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Net Gains

Whitefish boys, Polson girls capture divisional tennis trophies; Libby boys win state B/C title

By Dillon Tabish
Whitefish's Nathan Fauth competes in the Northwestern A divisional tennis tournament at Flathead Valley Community College on May 20, 2016. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

On the eve of the Northwestern A Divisional tennis tournament, senior Austin Reese and freshman Brendan Buls were paired up as a doubles team for Whitefish High School. The unlikely duo was seeded third out of three Whitefish teams entering the tournament last week in Kalispell.

It didn’t take long for the teammates to mesh.

“They just went on a tear like I’ve never seen before,” Whitefish boys coach Chris Schwaderer said.

In a matter of two days, the Reese-Buls duo took down the top team from Stevensville and Columbia Falls and then battled through the consolation bracket after narrowly falling to Polson’s top group. Reese and Buls eventually defeated the No. 2 team from Whitefish, Ryan Brown/Cole Turgeon, in the third-place match, 6-3, 6-3.

“They were really impressive,” Schwaderer said of Reese and Buls, who advanced to the state tournament along with Brown and Turgeon.

A year after missing out on the divisional crown by a mere point, the Whitefish Bulldogs rose to the occasion and ensured this year’s title wasn’t going anywhere but home. The boys last week captured their first divisional championship since 2008. Whitefish will send seven players to this week’s Class A state tournament in Bozeman and Livingston, May 26-27. Whitefish tallied 60 points, followed by Polson (43), Stevensville (9) and Columbia Falls (4).

“It’s really exciting. This group has worked really hard. There’s been a lot more commitment to developing in the offseason,” Schwaderer said.

Sophomore Max Smyley set the standard for Whitefish, cruising through the singles bracket and winning the divisional title over teammate Eric Holdhusen, 6-2, 6-2. Senior Nathan Fauth also advanced to state with a fourth-place finish.

Polson’s Cadis Chowning and Matt Sitter claimed the doubles title over teammates Quaid Harlan and Colin Kenney due to an injury default.

On the girls side, Polson continued its dynastic run with a 10th consecutive divisional title. The Lady Pirates tallied 54 points, followed by Whitefish (42), Columbia Falls (19) and Stevensville (7).

Polson’s Marlee Congdon captured the divisional title over teammate Mollie Lemm, 7-5, 6-4. Lemm defeated Columbia Falls’ Emily Getts in the semifinals, 7-6 (6), 6-3 but Getts rallied back to win the third-place match over Whitefish’s Lili Szundy, 6-3, 6-2. Both girls advanced to state.

In doubles action, Whitefish’s Katie Fyall and Anna Peterson defeated teammates Hannah Madsen and Heather Luedtke in the championship, 6-3, 6-3. Polson’s Cassie Carlyle and Shawna Lenz defeated teammates Olivia Hewston and Kyler Lundeen in the third-place match, 3-5, 6-1, 6-2.

The Billings Central boys and Livingston girls are the defending Class A state champions.

State Tournament Results
Class AA

Spencer Johnson, a senior at Glacier High School, brought home a runner-up singles trophy from last weekend’s state tournament in Great Falls.

Johnson, a former state champion doubles player, lost to Marcos Zelver of Bozeman in the title match, 6-0, 6-1. Johnson finished his standout season with a 20-3 overall record, going 40-6 in sets.

The Bozeman boys won the team title, Billings Senior placed second and Missoula Hellgate earned third.

On the girls side, Glacier’s doubles team of Maya Buckingham and Anna Cecil advanced to the state semifinal round before dropping to the consolation bracket and eventually losing out. The Wolfpack duo lost in the semis to eventual state champions Katie Veteto and Hannah Warden of Missoula Sentinel.

Flathead’s Ellie Berreth made it to through the consolation bracket before bowing out just before the consolation final.

The Bozeman girls captured the team trophy, followed by Missoula Hellgate and Billings Senior.

Class B/C

The Libby Loggers captured their first tennis state championship with an impressive multi-day performance in Missoula.

Jason Brandt placed fourth in singles and Jhamaal Sykes took sixth. The doubles team of Erik Lauer and Brayden Thom finished second, falling in the championship 6-4, 6-3 to Conrad’s Cordell Wittmier and Austin Padilla.

En route to the school’s first tennis title, the Loggers tallied 39 points to beat out Anaconda (21) and Missoula Loyola (19). Bigfork’s doubles team, George Gibson and Ben Russell, took third.

The Libby girls nearly added another championship to the trophy case, too. The Lady Loggers tied for second with Townsend with 21 points apiece. Chinook won the title with 56.

Libby’s Kaylene Hudson placed second, falling 6-2, 6-0 to Lone Peak’s Luisa Locker.

Bigfork’s doubles team, Alauna Weilacher and Kaila Wicklund, took fourth.