the first round of tournament play by Jefferson Neary and Tel Russell from Campbell County High School. The duo defeated their first opponents from Kelly Walsh in the consolation bracket, but lost to Brooks Bradford and Steven Ashurst from Jackson in the second round.

Jordan Anderson and Brett McKeehan in Doubles No. 3 competition worked hard in their first match, defeating Campbell County’s Trase Olsen and Luke Hladkey. After an injury to Anderson, alternate player Connor Friel filled in and the duo defeated Sheridan’s Tristan Choong and Patrick Kuehl. The two were knocked into the consolation bracket by state champions Bodhi Gibson and Brock Storebo from Cheyenne Central, but made their way to the bracket’s finals after defeating Wade Musso and Nathaniel Whitham from Powell. In the consolation bracket’s finals, Friel and McKeehan were defeated by the team from Thunder Basin.

Girls

In Singles No. 2, Haylen Cordova lost to Sheridan’s Hanna Jost in three sets. In the consolation bracket, Cordova lost to Lexie Woolridge from Cheyenne East.

In Doubles No. 1 competition, Alex Palmer and Kaitlyn Sharp defeated Natrona County’s team and made their way to the second round before being defeated by Ella Laird and Maddie Garneau. In the consolation bracket, Palmer and Sharp took on Rawlins High School’s Mackenzie Thompson and Selena Landa, falling to them in three sets.

Kelby Pope and Audrie Harrison sailed past Thunder Basin’s Kim Kern and Kealy Hill at the start of the tournament, but were put in the consolation bracket after their encounter with Cody High School’s Maddy Icenogle and Victoria Morales. The duo fight their way through the consolation bracket, defeating teams from Cheyenne East, Jackson, and Laramie. Pope and Harrison took on Morales and Inenogle in the final match of the consolation bracket, defeating the players from Cody in three sets.

Sydney Beutel and Anna Kimball were defeated in the first round of Doubles No. 3 tournament play, losing to Jackson’s Megan Tucker and Sam Fairbanks.

The team defeated Cheyenne East’s Olivia Shoemaker and Brooklynn Soske in their second meeting in the last two weeks. Moving to the second round of consolation play, Kimball and Beutell were defeated by Cheyenne Central’s Sarah Foster and Cassadie Anderson.

 

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