Boys tennis runners-up at district tournament

The Outlaws boys tennis team had a tremendous showing at the Special District 3 Tournament held in Medford, on Monday and Tuesday, May 12-13. North Bend finished first, Sisters was runner-up and Henley took third. Other teams in attendance were: Klamath Union, Marshfield, Canyonville, St. Marys, Hidden Valley and Cascade Christian.

Paul Fullhart, (No. 3 seed), won his first three matches to qualify for state. With three matches under his belt, Fullhart faced Jacob Mangan (No. 2 seed) in the semi-finals. It was a grueling three-hour match in 90-degree weather that exhausted both players.

The first set was very long, 1-1/2 hours, with endless rallies. Every point was fiercely contested, with rallies going 15 to 20 shots. In the end, Fullhart pulled off a 7-6 win in the tiebreak. Mangan took an early lead in the second set and rode it to the finish for a 6-4 win.

Mangan got ahead early in the third set and was up 2-0, but Fullhart recovered and came back and tied it up 2-2. The players traded games, and then Paul went up 4-3. Fullhart was serving for the match at 5-3 and lost the game, but came back in the final game to win 6-4.

"Paul's incredible perseverance and sticking with the strategy won the match," said Coach Bim Gander.

Fullhart and Mangan have battled against each other the past two years. In head-to-head matches, Mangan has always won, but at district, both this year and last, Fullhart has returned the favor and come out the victor.

Coach Gander told The Nugget that he had a long discussion with Fullhart prior to the tournament on how to beat Mangan.

"Jacob (Mangan) is a talented and versatile player," said Gander. "Paul needed to counter-punch his ground-stroke attack and keep Jacob away from the net. Paul managed that strategy perfectly."

Fullhart lost to Keaten Baker of North Bend in the championship match. Keaten did not lose more than two games in any match the entire tournament.

Michael Commins played two fabulous matches to make it to the quarterfinals. Commins beat Nate Hoyt of St. Marys 6-0, 6-1, and went on to defeat Brendan Walle of Klamath Union 6-2, 6-0. Gander noted that the two matches were the best he's seen Commins play all year. Michael lost 0-6, 0-6 to Mangan in the quarterfinals.

Brennan Miller and Levi Anderson both lost their first match, which put them in the consolation bracket. Miller and Anderson did win their first round in consolation.

Devon Calvin and Evan Rickards, Sisters' dynamic duo, won three matches on Monday, which qualified them for the state tournament. The combo beat Wayne Poon and Grace Tuan of Canyonville 6-4, 6-1, and went on to defeat Patterson and O'Sullivan of St. Marys 7-5, 6-4. Calvin and Rickards beat Morse and Bennett from North Bend 6-1, 6-1.

In the semi-finals, Calvin and Rickards lost 6-1, 6-2, to the eventual tournament winners, Hayden Lam and Greg Pinkston of Klamath Union.

"Evan and Devon improved dramatically, particularly in their net play, and that's what got them their berth to state," said Gander. "We've never had a doubles team make it to the state tournament, so this is a first for Sisters."

Ethan Stengle and Shawn Horton won their first match against McDonald and Gilbert of Hidden Valley and went on to beat Marshfield's Kyllo and Reed 6-3, 6-2. The duo lost to eventual winners Lam and Pinkston 0-6. 2-6.

"Shawn excels in play from the back court and Ethan picks off balls at the net," said Gander. "It's a nice combination which took them to the quarterfinals."

Billy Biggers and Trevor Standen lost in the first round, however they went on to win the doubles consolation (four matches). The combo won 6-0, 6-7, 6-2 in a three-set final against Henley's Risager and Todd.

Tyrell Gilmore and Kobe Martinez beat Ayaoa and Polley of Klamath Union with convincing scores of 6-1, 6-0. The duo lost to the No. 1 seed, Jordan and Lyons, of North Bend, 6-1, 6-0.

Gander summed up the Outlaws tournament experience.

"Overall, it was a spectacular showing for the Sisters boys tennis team," said Gander. "They saved their best for the last tournament of the year, and that's reflected in the fact we finished second among the nine teams at the tournament.

"I congratulate Paul, Evan, and Devon, for exceeding my expectations at the beginning of the year and going to the state tournament," added Gander.

The state tournament will be held at Oregon State University on Friday and Saturday, May 23-24.