Tennis team ends season in Gillette

The Green River High School tennis teams finished state outside the top three in 4A, but fought hard in their last competitions of the season.

The Lady Wolves finished fourth overall, while the Wolves placed fifth at the state championships in Gillette. Members of the team took a state championship, with the Doubles No. 2 team of Braxton Cordova and Zach Friel earning the top prize in their division.

In the Singles No. 1 division, Caeden Grubb worked his way to the second round before being sent to the consolation bracket. He then played through two rounds in the consolation bracket, making it to the semifinals before losing. For the girls, Gabrielle Heiser's path resembled Grubb's in she won her initial round in the bracket before being defeated by Ella Laird of Sheridan in the second round.

She fought her way to the finals in the consolation bracket, which earned her a rematch against Laird. However Laird came out on top in that meeting to clench the bracket.

For Single No. 2, Connor Friel advanced to the semifinals before being knocked into the consolation bracket. He played against Sheridan's Kevin Woodrow in the semifinals of the consolation bracket, but was defeated.

Megan Counts started her state run with a defeat in the first round of play against eventual state champion Julia Kutz of Sheridan. Counts battled her way through the consolation bracket, winning four games before her second loss in the semifinals.

In Doubles No. 1, the team of Domenick Kunkle and Camden Nelson advanced to the second round at state before getting knocked into the consolation bracket. The duo made their way to the semifinals before taking their second loss. The team of Emmie Archibald and Kaylee Carson also made it to the second round before taking their first loss, sending them into the consolation bracket.

They then made their way to the finals, facing the same Kelly Walsh team they lost too previously, but took their second loss from the match.

In Doubles No. 2, the boys team of Cordova and Z. Friel took the championship, defeating teams from Powell, Jackson, Campbell County High School and Kelly Walsh to take the championship.

The girls team of Alicia Harrison and Kaylee Carson also worked hard to win the consolation bracket. The pair was eliminated in the semifinals, but defeated teams from Powell and Jackson to earn the top spot in the bracket.

For Doubles No. 3, the team of Jon Ty Leininger and Jake Findlow advanced to the second round before being sent to the consolation bracket. From the, they advanced to the third round before being eliminated from the tournament. The girls team of Kiley Strange and Ali Brown advanced to the finals of the tournament, defeating teams from Natrona County High School, Sheridan and Cheyenne Central. They advanced to the finals and faced the Laramie team, taking second place in their division.

Prior to state, the team excelled at Regionals, which took place in Green River. The boys team were crowned the Regional champions while the girls were runners up.

In boys results: Grubb took third, C. Friel took second and each of the boys doubles teams were champions of their respective divisions.

In girls results: Heiser took third, Counts took second, Archibald and Carson took third, Harrison and Strauss took second and Strange and Brown took third.