State golds to Evans, Hailey mixed team
Cutthroats, Wolverines tie for second
By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer
It’s not easy to win a doubles
championship at a state high school tennis tournament, and it’s certainly not
easy to turn around the next year and capture a state singles’ title.
But that’s what Community School senior
Joel Evans accomplished last weekend during the Idaho State 3A tennis tournament
staged at Timberline High School in Boise.
The Wood River Valley has boasted 24 state
tennis winners over a quarter century, but Evans became the valley’s first
doubles-singles winner when he beat sophomore teammate Tyler Martin 6-3, 6-2 for
the State 3A gold medal Saturday.
Joel Evans, 2003 State 3A boys’
singles king. Express photo by Jeff Cordes
It was a cool, windy day, but Evans said
the weather helped him because it forced him to become more patient with his
shot-making.
Seventh-year Community School coach Mark
Scribner added, "Joel has excellent ball control and is a very good volleyer.
Those things helped him in the wind.
"Last year Joel had to play a role and
play boys’ doubles because we knew he couldn’t beat Ryan (Drew, last year’s
state singles king). I always give seniors a choice of playing what they want.
And Joel wanted to play singles this year."
Evans won three matches rather easily
including the title match. The new champion spotted freshman teammate Scooter
Sabel a first-set tiebreaker win in the semi-finals before turning up the energy
and polishing off Sabel 6-2, 6-2.
Hopeful of playing tennis next year at the
University of Colorado-Boulder, Evans was one of two state champions crowned
from the Wood River Valley during the 16-team, 128-player State 3A contest.
Dixon Mooseau and Hadley DeBree of Wood
River High School accomplished another rare feat when they became the only
freshmen doubles winners counting all the 5A/4A/3A state meets staged last
weekend.
Mooseau and DeBree, who grew up playing
tennis as "Park Rats," at Atkinson Park, defeated top-seeded Anthony Haskett and
Carol Kaufman of Homedale 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in Saturday’s windy final match.
"It’s really neat to see their progress,"
said Wood River coach Kirk Mason, who was fortunate enough to have a strong
returner like DeBree to put on the backhand side. "And we didn’t really get
Dixon out for the team until mid-April because of skiing. But Hadley is a really
consistent player."
Dixon Mooseau and Hadley DeBree,
2003 State 3A mixed doubles champions. Express photo by Jeff Cordes
Perhaps Mooseau and DeBree won their first
game too easily, because they coughed up a match-point in the second and lost a
tiebreaker 7-2.
DeBree saved Wood River’s bacon several
times during the final set, when the Wolverines squandered a 4-2 lead in games.
With the set tied 4-4, DeBree held her serve with the wind at her back—thanks to
a couple of smashes by Mooseau, who had been hit with a ball squarely in the
groin earlier in the game.
Then Wood River broke Homedale again and
won 6-4, DeBree’s backhand smash at the net giving Hailey the add.
A couple of surprise finishes by Wood
River’s boys’ doubles team of Patrick Brennan and Danny Gariepy (second place)
and the girls’ doubles tandem of Allison Kelsey and Abby Fairman (third) gave
the Wolverines critical points at state.
In fact, Wood River (56 of its 59 points
in doubles) tied two-time defending champion Community School (50 of its 59
points in singles) for second place in the final team totals.
Wood River made the most of its 11
entries, going 18-8 in all their matches at state.
The Wolverines were presented the state
academic trophy in Saturday’s final ceremony—although their 2002 state champ
girls’ doubles star Ashley Lakey (academically ineligible) couldn’t compete.
The Homedale Trojans, with state titles in
girls’ singles and girls’ doubles, won their first state title since 1996 with
62 points. Weiser was fourth, 52.
Winning their second straight State 5A
singles titles were Boise junior Tristan Heinrich and Capital sophomore Kiara
Powell. Twin Falls juniors Eric MacMillan and Ian Timoney took 5A boys’
doubles—and Boise won its first state tennis team title since 1970 by a 33-point
margin.
Vallivue of Caldwell overwhelmingly won
the 4A team title, winning four of five events including seniors Matt Bauscher
and Kyla Combs, first-time winners in singles.
Check this week’s Express Web site for a
complete summary of the state meet.
STATE NOTES—
Sportsmanship is always prevalent at the
state tennis meet, where players from other teams routinely congratulate and
encourage each other and, of course, the honor system is used on line calls.
Community School coach Mark Scribner and
his wife Kathy showed the spirit of sportsmanship at the end of Saturday’s
meet—when officials were deliberating closely over team points in an exceedingly
close meet.
The officials were just about to announce
Homedale as the winner with 62 points, The Community School in second with 59
and Wood River in third place with 58 points.
That’s when the Scribners, always alert to
where teams stand, pointed out an error in addition that elevated Wood River
into a 59-59 tie with The Community School for second in team totals. "What’s
right is right," said Mark Scribner. "When both of our teams are in Boise, we
ought to be out there pulling for each other."
Meanwhile, Ohio Wesleyan freshman Ryan
Drew, who attended Saturday’s state final, has been named to the All-North Coast
Athletic Conference team. He was named NCAC Newcomer of the Year, with a 7-13
record primarily at #1 singles for the Bishops.
Final State 3A results:
Boys’ singles: Championship—
Joel Evans (CS senior) 6-3, 6-2 over Tyler Martin (CS sophomore). Third place—Adam
Hines (Culdesac senior) over Bryan Carpenter (Weiser senior).
Girls’ singles: Championship—
Caity Jones (Homedale sophomore) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 over Anne Wemhoener (Payette
senior). Third place—Danielle Hopkins (Weiser senior) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 over
Amy Alexander (CS junior).
Boys’ doubles: Championship—
Drew Judson-Scott Schlager (Fruitland seniors) 6-0, 6-2 over Patrick
Brennan-Danny Gariepy (WR senior, junior). Third place—Travis
Moss-Spencer Glenn (Declo seniors) 6-2, 6-1 over Talon Vickers-Eric Johnson (Weiser
seniors).
Girls’ doubles: Championship—
Alysa Gluch-Kelly Roberts (Homedale seniors) 6-2, 7-6 over Brynna Syme-McKenzie
Gibbs (Weiser seniors). Third place—Allison Kelsey-Abby Fairman (WR
senior, freshman) 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 over April Terrill-Carolyn Dees (Fruitland
senior, sophomore).
Mixed doubles: Championship—
Dixon Mooseau-Hadley DeBree (WR freshmen) 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-4 over Anthony Haskett-Carolyn
Kaufman (Homedale junior, senior). Third place—Scott Weber-Emily Watson
(Parma juniors) 6-3, 6-0 over Austin Blaylock-Alyson Page (Parma juniors).