By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural posted a one-two doubles finish to lead the way as the Junior Blues followed up their city boys tennis championship with the Centennial League title Monday at the Kossover Tennis Center.
Ben Tryhus, returning a shot, teamed with fellow Washburn Rural senor Kieffer O'Connor to claim the doubles championship in Monday's Centennial League tournament at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Kieffer O'Connor (above) and doubles partner Ben Tryhus rallied from a 6-1 first-set loss to win the Centennial League doubles championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Rural seniors Kieffer O'Connor and Ben Tryhus won the league doubles title over seniors Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham in an all-Rural final while the Junior Blues also got a third-place singles finish from Greyson Jones and a sixth from Jaxon Whitehead on the way to winning the league championship by a 40-37 margin over Manhattan.
Washburn Rural will now be aiming for a city, league and regional sweep in Saturday's Class 6A regional at Kossover.
"Absolutely we have good momentum and we've got four out of our top six graduating, so it's a little bittersweet, but they're all healthy and playing well, so we're going to finish the year strong,'' Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose said.
O'Connor and Tryhus, the city champs in No. 2 doubles, dropped a 6-1 decision in the first set against Deutscher and Willingham Monday before roaring back to take a 6-1 second-set victory and closing out the win with a 10-8 decision in the super tiebreaker.
"We were just playing better together, fighting, being resilient and we started hitting great shots and hitting winners,'' O'Connor said.
"It was kind of just like, 'Don't back down, got to stay in it and keep being aggressive and pushing back,' and it worked,'' Tryhus said.
Tryhus said it's always hard playing teammates in a big match.
"Cale and Dylan played really well and it was an honor to be able to play them in the final and not another school,'' Tryhus said. "But it's always hard playing your teammates and you've got to look past that and just play your game.''
Jones finished third in singles with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Junction City's Tyson Habhab while Whitehead, fighting through an injury, finished sixth to Manhattan's Henry He, who took a 6-4, 6-7, 10-8 win.
"We're going to keep riding this momentum going into Saturday and keep playing as good as we can,'' O'Connor said. "It's going to be fun Saturday, that's for sure.''
"Both the singles and the doubles looked good today, so I'm excited for Saturday and I think we're going to do real well as a team,'' Tryhus said.
Topeka High turned in a solid performance, finishing third as a team with 32 points.
Senior Tres Lassiter led Topeka High to a third-place team finish in Monday's Centennial League tournament, finishing second in singles. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Trojan senior Tres Lassiter finished second to Manhattan's Jay Hoke in singles (6-2, 6-0) while Topeka High got a fourth-place finish from the doubles team of Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink and a fifth from Wyatt Jones and Walter Hageman.
The Trojans will compete in Saturday's regional at Kossover.
CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BOYS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Kossover Tennis Center
Team scores
Washburn Rural 40, Manhattan 37, Topeka High 32, Junction City 22, Hayden 19, Emporia 6.
Individual results
Singles
Championship -- Jay Hoke, Manhattan, def. Tres Lassiter, Topeka High, 6-2, 6-0.
Third -- Greyson Jones, Washburn Rural, def. Tyson Habhab, Junction City, 6-1, 6-0.
Fifth -- Henry He, Manhattan, def. Jaxon Whitehead, Washburn Rural, 6-4, 6-7, 10-8.
Doubles
Championship -- Ben Tryhus/Kieffer O'Connor, Washburn Rural, def. Cale Deutscher/Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural, 1-6, 6-1, 10-8.
Third -- Samuel Byerly/Zac Morgan, Manhattan, def. Victor Arriaga/Christian Sink, Topeka High, NA.
Fifth -- Wyatt Jones/Walter Hageman, Topeka High, def. Luke Nichols/Ayavanth Natarajan, Manhattan, 6-4, 6-3.
