THS girls seventh, boys 12th at state tournament

Andrew Towne
Posted 9/30/20

GILLETTE – The Torrington High School tennis team wrapped up the 2020 season with a trip to the Wyoming State Championships in Gillette.

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THS girls seventh, boys 12th at state tournament

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GILLETTE – The Torrington High School tennis team wrapped up the 2020 season with a trip to the Wyoming State Championships in Gillette.

At the end of the weekend, none of the Blazers made it to the championship Saturday, but the Lady Blazers had multiple players reach the semifinal round.

Ultimately, the girls placed seventh and the boys 12th.

“It went pretty well. I was happy with how it went,” THS coach Curtis Birkley said. “I really wish we could have someone playing again on Saturday.”

In the No. 1 singles bracket, senior Sera Glass reached the semifinal round before suffering her first loss of the weekend.

She defeated Elena Galles of Natrona County, 6-1, 6-1, in the opening round and Raegan Staggs of Cody, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinal round. Glass was defeated by the eventual state runner-up in the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Finley Klinger of Kelly Walsh.

The loss dropped her to the consolation bracket where her season ended with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Green River’s Gabrielle Heiser.

“Friday, we struggled a little bit on the girls’ side,” Birkley said. “They played their hearts out, but just couldn’t get the wins to move onto Saturday.”

In No. 2 singles action, Jenessa Derby won her first-round match against Brianna Ketchum of Thunder Basin, 6-0, 6-1. Derby lost in the quarterfinal round to Jackson’s Val Stevenson 7-6 (9-7), 6-1. Her weekend ended in the second round of the consolation bracket with a loss to Green River’s Megan Counts.

In doubles action, the No. 1 team of Tyne Stokes and Jaycee Shields reached the semifinal round with wins over Natrona County, 6-3, 6-2, and Cody by injury default.

“It was kind of a heart-breaking match against Cody,” Birkley said. “One of the girls went down in a heap from a twisted ankle. It was a sad deal.”

In the semifinal round, the Lady Blazer duo fell to Sheridan 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, and in the consolation semifinals, Stokes and Shields fell to Green River 7-5, 7-5.

In the No. 2 doubles bracket, Bethany Wunibald and Trisha Cates went 1-2, opening the weekend with a victory over Sheridan, 6-2, 7-5.

The Lady Blazer duo lost their next two matches to Kelly Walsh, 6-3, 6-2, and to Natrona County 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The final doubles pair of Sydney Harris and Theona Haines also went 1-2, defeating Cody 6-4, 6-5 in the first round before falling to Laramie 6-2, 6-1 and Natrona County 6-3, 6-4.

As a team, the Lady Blazers scored 9.5 points to place seventh. Cheyenne Central won the team title with 50 points, while Kelly Walsh was second with 47. Sheridan was third with 41.

In the boys’ division, the Blazers finished 12th with four points. Kelly Walsh won the team title with 59 points, while Campbell County was second with 36. Sheridan was third with 34.

In the No. 1 singles bracket, Aidyn Saucedo lost to Tanner Lemm of Campbell County 6-4, 6-1 in the opening round.

Saucedo posted two straight wins to reach the consolation quarterfinals. He scored a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win over Matt Mobley of Thunder Basin and a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Justin VanKirk of Cheyenne Central before suffering a season-ending loss to Cody’s Cody Champlin, 7-5, 6-2.

“Our surprise of the weekend was Aidyn,” Birkley said. “He played his heart out and went deep into the consolation bracket.”

In No. 2 singles action, Isaac Bartlett went 1-2 with his lone win coming over Natrona County’s Bridger Myers, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the consolation bracket.

“Isaac played really well,” Birkley said. “He got into a second match on Friday. He played super hard.”

The No. 2 doubles team of Ben Firminhac and Adam Bartlett also went 1-2. The duo’s lone win came in the first round of the consolation bracket by default over Powell.

The No. 1 doubles team of Gabe Russell and Cody Clayton and the No. 3 team of Jorey Osmus and Louden Bremer went winless on the weekend.

“I’m happy with how the season went. The kids all played well,” Birkley said. “Our season is so quick and so fast, and by the time it’s over, you wish you had at least one more week to see even more improvement. Hopefully, we’ll see some kids with a racket in their hands over the winter and summer and be ready to go again next fall.”