LINDSBORG, Kan. – It was a successful day on Saturday for multiple area athletes at the 3-2-1A Boys Tennis Regional at Smoky Valley. When the dust settled, Central Plains came away with the team championship by one point over Hoisington and 13 area competitors are headed to the state tournament.
In the singles bracket, Hoisington’s Jasper Palowski took home the individual championship. He opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Grey Ringwald of Ellinwood and then beat Brady Russom of Phillipsburg 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. In the semis, he met up with his twin brother Gabriel and won 6-1, 6-3 to move to the finals where he picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win over Camden Stiles. Stiles advanced by way of wins over Drew Moore of Smoky Valley (6-2, 6-1), Carson Taylor of Ellsworth (6-0, 6-0 and Owen Schultz of Ellsworth (6-0, 6-2). Gabriel Pawlowski ended up in 3rd Place. He beat Reed Douglas of Sacred Heart (6-0, 6-1) and Garrett Malsam from Trego (6-1, 6-2) ahead of his semifinal loss. In the 3rd Place match, he won over Schultz of Ellsworth 6-0, 6-0. Schultz qualified for state in 4th Place and his Ellsworth teammate Taylor finished in 6th Place after a 7-6, 1-6, 6-1 loss to Russom of Phillipsburg.
In doubles, Peyton Dody and Alden Metro of Central Plains were the top area finishers in second place. They won over Kyle Robledo-Diaz and Braden Erickson of Smoky Valley 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round before beating Leyton Mooney and Alexander Mooney of Hoisington 6-1, 6-3 in the quarters. They went on to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Mason Yingling and Camdyn Flavin from Trego in the semis before falling 7-6, 6-3 to Jack Bieker and Pierce Keller of Smoky Valley in the championship match. Dody and Metro’s Oiler teammates Richard Hayes and Scott Lamatsch also qualified for state with a 4th Place finish. They won their opener over Sam Baker and John Rielle of Phillipsburg 6-0, 6-2 and then beat Colton Ewing and William Jessup of Phillipsburg 6-3, 6-4 in the quarters. Bieker and Keller from Smoky Valley knocked off Hayes and Lamatsch in the semis 6-2, 6-1 and they fell to Yingling and Flavin from Trego 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the 3rd Place Match. Also from the area, Mooney and Mooney of Hoisington finished in 5th Place with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win over Ty Hammeke and Ethan Schloctermeier of Ellinwood in 6th Place. Both of those teams qualified for state as four of the six spots from the regional went to Larned/Golden Belt area teams.
Central Plains finished in first place as a team with 16 points as Hoisington was in second with 15. Smoky Valley and Ellsworth tied for third with 7 points each.
All of the area qualifiers will now compete in the 3-2-1A State Tournament at the Harmon Park Tennis Complex in Prairie Village this Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16.
