By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural boys tennis completed a sweep of city, Centennial League and Class 6A regional team championships Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center, with senior doubles champions Cale Deutscher and Dylan Willingham leading the Junior Blues to the regional title by an 18-13 margin over league rival Manhattan.
City and Centennial League champion Washburn Rural added a Class 6A regional title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Submitted photo]
Deutscher and Willingham and faced off against senior teammates Ben Tryhus and Kieffer O'Connor in the doubles final for the second straight tournament, with Deutscher and Willingham avenging a league loss with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Tryhus and O'Connor.
Washburn Rural senior Cale Deutscher teamed with Dylan Willingham to win a 6A regional doubles title Saturday at Kossover Tennis Center. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn Rural senior Dylan Willingham and doubles partner Cale Deutscher are headed back to the 6A state tournament after finishing seventh a year ago. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Deutscher and Willingham improved to 28-4 on the season while Tryhus and O'Connor will take a 25-6 record into Friday's 6A state meet at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Complex.
Deutscher and Willingham are returning state medalists, finishing seventh last season.
The Junior Blues also qualified junior singles player Greyson Jones for state, with Jones finishing fourth after an injury default to Tyson Habhab of Junction City in the third-place match due to cramping issues.
Jones, 21-11 on the season, took a 6-2 first-set win and the second set was tied 3-3 when he was forced to default.
"I'm super proud of all the boys,'' Washburn Rural coach Michelle Rose said. "They really battled, they showed up, they played patient and they remembered to play their games.
"It sucks Greyson got cramped up, but he battled and I'm really proud of them.''
Topeka High finished third as a team while qualifying senior singles standout Tres Lassiter and the senior doubles team of Victor Arriaga and Christian Sink for state.
Topeka High senior Tres Lassiter posted a runnerup singles finish in Saturday's Class 6A regional, earning a second straight state berth. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Lassiter posted a runnerup singles finish, dropping a 6-0, 6-0 decision to Manhattan star Jay Hoke in the final while Arriaga and Sink finished fifth in doubles, ending their day with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Wichita Heights' Austin Zimmerman and Ryan King.
Lassiter and Sink are repeat 6A state qualifiers.
CLASS 6A BOYS TENNIS REGIONAL
At Kossover Tennis Center
Team scores
Washburn Rural 18, Manhattan 13, Topeka High 9, Junction City 6, Wichita East 5, Wichita Heights 2.
Individual results
Singles
Championship -- Jay Hoke, Manhattan, def. Tres Lassiter, Topeka High, 6-0, 6-0.
Third -- Tyson Habhab, Junction City, def. Greyson Jones, Washburn Rural, inj. def.
Fifth -- Carson Myrick, Wichita Southeast, def. Jason Nguyen, Wichita Southeast, NA.
Doubles
Championship -- Cale Deutscher/Dylan Willingham, Washburn Rural, def. Ben Tryhus/Kieffer O'Connor, Washburn Rural, def. 6-3, 6-1.
Third -- Samuel Byerly/Zac Morgan, Manhattan, def. Brighton Dingman/Dhairav Shah, Wichita East, 6-0, 6-7, 6-0.
Fifth -- Victor Arriaga/Christian Sink, Topeka High, def. Austin Zimmerman/Ryan King, Wichita Heights, 6-0, 6-3.
