GILLETTE – The Green River High School tennis program wrapped up the 2019 season on Saturday, Sept. 28, by traveling to Gillette for the state tennis championships.
Having finished as regional runner-ups, the boys’ and girls’ teams entered the tournament on a hot note, though girls fared better after racking 15 points to finish the year in fifth place. On the boys’ side, GRHS tied for 10th place with 12 points.
GIRLS
Green Rivers’ No. 1 singles player Gabrielle Heiser opened up her weekend with a loss to Teagan Thompson of Cody. Heiser won the first-set 7-6 but dropped the final two after Thompson battled back 6-4 and 6-1.
Heiser finally got her feet back under her with a win over Sloane Asay of Powell in straight sets. Her season came to a close after losing in straight sets in the third round to Allison Hays of Campbell County.
Megan Counts, the GRHS No. 2 singles player, was the only Wolf to make the semifinals. Counts opened on a high note, defeating Taylin Smith of Natrona County 6-1 and 6-0 in the first round. The sophomore roll through the third round, where she beat Campbell County’s Alexa Richert 8-1.
However, Counts dropped her final two matches, forcing her year to come to an end. Her first loss came from Kaitlyn Smedley of Cheyenne Central. The match lasted three sets, but Smedley pulled out the victory after rallying in the final two sets with scores of 7-5 and 6-2. Counts did her best to bounce back, another tough opponent awaited her, Lily Putnam of Kelly Walsh. Counts fought hard, but Putnam finished on top 6-3 and 6-1.
GRHS No. 1 double partners Morgan Atkins and Roryanne Ratliff went into the tournament ranked No. 4 but struggled to find any momentum. After taking down Livia Castellanos and Abi Neary of Campbell County in the first round, the two Wolves partners dropped their next match to Thunder Basin after a heated three-set battle. The Wolves opened up with a 6-7 loss but rallied in the second 6-3. However, in the third and final set, Alyson Borchers and Kim Kern got hot and put up a score of 6-1 to end the match.
Atkins and Ratliff’s high school tennis careers came to an end after the seniors fell to Anna Revill and Megan Tucker of Jackson Hole. Atkins and Ratliff dropped the first set but battled back in the second with a 6-4 win. Unfortunately, with their backs still against the wall, the two Wolves dropped the third set by a narrow score of 6-7.
Green Rivers’ No. 2 doubles partners Sydney Beutel and Alicia Harrison entered the tournament ranked No. 1 and made it all the way to the sixth round. The Wolves beat Campbell County’s Taylor Kannapel and Mari Bouzis in straight sets in the first round. However, they lost back-to-back sets to Alexa Kuhbacher and Autumn Lund of Thunder Basin 0-6 and 2-6. Fortunately, Beutel and Harrison bounced back in a big way and went on to win four-straight matches to push Green River up in the standings. Their victories came against Powell, Laramie, Kelly Walsh and Cheyenne East.
No. 3 doubles partners Emmie Archibald and Kaylee Carson started their weekend off in the win column but couldn’t find a way to stay there. The GRHS juniors opened up the tournament with a first-round victory over Thunder Basin, but dropped their final two. After beating Katie Bruse and Ali Morgan in straight sets, Archibald and Carson lost a heated three-set battle to Malan Wilson and Kaylah Allsop of Kelly Walsh. The two Wolves dropped the first set by a two points, but rebounded 6-3 in the second. Unfortunately, Wilson and Allsop held Green River to only three points to hand Archibald and Carson their first loss of the tournament.
Laramie’s Abby Kersey and Teagan Riddell awaited the two Wolves in the third round. Laramie won the first set 6-4, but Archibald and Carson fought tooth and nail in the second set, but in the end fell by a narrow 6-7, which put an end to their season.
BOYS
GRHS had a tough time in a few of its matches, but after two days of tough competition, the team racked up enough points to beat five other schools.
No. 2-ranked Caeden Grubb opened his weekend in the No. 1 singles bracket with a first-round loss to Jackson Voigt of Thunder Basin. Voigt went up early with a 6-4 win and completed the sweep with another 6-4 victory.
Grubb found some rhythm in his second match after beating Nico Woolsey of Rock Springs in straight sets. He not only won the match, but after denying Woolsey a single point in the first set, Grubb went on to win 6-0 again in the second.
However, the junior’s season came to an end after a long battle against Miles Veyna of Campbell County. Grubb dropped the first set 6-7. Unfortunately, Veyna found a spark late and completed the upset with a 7-6 victory.
Connor Friel, the Wolves No. 2 singles player, entered the tournament ranked No. 4 but had a tough outing in the first round. After falling to Jackson Golden of Cody in straight sets, Friel bounced back with a dominant win over Chad Hansen of Rawlins. Earning a 6-2 win in the first set, Friel completed the sweep with a perfect 6-0 score in the second.
However, Steven Ashurst of Jackson Hole put an end to Friel’s season after beating him 6-1, 6-1 in the third round.
GRHS No. 1 double partners Elliot Potter and Jon Ty Leininger had a roller-coaster weekend. The Wolves returned home with a 2-2 record. To begin the tournament, Potter and Leininger took down Jake Woodrow and Cameron Springsteen of Sheridan in a heated three-set battle. Green River dropped the first set, but rallied with back-to-back wins in the second and third. Potter and Leininger had a tough time against Powell. After a narrow 6-4 victory in the first set, Aidan Jacobsen and Justin Vanderbeek slammed the door shut with a 6-2 win in the second to take the match in straight sets.
Potter and Leininger found their way again in defeating Cheyenne South’s Wyatt Ebben and Raymond Dougherty in two sets. However, their run ended after losing to Benjamin Bush and Justin VanKirk of Cheyenne Central.
Camden Nelson and Domenick Kunkle, the Wolves No. 3 doubles partners, made it all the way to the sixth round before wrapping up their 2019 season. The No. 4-ranked duo swept Natrona’s Mason Aune and Kyler Parry to start. Following a 6-0 win in the first set, Green River put the match away with another perfect score in the second.
Nelson and Kunkle continued their momentum, beating Jason Fink and Logan Dymond of Campbell County 6-2 and 6-3. Their fourth and final win came against Cheyenne Central. The juniors took down Caden Bogus and Jackson Cook by a score of 8-3.
With only one doubles team remaining, Braxton Cordova and Zach Friel put on an absolute show in their No. 3 doubles bracket. The two lost their first-round matchup to Campbell County but won five-straight afterward. Cordova and Friel caught fire in the second round and defeated Spencer Searle and James Laird of Rawlins in straight sets. Moving forward, the Wolves pulled out a tight win against Laramie in three sets.
The two freshmen found zero difficulties in the fourth round and bested Ethan Spicer and Brentan Brown of Kelly Walsh in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-0. Cordova and Frield completed their solid state run with back-to-back wins against Cody and Sheridan. The two Wolves beat Cody in straight sets, but Sheridan’s Luke Lawson and Kevin Woodrow took the GRHS freshmen into three sets. In the final set, Cordova and Friel found another late spark to earn a 6-1 victory to end their season on a high note.
GRHS had zero players earn all-state honors, but had several were awarded all-conference. On the girls’ side, Megan Counts, Sydney Beutel and Alicia Harison were given the prestigious honor. Connor Friel, Elliott Potter and Jon Ty Leininger receievd recognition for the boys’ team.
TENNIS RESULTS
2019 state championships
GIRLS
Team standings
1. Sheridan 45
1. Cheyenne Central 45
3. Cody 42
4. Kelly Walsh 40
5. Green River 15
6. Thunder Basin 14
7. Campbell County 12
8. Cheyenne East 10
9. Jackson Hole 8
10. Laramie 7
11. Torrington 5
12. Cheyenne South 4
12. Powell 4
12. Rock Springs 4
15. Natrona County 2
16. Rawlins 1
No. 1 Singles
Gabrielle Heiser
Lost to Teagan Thompson, CODY 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 1-6
Beat Sloane Asay, POW 6-1, 6-1
Lost to Allison Hays, CAMP 1-6, 3-6
No. 2 Singles
Megan Counts
Beat Taylin Smith, NAT 6-1, 6-0
Beat Valerie Stevenson, JAC 6-3, 6-4
Beat Alexa Richert, CAMP 8-1
Lost to Kaitlyn Smedley, CENT 6-4, 5-7, 2-6
Lost to Lily Putnam, KW 3-6, 1-6
No. 1 Doubles
Morgan Atkins and Roryanne Ratliff
Beat Livia Castellanos and Abi Neary, CAMP 6-2, 6-0
Lost to Alyson Borchers and Kim Kern, THB 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 1-6
Lost to Anna Revill and Megan Tucker, JAC 2-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9)
No. 2 Doubles
Sydney Beutel and Alicia Harrison
Beat Taylor Kannapel and Mari Bouzis, CAMP 6-1, 6-2
Lost to Alexa Kuhbacher and Autumn Lund, THB 0-6, 2-6
Beat Sami Cole and Sydnee Thompson, POW 6-4, 7-6
Beat Kate Dennis and DaiJane Giron, LAR 6-4, 6-1
Beat Kylie Dray and Isabel Rieker, KW 9-7
Beat Olivia Shoemaker and Addison Turner, EAST 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
No. 3 Doubles
Emmie Archibald and Kaylee Carson
Beat Katie Bruse and Ali Morgan, THB 6-0, 7-5
Lost to Malan Wilson and Kaylah Allsop, KW 5-7, 6-3, 3-6
Lost to Abby Kersey and Teagan Riddell, LAR 4-6, 6-7 (5-7)
BOYS
Team standings
1. Powell 54
2. Campbell County 31
3. Cheyenne South 23
3. Kelly Walsh 23
5. Sheridan 21
6. Cheyenne Central 20
7. Laramie 19
8. Jackson Hole 19
9. ThunderBasin 17
10. Cody 12
10. Green River 12
12. Cheyenne East 3
13. Torrington 2
14. Rawlins 1
15. Rock Springs 0
16. Natrona BOYS 0
No. 1 Singles
Caeden Grubb
Lost to Jackson Voigt, THB 4-6, 4-6
Beat Nico Woolsey, RS 6-0, 6-0
Lost to Miles Veyna, CAMP 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (6-8)
No. 2 Singles
Connor Friel
Lost to Jackson Golden, CODY 5-7, 5-7
Beat Chad Hansen, RAW 6-2, 6-0
Lost to Steven Ashurst, JAC 1-6, 1-6
No. 1 Doubles
Elliot Potter and Jon Ty Leininger
Beat Jake Woodrow and Cameron Springsteen, SHE 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Lost to Aidan Jacobsen and Justin Vanderbeek, POW 4-6, 2-6
Beat Wyatt Ebben and Raymond Dougherty, SOUTH 7-5, 6-3
Lost to Benjamin Bush and Justin VanKirk, CENT 7-9
No. 2 Doubles
Camden Nelson and Domenick Kunkle
Beat Mason Aune and Kyler Parry, NAT 6-0, 6-0
Lost to Carson Hanson and Isaac Lass, THB 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (5-7)
Beat Aidyn Saucedo and Cody Clayton, TOR 6-3, 6-4
Beat Jason Fink and Logan Dymond, CAMP 6-2, 6-3
Beat Caden Bogus and Jackson Cook, CENT 8-3
Lost to Carson Hanson and Isaac Lass, THB 6-3, 4-6, 2-6
No. 3 Doubles
Braxton Cordova and Zach Friel
Lost to Marcus Sarvey and Tully Allison, CAMP 3-6, 2-6
Beat Spencer Searle and James Laird, RAW 6-2, 6-1
Beat Benjamin Ruckman and George Yost, LAR 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
Beat Ethan Spicer and Brentan Brown, KW 6-1, 6-0
Beat TJ Smith and Tristan Dollard, CODY 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
Beat Luke Lawson and Kevin Woodrow, SHE 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
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