Fourteen Wood River High School tennis players are headed to the State 4A tennis tournament next weekend in Boise after dominating this week's Great Basin Conference 4A tournament at Sun Valley.
New GBC champions are junior Ellen Davis and sophomore Karl Wilander in singles, senior Lauren Reutter and freshman Margaret Reutter in girls' doubles, and senior Morgan Pike and junior Jessica Hamilton in mixed doubles.
In all, 14 of the 16 Wood River players entered in the conference championships qualified for the State 4A tourney May 21-22 in Boise. That's the highest number of Wolverine state qualifiers since 2001.
Wood River (34-8 match record in the tourney) won four of the five categories at Sun Valley Tennis Club Wednesday and finished the two-day, six-school tournament with 145 combined points, far outdistancing runner-up Twin Falls (78) and third-place Burley (50).
Securing their third consecutive GBC team title were the Wood River girls (72 points) over Twin Falls. The Wolverine boys (73 points) captured their first-ever GBC championship in the six years that Hailey has competed at the Idaho 4A level.
Fifth-year Wood River head coach Vicki Johnston said, "All in all, I couldn't be a prouder coach. We had expectations of doing well, but everybody came in and raised their game."
In boys' singles, Wilander lost only five games in three straight-set wins and Davis was almost as dominant in girls' singles with three straight-set victories. Davis had shared the girls' doubles conference title with Jessica Hamilton last year and they placed second at state.
Hamilton teamed with last year's GBC boys' singles' bronze medalist Morgan Pike in mixed doubles this year. They claimed three straight-set victories on the Sun Valley courts and, like Wilander, dropped only five games.
Lauren Reutter and Margaret Reutter, rarely challenged in the league season, cruised along at the tournament in girls' doubles and won a second-set tiebreaker 8-6 to nail down the crown. In boys' doubles, seniors Brendan Freund and RJ Forgeon were second.
Johnston said, "Brendan and RJ played some of their best tennis ever at the tournament." They emerged as the only Hailey second-place finishers of the conference finals.
Third places went to sophomore Sloan Storey in girls' singles, junior Will Eagan and sophomore Hannah Baybutt in mixed doubles, and sophomores Raleigh Grossbaum and Charlie Grabow in boys' doubles. Senior Jordan Niedrich was fourth in boys' singles.
Ten of the 14 Wolverine state qualifiers (5 seniors, 3 juniors, 5 sophs, 1 freshmen) also competed at state last year. Next weekend, Wood River will visit state tennis for the 35th time and will try to win a state team title for the first time since 1988. No Hailey singles player has won at state since 1990.
Top conference results follow. The top four singles players and top four doubles teams earned state (Wood River 14 qualifiers, Twin Falls 7, Burley 7, Jerome 2, Canyon Ridge 2):
Final overall team totals
1—Wood River 145 points—14 to state
2—Twin Falls 78 points—7 to state
3—Burley 50—7 to state
4—Jerome 42—2 to state
5—Canyon Ridge 20—2 to state
6—Minico 14
Breakdown by boys and girls
Boys
1—Wood River 73
2—Twin Falls 42
3—Burley 24.5
4—Jerome 20
5—Minico 8
5—Canyon Ridge 8
Girls
1—Wood River 72
2—Twin Falls 36
3—Burley 25.5
4—Jerome 22
5—Canyon Ridge 12
6—Minico 6
Previous Great Basin champions: 2002—Century of Pocatello. 2003—Century. 2004—Jerome. 2005—Pocatello. 2006—Century. 2007—Century. 2008—Century boys, Wood River girls, Wood River overall. 2009—Century boys, Wood River girls, Century overall.
Points by category—
WR (145) 29 BS 32 GS 28 BD 24 GD 32 MD 145
TFalls (78) 16 BS 6 GS 24 BD 28 GD 4 MD 78
Burley (50) 5 BS 7 GS 13 BD 12 GD 13 MD 50
Points by singles/doubles—
Wood River (34-8 all matches)—61 points singles (14-3), 84 points doubles (20-5)
District team championships:
Wood River (13, all at Class B/3A level)—2004, 1993-96, 1990, 1988, 1982, 1976-80
Wood River in 4A (4)—2008 girls, 2009 girls, 2010 girls, 2010 boys
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Boys singles (12 players)
Seeds
1—Karl Wilander (WR sophomore)
2—Michael Pittman (Jerome senior)
3—Dallas Hunt (Twin Falls freshman)
4—Christian Hansen (Burley junior)
Final results (top 4 to state)
1—Karl Wilander (WR sophomore)
2—Michael Pittman (Jerome junior, 5th place BS 2009)
3—Dallas Hunt (Twin Falls freshman)
4—Jordan Niedrich (WR senior)
Championship—Karl Wilander (WR sophomore) 6-1, 6-1 over Michael Pittman (Jerome senior)
Third place—Dallas Hunt (TF freshman) 7-5, 6-3 over Jordan Niedrich (WR senior)
Wood River players
Karl Wilander (3-0, junior)
Bye
Won 6-0, 6-0 over Truman Peterson (Minico junior)
Won 6-2, 6-1 over Christian Hansen (Burley senior)
Won 6-1, 6-1 over Michael Pittman (Jerome senior)—championship
Jordan Niedrich (4-2, senior)
Won 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 over Kord Carpenter (Burley sophomore)
Lost 6-4, 6-3 to Dallas Hunt (TF freshman)
Won 6-0, 6-0 over Casey Furman (Canyon Ridge sophomore)
Won 6-1, 6-2 over Kord Carpenter (Burley sophomore)
Won 6-4, 6-3 over Christian Hansen (Burley junior)
Lost 7-5, 6-3 to Dallas Hunt (TF freshman)—third place
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Girls singles (12 players)
Seeds
1—Ellen Davis (WR junior)
2—Breanna Gilbert (Jerome senior)
3—Lindsey Stoneham (Burley senior)
4—McKenzie Baggett (Canyon Ridge sophomore)
Final results (top 4 to state)
1—Ellen Davis (WR junior)
2—Breanna Gilbert (Jerome senior, 5th GS 2009)
3—Sloan Storey (WR sophomore, 3rd GS 2009)
4—Lindsey Stoneham (Burley senior)
Championship—Ellen Davis (WR junior) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 over Breanna Gilbert (Jerome senior)
Third place—Sloan Storey (WR sophomore) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 over Lindsey Stoneham (Burley senior)
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Wood River players
Ellen Davis (3-0, junior)
Bye
Won 6-1, 6-3 over Karin Olsen (TF freshman)
Won 6-2, 6-3 over McKenzie Baggett (Canyon Ridge sophomore)
Won 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 over Breanna Gilbert (Jerome senior)—championship
Sloan Storey (4-1, sophomore)
Won 6-2, 7-6 (1) over Staci Baird (Canyon Ridge sophomore)
Won 6-2, 7-5 over Lindsey Stoneham (Burley senior)
Lost 6-1, 6-2 to Breanna Gilbert (Jerome senior)
Won 6-1, 6-3 over Madison Blevins (Jerome sophomore)
Won 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 over Lindsey Stoneham (Burley senior)—third place
Boys doubles (12 teams)
Seeds
1—Andrew Bortz-Daniel Olsen (TF seniors)
2—Brent Lee-Alex Greener (Burley senior, junior)
3—Brendan Freund-R.J. Forgeon (WR seniors)
4—Michael Gilbert-Alberto Aguilar (Jerome senior, sophomore)
Final results (top 4 to state)
1—Andrew Bortz-Daniel Olsen (TF seniors)
2—Brendan Freund-R.J. Forgeon (WR seniors, 2nd 2009)
3—Raleigh Grossbaum-Charlie Grabow (WR sophomores)
4—Uriel Anguiano-Luis Novoa (Burley seniors)
Championship—Andrew Bortz-Daniel Olsen (TF seniors) 6-3, 6-3 over Brendan Freund-R.J. Forgeon (WR seniors)
Third place—Raleigh Grossbaum-Charlie Grabow (WR sophomores) 7-6, 6-2 over Uriel Anguiano-Luis Novoa (Burley seniors)
Wood River teams
Brendan Freund-R.J. Forgeon (2-1, seniors)
Bye
Won 6-1, 6-0 over Carlos Martinez-Sergio Martinez (Jerome junior, senior)
Won 6-0, 6-2 over Brent Lee-Alex Greener (Burley senior, junior)
Lost 6-3, 6-3 to Andrew Bortz-Daniel Olsen (TF seniors)—championship
Raleigh Grossbaum-Charlie Grabow (5-1, sophomores)
Won 6-0, 6-1 over Cody Lopez-Eric Van Every (Minico senior, junior)
Lost 7-6 (5), 6-1 to Andrew Bortz-Daniel Olsen (TF seniors)
Won 6-0, 6-1 over Chase Petty-Aron Cutler (Canyon Ridge sophomore, junior)
Won 6-0, 6-2 over Michael Gilbert-Alberto Aguilar (Jerome senior, sophomore)
Won 6-1, 6-4 over Brent Lee-Alex Greener (Burley senior, junior)
Won 7-6, 6-2 over Uriel Anguiano-Luis Novoa (Burley seniors)—third place
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Girls doubles (12 teams)
Seeds
1—Lauren Reutter-Margaret Reutter (WR senior, freshman)
2—Natalie Briggs-Barbara Garay (Jerome seniors)
3—Carly Athay-Rachel Webster (TF sophomores)
4—Makena Haynie-Gelyn Pauly (Burley junior, senior)
Final results (top 4 to state)
1—Lauren Reutter-Margaret Reutter (WR senior, freshman)
2—Carly Athay-Rachel Webster (TF sophomores)
3—Natalie White-Kayla Ash (TF sophomores)
4—Makena Haynie-Gelyn Pauly (Burley junior, senior)
Championship—Lauren Reutter-Margaret Reutter (WR senior, freshman) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) over Carly Athay-Rachel Webster (TF sophomores)
Third place—Natalie White-Kayla Ash (TF sophomores) 6-2, 7-5 over Makena Haynie-Gelyn Pauly (Burley junior, senior)
Wood River teams
Lauren Reutter-Margaret Reutter (3-0, senior, freshman)
Bye
Won 6-0, 6-1 over Samantha Halverson-Monica Delgado (Minico junior, senior)
Won 6-2, 6-2 over Makena Haynie-Gelyn Pauly (Burley junior, senior)
Won 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) over Carly Athay-Rachel Webster (TF sophomores)—championship
Tory Lakey-Erin Murphy (2-2, senior, sophomore)
Won 6-1, 6-1 over Mary Walton-Kyla Rogers (Canyon Ridge senior, sophomore)
Won 6-1, 6-2 over Natalie Briggs-Barbara Garay (Jerome seniors)
Lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 to Carly Athay-Rachel Webster (TF sophomores)
Lost 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) to Natalie White-Kayla Ash (TF sophomores)
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Mixed doubles (12 teams)
Seeds
1—Morgan Pike-Jessica Hamilton (WR senior, junior)
2—Casey Petty-Brooke Johnson (Canyon Ridge seniors)
3—Kade Carpenter-Heather Carlquist (Burley seniors)
4—Brittani Pierce-Jeff Ward (TF junior, sophomore)
Final results (top 4 to state)
1—Morgan Pike-Jessica Hamilton (WR senior, junior)
2—Casey Petty-Brooke Johnson (Canyon Ridge seniors)
3—Will Eagan-Hannah Baybutt (WR junior, sophomore)
4—Kade Carpenter-Heather Carlquist (Burley seniors)
Championship—Morgan Pike-Jessica Hamilton (WR senior, junior) 6-0, 6-2 over Casey Petty-Brooke Johnson (Canyon Ridge seniors)
Third place—Will Eagan-Hannah Baybutt (WR junior, sophomore) 7-5, 6-3 over Kade Carpenter-Heather Carlquist (Burley seniors)
Wood River teams
Morgan Pike-Jessica Hamilton (3-0, senior, junior)
Bye
Won 6-0, 6-3 over Chris Barfuss-Lyndie Mittlesteadt (Minico senior, freshman)
Won 6-0, 6-0 over Brittani Pierce-Jeff Ward (TF junior, sophomore)
Won 6-0, 6-2 over Casey Petty-Brooke Johnson (Canyon Ridge seniors)—championship
Will Eagan-Hannah Baybutt (5-1, junior, sophomore)
Bye
Won 6-3, 6-0 over Ryan Algate-Madison Bernheisel (TF freshman, junior)
Lost 6-2, 6-3 to Casey Petty-Brooke Johnson (Canyon Ridge seniors)
Won 6-0, 6-0 over Oscar Campos-Brenda Villa (Jerome junior, sophomore)
Won 6-1, 6-1 over Cameron Jackson-Bailey Staley (Minico freshmen)
Won 6-3, 6-1 over Brittani Pierce-Jeff Ward (TF junior, sophomore)
Won 7-5, 6-3 over Kade Carpenter-Heather Carlquist (Burley seniors)—third place
Wood River’s girls’ doubles conference champions Lauren Reutter (right) and Margaret Reutter (left) congratulate each other for a job well done Wednesday at Sun Valley. Photo by David N. Seelig
