Bears host NW1A Tennis Tournament

Mount Airy hosted the Northwest 1A Conference Tennis Tournament Championship April 23-24.

Defending 1A State Champion Elkin swept the conference’s top individual prizes. Senior Owen Jennings, who was also voted NW1A Player of the Year, won the singles bracket by only dropping a combined two games across three matches. Sophomores Connor Ballard and Aidan Ballard won the doubles bracket without dropping a set, last defeating Mount Airy’s Kannon Strickland and Connor Sechrist 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) in the championship match.

Elkin’s Junior Luffman and Mount Airy’s Luke Graham were voted NW1A Co-Coaches of the Year.

Three singles players and three doubles teams qualified for the 1A West Regional Championship at Elkin Municipal Park on May 3-4. In singles: Elkin’s Jennings, Alleghany’s Zander Russell and Mount Airy’s Chase Moore. In doubles: Elkin’s Ballard/Ballard and Luke McComb/Webb Snyder, as well as Mount Airy’s Strickland/Sechrist.

Elkin was also recognized at the tournament as NW1A Regular Season Champions. The Elks won the title with a 10-0 record. Mount Airy was runner-up at 8-2, followed by East Wilkes at 6-4, Alleghany at 3-7, Starmount at 2-8 and South Stokes at 1-9.

Singles

First Round

No. 1 Owen Jennings (EK) Bye

No. 9 Reid West (EW) def. No. 8 Jonathan Arenas (AL) 6-0, 6-3

No. 4 Ethan Wood (ST) Bye

No. 5 Kieran Slate (MA) def. No. 12 Sawyer Scott (SS) 6-3, 6-0

No. 2 Zander Russell (AL) Bye

No. 7 Colten Lyon (EW) def. No. 10 Javier Mondragon (ST) 6-2, 6-1

No. 3 Chase Moore (MA) Bye

No. 6 Jeremy Zamudio (EK) def. No. 11 Augustus Gibson (SS) 6-1, 6-0

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Jennings (EK) def. No. 9 West (EW) 6-1, 6-0

No. 4 Wood (ST) def. No. 5 Slate (MA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-0)

No. 2 Russell (AL) def. No. 7 Lyon (EW) 6-1, 6-1

No. 3 Moore (MA) def. No. 6 Zamudio (EK) 6-0, 6-4

Semifinals

No. 1 Jennings (EK) def. No. 4 Wood (ST) 6-1, 6-0

No. 2 Russell (AL) def. No. 3 Moore (MA) 6-2, 6-4

Consolation Finals

No. 3 Moore (MA) def. No. 4 Wood (ST) 6-2, 6-4

Championship

No. 1 Jennings (EK) def. No. 2 Russell (AL) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles

First Round

No. 1 Connor Ballard/Aidan Ballard (EK) Bye

No. 9 Beau Brown/Joe Hauser (MA) def. No. 8 Cris Gonzalez/Luis de la Fuente (ST) 6-4, 6-0

No. 4 Weston Cook/Owen Combs (EW) Bye

No. 5 Cohen Boak/Wyatt Kerr (SS) def. No. 12 Azuara/Guerrero (AL) 6-4, 6-0

No. 2 Kannon Strickland/Connor Sechrist (MA) Bye

No. 10 Perez/Martinez (AL) def. No. 7 Nick Leophard/Noah Leophard (SS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

No. 3 Luke McComb/Webb Snyder (EK) Bye

No. 6 Tyler Calloway/Phoenix Blackburn (EW) def. No. 11 Angel de la Fuente/Jacob Shore (ST) 6-4, 6-0

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Ballard/Ballard (EK) def. No. 9 Brown/Hauser (MA) 6-2, 6-0

No. 4 Cook/Combs (EW) def. No. 5 Boak/Kerr (SS) 6-3, 6-0

No. 2 Strickland/Sechrist (MA) def. No. 10 Perez/Martinez (AL) 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 McComb/Snyder (EK) def. No. 6 Calloway/Blackburn (EW) 6-1, 6-2

Semifinals

No. 1 Ballard/Ballard (EK) def. No. 4 Cook/Combs (EW) 6-0, 6-0

No. 2 Strickland/Sechrist (MA) def. No. 3 McComb/Snyder (EK) 6-2, 6-2

Consolation Finals

No. 3 McComb/Snyder (EK) def. No. 4 Cook/Combs (EW) 6-2, 6-1

Championship

No. 1 Ballard/Ballard (EK) def. No. 2 Strickland/Sechrist 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)