Wood River High School tennis players winning a championship at the prestigious Capital Invitational tournament in Boise isn't exactly a David and Goliath story, and it's not even a Hoosiers-like small-school-makes-good tale.
It's close, though.
Hailey players compete every year, but never in recent memory has a Wood River 4A team or player even made the championship match—no less win the title—during the four-state, 31-school tournament that features most of the best 5A big-school teams in Idaho.
That all changed Saturday when junior Raleigh Grossbaum and senior Jessica Hamilton of Wood River swept to the No. 1 mixed doubles championship at Boise's Capital High School with a 6-4, 6-4 finals victory over Centennial's Zach Gutches-Ashley Orem.
Wood River coach Vicki Johnston said, "Great serving, great volleying—some of the best tennis I've ever seen Jessica play. They won three of their eight-game pro sets Friday in the round-robin, and won all four of their matches Saturday."
Remaining unbeaten on the spring season, last year's State 4A boys' doubles king Grossbaum and 2010 girls' doubles runner-up Hamilton helped Wood River to an eighth-place team finish with 188 points, which was five points higher than the next-best 4A school, Bishop Kelly of Boise (183).
Eagle High (281) won the two-day, 31-school meet over Capital (237). Boise and Borah of Boise tied for third (228) and Timberline of Boise (214) ended up fifth. All are 5A schools.
Wood River entered 18 players in the Capital tourney and Johnston was very pleased with their overall progress. She said, "We did better than expected. Everybody raised their games. It was a group effort."
The Wolverine No. 1 boys' doubles team of Josh Morell and Charlie Grabow captured the consolation title with a straight-set triumph over a Century of Pocatello pair Saturday. Making the main draw semi-finals was the No. 2 mixed pairing of Bryan Donoso and Ellen Davis. No. 1 girls' singles Erin Murphy achieved the semis in consolation play.
About the success of Morell and Grabow, Johnston said, "They got their first serves in and played flawless tennis."
Monday in a make-up Great Basin Conference meet at Hailey, Wood River improved to 8-0 as a team in Great Basin Conference play by defeating Twin Falls 8-4 (boys won 5.5-0.5 and girls lost 3.5-2.5). The Wolverines moved to 11-2 in dual meets (13-0 boys, 9-3-1 girls).
Singles winners were No. 1s Raleigh Grossbaum and Erin Murphy, No. 2 Cole Caminiti and No. 3 Chase Hutchinson. Wood River swept boys' doubles with No. 1 Josh Morell-Charlie Grabow and No. 2 William Eagan-Cal McCarthy.
The Wolverines captured No. 1 in girls' doubles with Margaret Reutter-Hannah Baybutt and in mixed doubles with Quentin Dowdle-Reyna Kelly.
Wood River visited Sun Valley Tennis Club Tuesday for a tri-meet with Minico of Rupert and The Community School of Sun Valley. Canyon Ridge of Twin Falls visits Hailey Thursday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m.
Senior Jessica Hamilton and junior Raleigh Grossbaum of the Wood River High School tennis team won the mixed doubles championship of the Capital Invitational tournament Saturday in Boise. Photo by David N. Seelig
