For the week of May 15 - 21, 2002

Five in a row for Cutthroats

District tennis champs, 27 locals to state

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On Mother’s Day weekend, proud mothers and fathers from the Wood River Valley were as plentiful as state tennis qualifiers by the end the 2002 Fourth District 3A tennis tournament at Sun Valley.

Showing what a really heated tennis rivalry (!!!) it is between Wood River High and The Community School are graduating seniors Katie Dondero (left) of Wood River and Langely McNeal of The Community School. Express photo by Willy Cook

The Community School of Sun Valley and Hailey’s Wood River High School dominated last weekend’s six-school district meet. Of 36 local kids, 27 qualified for the State 3A tournament May 17-18 in Boise.

No team was more dominant than coach Mark Scribner’s Community School Cutthroats.

The blue-and-white dynasty qualified 15 of its 18 players for state and won an amazing 34 of 46 district matches.

Extending their singles mastery, the reigning state champion Cutthroats captured their fifth consecutive district team title with 140 points—46 ahead of distant runner-up Wood River (94). Wood River qualified 12 for state.

Much of the difference between The Community School and Wood River—holders of 19 district titles since 1976—came in singles.

District girls’ doubles winners Ashley Lakey (left) and Jessie Woodyard of Wood River. Express photo by Willy Cook

The Cutthroats hiked their district singles point total from 63 last year, to 83 this time.

Seniors Lauren Drew and Ryan Drew were superstars, as they’ve been for four years.

Three-time state champ Lauren Drew won her fourth district girls’ singles title, losing only one game in three straight-set wins. Lauren never lost a set in her four district tourneys, in fact, she dropped only 13 games over four years.

Nearly as good was brother Ryan Drew, who took his fourth straight district boys’ singles crown. The reigning State 3A singles king dropped only two games in three straight-set wins. He, too, never lost a set in four district meets.

The imminent end to their high school careers doesn’t mean an end to the Cutthroat dominance in singles, though.

Freshman Tyler Martin won four matches at district for third place. Unseeded sophomore Amy Alexander, a state qualifier in girls’ doubles last year, captured second in girls’ singles. Senior teammate Tami Parten was third.

The Cutthroats also captured two of the three district doubles titles, leaving only the girls’ doubles crown for Wood River to celebrate.

Seniors Josh Kantor and Langely McNeal, seeded first in mixed doubles, won the best match of Saturday’s sunny and mild championship round. They rallied and held off Honza Walter and Kiette Tucker of Wood River 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Vince Nagashima, Wood River senior, is returning to state as the reigning boys’ doubles champion. Express photo by David N. Seelig

In boys’ doubles, junior Joel Evans and Luke Fostvedt of Sun Valley were too powerful for Wood River’s Vince Nagashima and Tate Mills. After not losing a game in their first two matches, the Cutthroat pair prevailed 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the final.

More pleasant surprises for the Cutthroats came in doubles, namely, sending the girls’ doubles teams of Abby Minford and Joan Baumgardner plus Pauli Ochi-Erika Connelly to state, and also qualifying seniors Lee Gurney and Chadd Montgomery.

But Wood River coach Kirk Mason had plenty to be proud of, too.

Senior Will Hemmings pulled off the biggest surprise, winning four boys’ singles matches including a fine 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over #4-seeded Travis Moss of Declo. Hemmings finished fourth and qualified for state.

Amanda Parks, a junior, made state with three girls’ singles wins. In girls’ doubles, Wood River held serve—top-seeded Ashley Lakey and Jessie Woodyard winning the title, and #2-seeded Katie Dondero and Brisa Ayub ending up second.

Two more Wood River state qualifiers came in mixed doubles. Unseeded Danny Gariepy and Allison Kelsey won two straight-set matches and took third place with a come-from-behind 5-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over the #3-seeded Sugar-Salem team.

For a complete list of district tennis results, check the 2002 Fourth District Class B tennis tournament story.

 

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