By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Ten Topeka high school tennis players in three classes assured themselves of state medals (top12 places) with solid performances in Friday's opening day of state tournaments across the state.
None of the city's 25 state qualifiers got through Friday unbeaten but four city doubles teams punched their tickets to Saturday's place matches while Cair Paravel Latin advanced both singles players, Drew Fay and Jonah Arnold.
Saturday's matches will begin at 9 a.m. across the state.
Seniors Cale Deutscher (left) and Dylan Willingham went 2-1 on the opening day of the Class 6A state tournament to advance to Saturday's place matches. [File photo/TSN]
Class 6A at Wichita Riverside Tennis Complex
Washburn Rural's senior doubles teams of Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham and Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus both advanced to Saturday's matches and can still finish as high as fifth place.
O'Connor and Tryhus (28-7) went 3-1 on the day, with their lone loss to teammates Deutscher and Willingham while regional champions Deutscher and Willingham (29-5) went 1-1 after receiving a first-round bye.
Deutscher and Willingham, the No. 5 seed, placed seventh in the 2025 state tournament.
Topeka High's doubles team of seniors Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink went 0-2 in the tournament while Trojan senior singles player Tres Lassiter went 2-2 Friday, missing the place matches by one win.
Washburn Rural junior singles player Greyson Jones went 0-2 Friday.
Topeka West sophomore Collin McGee and junior doubles partner Zander Rice advanced to the final day of the Class 5A state tournament. [File photo/TSN]
Class 5A Andover Tennis Complex
Topeka West's doubles teams of sophomore Collin McGee and junior Zander Rice and the Seaman doubles team of seniors Dayton Schneider and Owen Stewart both assured themselves of Class 5A state medals Friday at the Andover Tennis Complex.
McGee and Rice (31-11) are the No. 13 seed and went 3-1 on the day while No. 18 seed Schneider and Stewart (25-10) advanced with a 2-1 record and both teams can finish as high as fifth in 5A.
Seaman sophomore singles player Camden Dutton went 2-2 on the day, coming within one win of moving on to Saturday's place matches.
The Seaman doubles team of sophomores Aaron Sampson and Cooper Hopeck and freshman singles player Kenton Myrick both went 0-2 Friday.
Cair Paravel senior Drew Fay has assured himself of a third straight Class 3A-1A state medal. [File photo/TSN]
Class 3A-1A at Prairie Village Harmon Park Tennis Complex
Cair Paravel Latin senior singles player Drew Fay and Lion freshman singles player Jonah Arnold both advanced to the Saturday place matches in the Class 3A-1A state tournament.
Fay (28-3), who finished second in 3A-1A doubles last season, went 2-1 on the day while Arnold (14-6) went 3-1 in his first state tournament.
The Cair Paravel doubles team of senior Joey Thoennes and junior David Toenjes went 0-2.
Class 4A at Topeka Kossover Tennis Center
Hayden's senior doubles team of William Luke and Brock Reynoldson came within a win of advancing to Saturday's Class 4A place matches, going 2-2 on Friday, while the Wildcat doubles team of sophomore Patrick Luke and freshman Miles Allphin and junior singles player Brek Wahlmeier went winless in its two matches.
