CHEYENNE – The Torrington Trailblazer tennis team is slated to compete in the South Regional Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Cheyenne, with hopes for a run carrying into the state tournament the following weekend.
The brackets for each division were released Wednesday, so the Blazers know who to expect for their first games Friday in Cheyenne.
“I’m super excited about our chances for this weekend, especially looking at the brackets,” coach Lyle Wiley said. “I think we have some folks who could really blow up these brackets with some upsets.”
Boys brackets
Starting at the top, Ethan Creagar earned the fourth seed and is matched against Gregory Marchal from Green River. The two met early in the season in Laramie, with Creagar picking up the win in two sets, 6-3 and 6-2, on Aug. 19. With a win, the Blazer would advance to face either Rock Springs’ Aaron Goldman or Cheyenne Central’s Brendan Lock. Creagar and Goldman have not met in a match this season. Lock bested Creagar earlier this season in two sets.
Clay Peterson is Torrington’s representative for No. 2 singles, sliding into the sixth seed. His opening match is against Quingfeng Li (Laramie). The two met on Torrington’s Senior Night last Friday, with Li picking up the two-set win. Either Ryan Stampfli (Cheyenne Central) or Seth Davidson (Cheyenne East) would be Peterson’s next match. Peterson fell to Stampfli in three sets this season on the same day he bested Davidson in two.
Brian Fenn and Kelly Peterson are set to team up for No. 1 doubles action, taking on Mark Hansen and Rueben Moyte from Cheyenne South as the fourth seed in the bracket. The pairing of Fenn and Peterson did not face the Cheyenne South duo earlier this season, as the two Peterson’s were the No. 1 doubles team at the time, winning in two sets.
As the fourth seed in No. 2 doubles, Levi Wickham and Mason Weis are slated to open action against P.J. Vigil and Anthony Guzman (Cheyenne South). The Blazers picked up a win against the South duo earlier in the season, but it didn’t come easy (6-4, 6-7, 6-4). Wickham and Weis’ next game comes against either Ian Fletcher and Gunner Hamblin (Rock Springs) or Noah Dreiling and Miles Stump (Laramie). The Blazer duo fell to Laramie last Friday, but has not seen the Rock Springs duo yet this season.
Rounding out the boys side, Jaysen Stitt and Mason Brummell are locked into the seventh seed at No. 3 doubles, with a first-round matchup against Cheyenne Central’s Bodhi Gibson and Brock Storebo. Gibson and Storebo bested Stitt and Brummell in two sets earlier this season. A second-round contest brings on either Colin McCray and Nick Allen (Rock Springs) or Jordan Anderson and Brett McKeehan (Green River). Stitt and Brummell fell to the Green River pairing and have yet to see the Rock Springs pairing in competition.
Girls brackets
In No. 1 singles action on the girls side, Emi Glass locked up the fifth seed for the regional tournament. Her first match is against Rawlins’ Kryslin Poppie, who bested Glass earlier this season, 7-5 and 6-4. The second round would be against Grace Dereemer (Cheyenne Central), who has a first-round bye. Dereemer beat Glass in two sets last week.
Richelle Fitzsimmons picked up the third seed in No. 2 singles, where her first match is against Rock Springs’ Sasha Bentley, an unfamiliar opponent for the Lady Blazer. In the second round, Fitzsimmons is set to play either Lexie Woolridge (Cheyenne East) or Stephanie Hernandez (Rawlins). The Torrington girl has beaten Hernandez, but fell to Woolridge.
Mia Saucedo and Shelby Luttrell, who have competed at No. 1 doubles all season, earned the sixth seed heading into the conference tournament, where their first match is against Kodi and Kooper Stringer from Cheyenne East. Saucedo and Luttrell fell in three sets to the Stringer pairing earlier this season. The Blazer duo has beaten one possible second round opponent in Tori Longress and Becky Barbier (Laramie), but lost to the other (Mackenzie Thompson/Selena Landa, Rawlins).
The highest seed earned by any Blazers for this weekend was the second seed, awarded to Aubree Powell and Sera Glass at No. 2 doubles. Earlier this season, they bested their first-round opponents, Abby Bettolo and Michelle Butterfield from Rock Springs, in two sets. Powell and Glass have also beaten both second-round possibilities in Caitlin Huang and Chloe Jenkins (Laramie) and Bailee Thompson and Chantel Flores (Rawlins) in two sets.
Sydney West and Kalli Smith are teaming up for No. 3 doubles action. They take on Emily Lininger and Maddie Corbitt (Rock Springs) in the first round, a pairing that West and Smith have not yet seen this fall. The second round offers Sarah Foster and Cassadie Anderson from Cheyenne Central, who have a first-round bye. The Cheyenne Central pair is also unfamiliar to Smith and West.
“I have the best assistant coaching staff in the history of Wyoming high school tennis. Curtis (Birkley), John (Kelly) and Mary (Perkins) have done wonders with many of our athletes in terms of mental toughness and technique,” Wiley said. “I am confident that all of our effort will pay off this weekend.”
