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Produced & Maintained by Idaho Mountain Express, Box 1013, Ketchum, ID 83340-1013 
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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 


Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Sports

Cutthroat power on display at state tennis

Third state championship in four years


By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

The team trophies ended up being color-coded for The Community School and Wood River High School tennis teams during last weekend’s State 3A tournament in Boise.

Tyler Martin, Community School junior, is the new State 3A boys’ singles king. Express photo by David N. Seelig

Winning the blue championship trophy for the third time in four years were coach Mark Scribner’s singles-strong Community School Cutthroats, with a substantial 86-63 margin over the doubles-powerful Parma Panthers.

Tyler Martin, Cutthroat junior who was runner-up last year, won the boys’ singles championship Saturday while senior Luke Fostvedt and freshman Mandy Alexander powered their way to the mixed doubles title.

In the point breakdown, the Cutthroats piled up 51 points in singles, virtually matching their total in last year’s state runner-up finish, but what really elevated the blue-and-white to the state championship was a hefty 35-9 improvement in doubles over 2003.

Coach Scribner said, "Boys’ and girls’ singles of course were very solid. Girls’ doubles did more than I expected, and mixed doubles played very big for us. Every player we took to state had at least one point.

"Luke played very, very well, the best he’s played in four years. He controlled the whole court and Mandy played very well with him. Overall, I thought our seniors Amy Alexander, Joanie Baumgardner and Luke came through with a lot of big points."

Jackie Safran (left) and Devon Bunce, the new State 3A girls’ doubles champions from Wood River. Express photo by Jeff Cordes

Settling for the green-colored third-place trophy were coach John Radford’s Wood River Wolverines, who amassed 55 of their 60 points in doubles and crowned an unexpected girls’ doubles champion in their #2 team of Jackie Safran and Devon Bunce.

The local tennis teams, sending 26 players to state, also produced two state runner-up winners. Scooter Sabel, Cutthroat sophomore, was the boys’ singles runner-up while Danny Gariepy and Whitney DeBree of Wood River were second in mixed.

In all, the Cutthroats won 26 of their 38 matches in Boise Friday and Saturday and reinforced their standing as one of Idaho’s prep tennis powers.


New champions

Tyler Martin joined his brother Chancey Martin (1997) in the boys’ singles state championship circle. Six of the 14 Cutthroat state championships have now come in boys’ singles.

Playing very aggressively, Martin didn’t lose a set in taking four match wins including his 6-2, 6-4 championship match victory over sophomore teammate Sabel. Martin was a little more consistent and forced uncharacteristic mistakes by district king Sabel.

In girls’ singles, nobody could shake the resolve of two-time state champion Caity Jones of Homedale. The strong junior also didn’t lose a set in four wins, although the powerful groundstrokes of Wood River’s Hadley DeBree gave Jones a 7-5 scare.

Luke Fostvedt and Mandy Alexander of The Community School won the mixed doubles title at the State 3A tennis tournament Saturday in Boise. Express photo by Jeff Cordes

After being upset in the semi-finals by Clark Fork freshman Rayna Allen, #2-seeded Cutthroat senior Amy Alexander regrouped and nailed down third place with split-set triumphs over DeBree and Declo senior Katie Wall.

Parma’s 1-2 sweep in boys’ doubles lifted the Panthers into second place in the team standings. Wood River’s Dao Okamoto and Thomas Phelan rallied 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 over a Homedale pair for the third-place honor Saturday in rain-splattered Boise.

One other bright spot for the Cutthroats was the play of Christian Cairncross and Wes Flanigan in boys’ doubles. They didn’t place, but they won three matches and nearly knocked off eventual champions Nick Padilla and Kyle Nielsen of Parma.

Padilla and Nielsen survived the scare 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

In girls’ doubles, the power game of Wood River’s #2 pair of sophomores Jackie Safran and Devon Bunce was well suited to the state showcase. They won four matches and breezed 6-1, 6-4 in the championship affair.

Joanie Baumgardner and McKenzie Hart, the only Cutthroat entry in girls’ doubles, had a fine tournament and ended up in fourth place. Meanwhile, the #2-seeded Wood River pair of Ellie France and Abby Fairman won three times but fell short of a placing with losses to Payette and Fruitland teams.

The only championship matching The Community School and Wood River came in mixed doubles. The win of Fostvedt and Alexander reversed the split-decision taken by Gariepy and Whitney DeBree at the district meet.

For Fostvedt, it was a second state championship in doubles. As a Cutthroat sophomore he won boys’ doubles with Joel Evans back in 2002.

Check this week’s Express Web site for a complete summary of last weekend’s 3A state tournament in Boise Here are top finishers and team scores.

 

Boys’ singles

Championship—Tyler Martin (CS) 6-2, 6-4 over Scooter Sabel (CS)

Third place—Brett Hopkins (Homedale) 7-5, 6-3 over Travis Moss (Declo)

 

Girls’ singles

Championship—Caity Jones (Homedale junior) 6-0, 6-1 over Rayna Allen (Clark Fork freshman)

Third place—Amy Alexander (CS senior) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 over Katie Wall (Declo senior)

 

Boys’ doubles

Championship—Nick Padilla-Kyle Nielsen (Parma junior, senior) 7-6, 6-2 over Trent Weber-Jesse Chaney (Parma sophomores)

Third place—Dao Okamoto-Thomas Phelan (WR senior, freshman) 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 over Jeremy Ensley-Josh Myers (Homedale sophomore, freshman)

 

Girls’ doubles

Championship—Jackie Safran-Devon Bunce (WR sophomores) 6-1, 6-4 over Kristyn King-Kristi Soelberg (Payette sophomore, junior)

Third place—Lauren Surmeier-Carolyn Dees (Fruitland senior, junior) 6-0, 6-4 over McKenzie Hart-Joanie Baumgardner (CS sophomore, senior)

 

Mixed doubles

Championship—Luke Fostvedt-Mandy Alexander (CS senior, freshman) 6-1, 6-4 over Danny Gariepy-Whitney DeBree (WR senior, freshman)

Third place—Scott Weber-Emily Watson (Parma seniors) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 over Eric Olsen-Ashley Peterson (Declo junior, senior)

 

Final 3A team standings

1—Community School (14 state qualifiers) 86 points (36 BS, 15 GS, 5 BD, 9 GD, 21 MD). 2—Parma (15) 63 points (4 BS, 1 GS, 36 BD, 6 GD, 16 MD). 3—Wood River (12) 60 points (0 BS, 5 GS, 15 BD, 24 GD, 16 MD). 4—Homedale (9) 47 points (12 BS, 20 GS, 9 BD, 0 GD, 6 MD).

5—Declo (6) 27 points. 6 (tie)—Fruitland (8) and Clark Fork (6) 21 points apiece. 8—Payette (6) 19 points. 9 (tie)—Troy (10) and Weiser (10) with 6 points apiece. 11—Grangeville (13) 5 points. 12—Gooding (7) 4 points. 13—Sugar-Salem (1) 3 points. 14 (tie)—Culdesac (5) and Deary (2) with 2 points apiece. 16—Post Falls Christian (1) 1 point.

 

Point breakdown

86—Community School (26-12 all matches)—51 points singles (13-4), 35 points doubles (13-8)

60Wood River (21-10 all matches)—5 points singles (4-4), 55 points doubles (17-6)


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