Boys tennis players from Joplin and Carthage were unable to advance to the individual state tournament at the Class 3 District 6 singles and doubles tournament on Saturday in Lee’s Summit.
At the individual district tournament, the top two singles players and the top two doubles teams advanced to the state tournament in Springfield.
SINGLES BRACKET
Joplin’s Hunter Merkley and Chapel Braman played singles for the Eagles.
Merkley lost to John-Michael Mason-Kemp of Raymore-Peculiar in the first round. In consolation action, Merkley had a bye and then lost to Lee’s Summit North’s Matthew Gerber.
Braman lost to Raymore-Peculiar’s Joshua Hedges in the first round, received a bye and then dropped a decision to Carthage’s Colby Tandy.
Like the Eagles, Carthage’s Tandy and Silas Laytham were unable to advance.
Tandy defeated Lee’s Summit’s Maxwell Havens 11-9 in the first round, but Lee’s Summit North’s Brayden Krause defeated Tandy 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
Tandy beat Braman and Havens in the consolation bracket to reach the fifth-place match. Mason-Kemp beat Tandy 8-5 for fifth.
Laytham lost to Matthew Gerber of Lee’s Summit North, had a bye and suffered a setback to Mason-Kemp.
Lee’s Summit’s West’s Hogan Stoker defeated his teammate Arnav Gannavaram 6-1, 6-3 in the title match.
DOUBLES BRACKET
Playing doubles for Joplin were Logan Merkley-Jeffrey Evenson and Ben Wardlow-Colin Vermillion.
In the first round, Merkley-Evenson lost to Lee’s Summit West’s Tyler Rodgers-Owen Liang and headed to the consolation bracket.
After a bye, the Eagles beat Raymore-Peculiar’s Nathaniel Kiger-Grady Phillips 8-4, but then lost to Lee’s Summit’s Sam Lintz-Jaxson Holman 8-6.
Wardlow and Vermillion won their first round match 10-4 over Carthage’s Tyler Howard-Danilo Lopez. Ray-Pec’s Kush Patel-Joshua Madine defeated Wardlow-Vermillion 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
In consolation action, the Eagles defeated Lee’s Summit North’s Gabriel Clifford-Munoz and Emery Krichhoff and then beat Lee’s Summit’s Jace Walker-Grant Wasko. In the fifth-place match, Lintz-Holman edged Wardlow-Vermillion 8-6.
Playing doubles for Carthage were Howard-Lopez and Ryan Phillips-Charlie Snow.
Howard and Lopez went 0-2, falling to Joplin and Lee’s Summit’s Walker-Wasko.
Phillips-Snow had a first-round bye and then lost to Rodgers-Liang 10-2. The Tigers then lost to Lintz-Holman.
Lee’s Summit North’s Grant Idoux and Parker Windhausen defeated Lee’s Summit West’s Mathew Kimaku and Lanny Cooper 6-1, 6-3 in the doubles title match. Both teams advanced.
NOTES: The team district tournmanet begins on May 10.
No. 5 Carthage is at No. 4 Lee’s Summit, while No. 6 Joplin travels to No. 3 Lee’s Summit North.
In May 11 semifinals, No. 1 Lee’s Summit awaits either Lee’s Summit or Carthage, while No. 2 Raymore-Peculiar will take on either Lee’s Summit North or Joplin.
The district title match is May 12.
