By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
A total of 18 players representing seven city high schools will compete in state tennis tournments next Friday and Saturday at three sites.
Washburn Rural senior Lawsen Lobatos (left) and sophomore Dylan Willingham won a Class 6A regional doubles championship Friday in Junction City. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Leading the city contingent for state is Centennial League and city team champ Washburn Rural, which added a Class 6A regional championship on Friday at Junction City by a 23-14 margin over Maize while qualifying all six players for the 6A state tournament at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Dodge posted a second-place singles finish in the Junction City 6A regional, helping the Junior Blues claim the team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural senior Lawsen Lobatos and sophomore Dylan Willingham captured the regional doubles title with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Manhattan's Michael Hwang and Jack Spiegel while senior Dylan Dodge also advanced to the final, finishing second after a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Hayden Herrera of Maize.
Sophomore Keegan Knudtson posted a third-place regional finish for the Junior Blues, taking a 6-2, 6-2 win over Maize's Anvith Natarajan in the third-place match at regionals while sophomores Cale Deutscher and Brayden Kohls finished third in doubles with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 win over Topeka High senior Tate Hodges and junior Alex Raymond in the third-place matches.
Hodges and Raymond also punched their ticket to state, giving the city eight state qualifiers.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL AT EMPORIA
Topeka West, Seaman and Shawnee Heights will send a total of six players to the 5A state tournament at the Andover District Tennis Complex.
Returning Class 5A state placers Caden McGee (left) and Caleb Weybrew finished second in doubles at regionals to earn a state berth. [File photo/TSN]
United Kansas Conference champion Topeka West, the 2023 5A state champion, will send three players to state, with seniors Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew finishing second at regionals in doubles while Charger senior James Maag finished third in singles.
McGee and Weybrew dropped a tough three-set decision in the finals to Blue Valley Southwest's Saket Jogannath and Vidhu Reddy, with the Southwest duo taking a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 win.
Maag finished third at regionals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Patrick Lacy of St. Thomas Aquinas in the third-place match as Topeka West finished third as a team.
Seaman senior Gavin Dutton qualified for state with a sixth-place regional finish in singles while Shawnee Heights seniors Roscoe Poyner and Alex Austin finished sixth in doubles.
CLASS 3A-1A REGIONAL AT MARYSVILLE
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Drew Fay will compete at state for the second straight season after finishing as the singles runnerup in the 3A-1A regional at Marysville.
Cair Paravel sophomore Drew Fay is headed to the Class 3A-1A state tournament for the second straight season. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Fay advanced to the regional final before dropping a 6-1, 6-0 decision to defending 3A-1A singles champ Caleb Bartels.
Hayden, in its first season competing in the 3A-1A ranks, will send the doubles team of senior Joseph Luke and junior Chase Blaser and junior singles player Evan George to the state tournament at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village.
Luke and Blaser finished fifth in doubles at regionals while George posted a fifth-place singles finish.
TOPEKA STATE TENNIS QUALIFERS
Class 6A
Washburn Rural -- Singles: Dylan Dodge, sr., 23-7; Keegan Knudtson, so., 17-8. Doubles: Lawsen Lobatos, sr., and Dylan Willingham, so., 25-4; Cale Deutscher, so., and Brayden Kohls, so., 17-8.
Topeka High -- Doubles: Tate Hodges, sr., and Alex Raymond, jr., 24-10.
Class 5A
Topeka West -- Singles: James Maag, sr., 24-10. Doubles: Caden McGee, sr., and Caleb Weybrew, sr., 33-6.
Seaman -- Singles: Gavin Dutton, sr., 16-15.
Shawnee Heights -- Doubles: Roscoe Poyner, sr., and Alex Austin, sr., 10-12.
Class 3A-1A
Cair Paravel Latin -- Singles: Drew Fay, so., 21-9.
Hayden -- Singles: Evan George, jr., 15-15. Doubles: Joseph Luke, sr., and Chase Blaser, jr., 18-9.
