By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
All 12 members of the 2024 All-City boys tennis team earned state tournament berths, with eight bringing home state medals from last weekend's state events.
The 2024 All-City boys tennis team -- Front, from left: Joseph Luke, Hayden; Drew Fay, Cair Paravel Latin; Lawsen Lobatos-Dick, Washburn Rural; Keegan Knudtson, Washburn Rural; James Maag, Topeka West; Caleb Weybrew, Topeka West. Back, from left: Chase Blaser, Hayden; Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural; Brayden Kohls, Washburn Rural; Cale Deutscher, Washburn Rural; Dylan Dodge, Washburn Rural; Caden McGee, Topeka West. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
All six Washburn Rural players earned All-City spots, based on performances in the city tournament, as the Junior Blues swept city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team championships before finishing fifth in the 6A state tournament at Wichita.
Senior Lawsen Lobatos-Dick and sophomore Dylan Willingham paced Rural with a sixth-place state doubles finish after sweeping city, league and regional titles.
Rural is also represented on the All-City team by senior Dylan Dodge and sophomores Keegan Knudtson, Cale Deutscher and Brayden Kohls.
The Topeka West senior trio of singles player James Maag and doubles players Caden McGee and Caleb Weybrew earned 5A state medals for the second straight season, with McGee and Weybrew finishing eighth and Maag ninth. All three players helped the Chargers win the 5A state team title as juniors in 2023.
Cair Paravel Latin sophomore Drew Fay, a two-time state qualifier, posted a city-best fourth-place singles finish in the 3A-1A state tournament at Prairie Village while Hayden's doubles team of senior Joseph Luke and junior Chase Blaser finished fifth at state, with Luke earning a state medal for the third straight season.
All-City tennis capsules:
CHASE BLASER, Hayden -- Blaser, a junior, teamed with senior Joseph Luke to post a fifth-place doubles finish on Saturday in the Class 3A-1A state tournament in Prairie Village, capping a 24-10 season. Blaser and Luke finished third in the city meet in No. 1 doubles also posted a third-place finish in the Centennial League and a fifth-place showing in regionals.
CALE DEUTSCHER, Washburn Rural -- Deutscher, a sophomore, teamed with sophomore Brayden Kohls to win the city title in No. 2 doubles. Deutscher and Kohls finished fourth in Centennial League doubles and third in 6A regional competition to earn a state berth. Deutscher and Kohls went 1-2 in the state tournament to finish 18-10 on the season.
DYLAN DODGE, Washburn Rural -- A senior, Dodge earned All-City honors for the second straight season, winning the city title in No. 1 singles before finishing second in 6A regional competition to earn a trip to last weekend's state tournament in Wichita. Dodge posted a 1-2 record at state to finish his season with a 24-9 record.
DREW FAY, Cair Paravel Latin -- Fay capped his sophomore singles season with a fourth-place finish in the 3A-1A state tournament at Prairie Village. Fay finished second in the city tournament in No. 1 singles and also was the runnerup at regionals to earn his second straight state berth. Fay posted a 23-11 record on the 2024 season.
KEEGAN KNUDTSON, Washburn Rural -- Knudtson, a sophomore, earned All-City recognition for the second straight season. Knudtson won the city title in No. 2 singles and posted a third-place regional finish to earn his second state tournament berth after making it to state in doubles as a freshman. Knudtson went 17-10 on the season.
BRAYDEN KOHLS, Washburn Rural -- A sophomore, Kohls teamed with Deutscher to win the city title in No. 2 doubles. Kohls and Deutscher finished fourth in Centennial League doubles and third in 6A regional competition to earn a state berth. Kohls and Deutscher and Kohls went 1-2 in the state tournament to finish 18-10 on the season.
LAWSEN LOBATOS-DICK, Washburn Rural -- Lobatos-Dick, a senior, teamed with sophomore Dylan Willingham to win the city title in No. 1 doubles before the Rural duo added Centennial League and 6A regional doubles championships. Lobatos-Dick and Willingham capped their season with a sixth-place state finish, posting a 28-6 record on the season.
JOSEPH LUKE, Hayden -- Luke, a senior, teamed with Blaser to post a fifth-place doubles finish on Saturday in the Class 3A-1A state tournament in Prairie Village, capping a 24-10 season. Luke and Blaser finished third in the city meet in No. 1 doubles also posted a third-place finish in the Centennial League and a fifth-place showing at regionals. Luke is an All-City repeater, teaming with Gus Glotzbach to finish fifth in the 4A state tournament as a junior and Luke also earned a state medal as a sophomore.
JAMES MAAG, Topeka West -- A senior, Maag earned a 5A state singles medal for the second straight season, placing ninth last weekend in Andover. Maag finished third in No. 1 singles in the city tournament and won the United Kansas Conference championship before finishing third in regional competition. Maag posted a 29-12 record on the season.
CADEN McGEE, Topeka West -- A senior, McGee teamed with Caleb Weybrew to post an eighth-place 5A state finish in doubles. McGee and McGee finished second in the city and regional meets in doubles and won the United Kansas Conference title. McGee and Weybrew, who went 36-9 on the season, earned state medals for the second straight season, finishing ninth as juniors.
CALEB WEYBREW, Topeka West -- A senior, Weybrew teamed with McGee to post an eighth-place 5A state finish in doubles. Weybrew and McGee finished second in the city and regional meets in doubles and won the United Kansas Conference title. Weybrew and McGee earned state medals for the second straight season, finishing ninth as juniors.
DYLAN WILLINGHAM, Washburn Rural -- Willingham, a sophomore, teamed with Lobatos-Dick to win the city title in No. 1 doubles before the Rural duo added Centennial League and 6A regional doubles championships. Willingham and Lobatos-Dick capped their season with a sixth-place state finish, posting a 28-6 record on the season. Willingham has now earned back-to-back state medals.
