Joplin’s doubles team of Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood and Neosho singles player Reid Snyder were the top local finishers at the 2023 Central Ozark Conference boys tennis tournament on Wednesday at the Joplin Athletic Complex courts.
Joplin’s Badr and Hazlewood finished second at No. 1 doubles, while Snyder was the runner-up at No. 2 singles.
NO. 1 DOUBLES
In the bracket’s championship match, Willard’s Dawson Amstutz and Seth Miller defeated Joplin’s Badr-Hazlewood 8-4.
In the quarterfinals, Badr-Hazlewood defeated Webb City’s Felipe Perez and Tristan Lynch 8-4.
“They were down 1-4 against Webb City but were able to rally back to win that round,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “They followed it up with a tight match against Branson, which went into a tie-break. They played well against Willard as well but lost the championship match.”
In the semifinals, the Eagles defeated Branson’s Jack Dawson-Preston Volz 9-8 (10-9) to advance to the title match, where they settled for the silver medals.
The Branson duo defeated Republic’s Elder-Cole 8-6 in the third-place match.
Webb City’s Perez-Lynch defeated CJ’s William Russel-Blaine Wilkerson 8-2 in the play-in round before falling to the Eagles.
Neosho’s duo of Willis Jarvis and Peyton Williams and Carthage’s tandem of Silas Laytham and Danilo Lopez dropped their opening matches.
NO. 2 DOUBLES
Branson’s duo of Joshua Brown and Zachary Zander defeated Ozark’s Benjamin Romano-Nicholas Psarev 8-4 in the championship match of the No. 2 doubles bracket.
In the third-place match, Willard’s Brigham Thedell-Gabriel Hernandez defeated Nixa’s Nathan Uptown-Rowley and Tyler Neal 8-6.
Neosho’s Breckin McAffrey and Noah Schade defeated Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 8-2 in the opening round, but lost to Ozark’s Romano-Psarvev 8-4 in the quarterfinals.
Carthage’s Will Wallace and Fabian Solano defeated Republic’s Gavin Collyott-Caleb Long 8-3, but then fell to Nixa in the quarterfinals, 8-5.
Carl Junction’s Jayden Wolf-Samuel Cory and Webb City’s Zachary Stump-Jacob Russel dropped their opening-round matches.
NO. 1 SINGLES
Willard’s Caden Lingenfelser was the champion at No. 1 singles.
In the bracket’s title match, Lingenfelser defeated Branson’s Nathan Bartram 8-1.
Nixa’s Carson Palmer defeated Ozark’s Connor Kitchin 8-3 in the third-place match.
Joplin’s Leif Garrity defeated Neosho’s Christian Williams 8-1 in the play-in round but lost to Bartram 8-3 in the quarterfinals.
Carl Junction’s Jordan Markham, Carthage’s Charles Snow and Webb City’s Jacob McDonald all went 0-1.
NO. 2 SINGLES
In the title match at No. 2 singles, Branson’s Benjamin Merrifield defeated Neosho’s Snyder 8-1.
Snyder edged Ozark’s Ethan Fast 9-8 (7-5) in the quarterfinals and got past Carthage’s Josh Rivera 9-8 (8-6) in the semifinals.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Carthage’s Rivera defeated Carl Junction’s Daniel Hodson 8-4.
Hodson defeated Webb City’s Trevor Peterson 8-5 in the quarterfinals and suffered an 8-4 loss to Merrifield in the semifinals.
Joplin’s Oscar Kienzle and Webb City’s Peterson both went 0-1.
