By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After graduating just one senior off last year's varsity team and sporting a 50-player roster, veteran Topeka High boys tennis coach Duane Pomeroy expected his Trojans to field a deep and competitive team this spring.
Topeka High junior Tres Lassiter went 3-0 in No. 1 singles Tuesday as the Trojans went 3-0 as a team to win the Topeka West tennis quadrangular at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And the outlook got a lot brighter with the addition of junior No. 1 singles player Tres Lassiter, who went a perfect 3-0 on Tuesday as Topeka High went 3-0 as a team to win the Topeka West quadrangular at Kossover Tennis Center.
Lassiter is a home school student who is playing for High this season as a result of the Kansas State High School Activities Association rule that permits home-schoolers to play for the high school team in their attendance district.
"He called me and said, 'You might remember me from working at the (Kossover) clubhouse,' '' Pomeroy said. "He asked, 'Do you have room on your varsity for another player?' Then I was hearing from other people how good he was and I definitely had room for somebody of that caliber.''
Lassiter is now 5-1 on the season after taking an 8-4 win over Shawnee Heights' Brock Corley, an 8-3 win over Topeka West's Will Hitch and an 8-1 victory over Basehor-Linwood's Gannon Suarez on Tuesday.
"It's a new experience for him,''Pomeroy said. "He plays in the summer in USTA tournaments but he was nervous his first time out because, as he said, he's never played for a school.
"He's just a super nice kid. He's better than anybody else on the team, but he cares about all other kids, including the rookies.''
Topeka High's Christian Sink (left) and Alex Raymond went 3-0 in No. 1 doubles Tuesday as the Trojans went 3-0 as a team to win the Topeka West tennis quadrangular at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans also got a 3-0 day from No. 2 singles player Victor Arriaga and the No. 1 doubles team of Alex Raymond and Christian Sink.
Topeka High took a 4-0 win over Shawnee Heights and 3-1 wins over Topeka West and Basehor-Linwood while Heights went 2-1, with the T-Birds' lone loss coming against High.
West's Ayden Gore and Butch Graham went 3-0 on the day in No. 2 doubles.
TOPEKA WEST TENNIS QUADRANGULAR
TOPEKA HIGH 4, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 0
No. 1 singles -- Tres Lassiter, Topeka High, def. Brock Corley, Shawnee Heights, 8-4. No. 2 singles -- Victor Arriaga, Topeka High, def. Tyler Durbin, Shawnee Heights, 8-6. No. 1 doubles -- Alex Raymond/Christian Sink, Topeka High, def. Owen Phillips/Jordan Ward, Shawnee Heights, 8-4. No. 2 doubles -- Nick Kandagaye/Aiden Fisk, Topeka High, def. Jacob Wylie/Brody Dittman, Shawnee Heights, 8-4.
TOPEKA WEST 4, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 0
No. 1 singles -- Will Hitch, Topeka West, def. Gannon Suarez, Basehor-Linwood, 8-4. No. 2 singles -- Kam Ortiz, Topeka West, def. Emmett Ahlquist, Basehor-Linwood, 8-4. No. 1 doubles -- Peyton Collette/Brody Fitch, Topeka West, def. CJ Pate/Austin Little, Basehor-Linwood, 8-2. No. 2 doubles -- Ayden Gore/Butch Graham, Topeka West, def. Elliott Brown/Rhett Hutchinson, Basehor-Linwood, 8-5.
TOPEKA HIGH 3, TOPEKA WEST 1
No. 1 singles -- Tres Lassiter, Topeka High, def. Will Hitch, Topeka West, 8-3; No. 2 singles -- Victor Arriaga, Topeka High, def. Kam Ortiz, Topeka West, 8-7 (7-4). No. 1 doubles -- Alex Raymond/Christian Sink, Topeka High, def. Peyton Collette/Brody Fitch, Topeka West, 8-0. No. 2 doubles -- Ayden Gore/Butch Graham, Topeka West, def. Nick Kandagaye/Aiden Fisk, Topeka High, 8-4.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 3, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 1
No. 1 singles -- Brock Corley, Shawnee Heights, def. Gannon Suarez, Basehor-Linwood, 8-1. No. 2 singles -- Tyler Durbin, Shawnee Heights, def. Emmett Ahlquist, Basehor-Linwood, 8-0. No. 1 doubles -- Owen Phillips/Jordan Ward, Shawnee Heights, def. CJ Pate/Austin Little, Basehor-Linwood, 8-4. No. 2 doubles -- Elliott Brown/Rhett Hutchinson, Basehor-Linwood, def. Jacob Wylie/Brody Dittman, Shawnee Heights, 8-5.
TOPEKA HIGH 3, BASEHOR-LINWOOD 1
No. 1 singles -- Tres Lassiter, Topeka High, def. Gannon Suarez, Basehor-Linwood, 8-1. No. 2 singles -- Victor Arriaga, Topeka High, def. Emmett Ahlquist, Basehor-Linwood, 8-0. No. 1 doubles -- Alex Raymond/Christian Sink, Topeka High, def. Elliott Brown/Rhett Hutchinson, Basehor-Linwood, 8-1. No. 2 doubles -- Elliott Brown/Rhett Hutchinson, Basehor-Linwood, def. Nick Kandagaye/Aiden Fisk, Topeka High, 8-6.
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 3, TOPEKA WEST 1
No. 1 singles -- Brock Corley, Shawnee Heights, def. Will Hitch, Topeka West, 8-6. No. 2 singles -- Tyler Durbin, Shawnee Heights, def. Kam Ortiz, Topeka West, 8-7 (8-6). No. 1 doubles -- Owen Phillips/Jordan Ward, Shawnee Heights, def. Ayden Gore/Butch Graham, Topeka West, 8-3. No. 2 doubles -- Ayden Gore/Butch Graham, Topeka West, def. Jacob Wylie/Brody Dittman, Shawnee Heights, 8-3.
