Editor’s Note: The Torrington  boys tennis team placed fourth at regionals in Green River with the girls  seventh. Senior Elijah Hatch took second in boys No. 2 singles, senior Skyler Thomas placed fourth in boys No. 1 singles and senior Madix McIntosh placed fourth in girls No. 1 singles.

GREEN RIVER – Skyler Thomas (No. 1 singles) played his first match against Cheyenne Central and fell, 6-0 and 6-2. Earlier in the season, Skyler lost to Central, so he knew this would be a challenging match. 

Skyler played Rock Springs next and won, 6-3 and 6-0. Skyler played really well in this match. His ground strokes were on point and he utilized the serve and volley well.

In Skyler’s third match, he played Rawlins and won in three sets. Skyler was frustrated at the beginning of the year when he lost to Rawlins. At regionals he got his revenge and won, 6-3, 1-6 and 6-1. He finished this match well and came out and was hitting the ball harder.

On Saturday, Skyler played Cheyenne Central again for third and fourth place. Skyler continued to show improvement, though he lost this match, 6-1 and 6-2. In the second set, Skyler played his best tennis yet. He was hitting his spots, staying in rallies and was serving well. At one point, Skyler had Cheyenne Central playing scared. I’m so excited about Skyler’s level of tennis right now heading into state.

Madix McIntosh (in girls’ No. 1 singles) drew Laramie in the first round at regionals and lost, 6-0 and 6-0. She did some good things with her volleying and approach shots.

Next, Madix played Cheyenne South and won, 6-1 and 6-1. Madix worked hard to mix things up and stay at the baseline or approach the net. She also worked on both her serves and this was a good confidence boost for her.

Madix’s third match was against a Green River girl who beat her last week in a close match. Madix came out guns a-blazing. She won the first set, 6-1 and lost the second set, 6-3. Madix came out with a 5-0 lead (in the third set). She let Green River back in, but held on and won, 6-4.

Madix played for third and fourth place on Saturday against Rawlins. Madix lost the first set, 6-2 and then won the second set with authority, 6-3. She came out in the second set and was aggressive and it was working for her. She played some flawless tennis that her opponent did not have an answer for. Madix ended up losing the third set, 6-3. You can never count Madix out of a match, though. She kept battling and kept up her intensity.

I am proud of Madix and she never quits. I am excited to see what she will do at state and she is playing her best tennis right now.

Elijah Hatch, at No. 2 boys’ singles, won his first match against Rock Springs in three sets. He won the first set, 6-2, against a player he beat the week before. During the second set, he seemed to struggle and lost, 6-2. During the break, Elijah and I talked about things that had worked and things that had not worked in each set. He really analyzed his two sets and got his mind right to win the third set, 6-4. I was proud of him for working through this adversity.

Elijah’s second match was against the No. 2 seeded player from Cheyenne East. Elijah developed a game plan and executed it and won his first set, 6-4. He lost the second set, 6-2. In the third set, he got back to doing what was working well for him and won, 6-4. This was an intense match and Elijah came out on top.

On Saturday, Elijah played in the championship match. He ended up losing to Cheyenne Central, 6-2 and 6-1. Elijah composed himself well playing a tough opponent. He is disappointed that he lost but is proud of his overall performance at regionals. I am excited to see what he can do at state.

Additional results

Junior Laney Grubbs played girls’ No. 2 singles and fell to Green River and Rock Springs. Laney worked hard and served well and she always has such a positive attitude. She knows she does not have the singles experience of her opponents, but she comes out and works hard in every match.

The No. 1 boys’ doubles team – sophomores Benaiah Steinbrecher and Braxton Carlson – went 1-2 on the weekend, falling to Rock Springs and Laramie and beating Rawlins in three sets. When these boys are playing well, they can play with anyone. Ben and Braxton are fun to watch and I think they could get some wins at state if they can play well at the same time.

The No. 1 girls’ doubles team – sophomores Madison Hatch and Aftyn Hager – fell in two matches. While the girls did not get the outcomes they hoped, both girls had fun and played some good tennis. Madison is consistent with her play and Hager stepped into a tough position as an alternate and handled herself well.

In No. 2 boys’ doubles, seniors Marcus Jones and Gabe Posten played a fantastic second set in their 6-1 and 7-5 loss to Cheyenne East. Great serving, lengthy points and nonstop hustle. The team came back for a win over Cheyenne South, playing smart and sticking to the fundamentals to maintain their level of play. They lost to Green River, but the teams were more evenly matched than the score would indicate.

The No. 2 boys’ doubles team – sophomore Maxton Matthews and junior Silas Kiiskinen – lost to East, though they had some great serves and serve returns. The team grabbed a 7-5 and 6-1 win over Rawlins by changing their strategy against opponents who played a different style of tennis. They played some of their best tennis this season against Laramie, ultimately falling, but had some excellent shots and great teamwork.

In No. 2 girls’ doubles team – sophomore Keelin Connelly and junior Haley DeFoe – fell to Laramie but had some great serves and good rally points. In a close 6-4 and 6-3 loss to Green River, they returned well and had some great volleys and shot placement. The Laramie coach approached me later in the day and informed me about these girls’ outstanding sportsmanship. This made their coaches very proud.

In No. 3 girls’ doubles – junior Addison Hansen and Sinai Hernandez – fell to Green River, though the games were closer than the score indicated with several games going to deuce. They had some great passing shots and are improving each match and reading the court to strategically place their shots. Their loss to Rawlins was neck-and-neck and although the tiebreak didn’t fall in their favor, they played a tough match.