With good weather came even better results for the Emporia High boys tennis team on Saturday at the Valley Center Invitational.
With sunny skies and enjoyable temperatures for seemingly the first time all season, all four of Emporia’s entrants into the tournament finished fourth place or higher in the nine-team field, and as such, the Spartans as a team finished third.
“We didn’t do too bad,” EHS coach Matt Irby said. “It was actually one of the first pleasant days we’ve had to play in, so that made things look a little better. We played pretty well.”
No. 1 singles player Chris Reimer led the way with a first-place finish.
Reimer dominated his five opponents on his way to the tournament title, with his closest challenge being an 8-5 victory in his first match of the day against Maize’s Ben Khounsombath. After dispatching of Khounsombath, Reimer went on to defeat Wellington’s Gary Fike, 8-1, Valley Center’s David Alley, 8-2, and Augusta’s Sheldon Smith, 8-0, to move into the first-place match.
In the match for the title, Reimer defeated Wichita Northwest’s Joey Wakim handily by a score of 8-1.
The next-highest finish for the Spartans came from the No. 1 doubles team of Mark DeDonder and Jonathan Roman, as the pair took third with a 4-1 record.
DeDonder and Roman’s only loss came in the opening round against Jeremy Reiswig and Alex Cantu of Maize by a score of 8-4. After that, DeDonder and Roman ripped off victories over teams from Wellington, Valley Center and Augusta before taking down El Dorado’s Andrew Turner and Michael Moore in the match for third place, 8-3.
No. 2 singles player Adam Coburn and the No. 2 doubles tandem of Nathan Ferree and Brandon Heavener each came away with fourth-place finishes to round out the Emporia High competitors.
Coburn ended with a 3-2 record, as he went through pool play with three wins and one loss before falling to Evan Hoffman of Wichita Northwest, 8-2, in the third-place match.
As for Ferree and Heavener, they too finished with a 3-2 record, taking wins over duos from Wellington, Valley Center and Augusta before losing, 8-6, to Wichita Northwest’s Trevor Metzger and Patrick Loganville in the third-place match.
Valley Center Invite
Saturday at Valley Center
Team Scores
1. Wichita Northwest 2. Maize 3. Emporia 4. McPherson 5. Valley Center 6. Douglas-Bluestem 7T. Wellington, 7T. El Dorado 9. Augusta
EHS Individual Results
No. 1 Singles
Chris Reimer, Emp, def. Ben Khounsombath, Maize, 8-5; Reimer def. Gary Fike, Well, 8-1; Reimer def. David Alley, VC, 8-2; Reimer def. Sheldon Smith, Aug, 8-0; Reimer def. Joey Wakim, WNW, 8-1.
No. 2 Singles
Dylan Welch, Maize, def. Adam Coburn, Emp, 8-1; Coburn def. Deric Bickel, Well, 8-6; Coburn def. Justin Allen, VC, 8-4; Coburn def. Byron Hummon, VC, 8-3; Evan Hoffman, WNW, def. Coburn, 8-2.
No. 1 Doubles
Jeremy Reiswig/Alex Cantu, Maize, def. Mark DeDonder/Jonathan Roman, Emp, 8-4; DeDonder/Roman def. Tyler Cole/Jordan Norris, Well, 8-3; DeDonder/Roman def. Braidan Feime/Ryan Fluker, VC, 8-1; DeDonder/Roman def. Allen Gehlen/Justin Parker, Aug, 8-2; DeDonder/Roman def. Andrew Turner/Michael Moore, ElDor, 8-3.
No. 2 Doubles
Justin Ashowrth/Cory Sims, Maize, def. Nathan Ferree/Brandon Heavener, Emp, 8-6; Ferree/Heavener def. Galib Mirza/Mikey Collins, Well, 8-0; Ferree/Heavener def. Tyler Harris/Neal Supermaw, VC, 8-3; Ferree/Heavener def. Aaron Casner/Stephen Henry, Aug, 8-0; Trevor Metzger/Patrick Loganville, WNW, def. Ferree/Heavener, 8-6.