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Fred Edwards into the regional finals for Durango tennis

Rest of DHS tennis team struggles

Fred Edwards rolled into the regional finals with ease Thursday.

The Bayfield High School junior who competes for the Durango High School boys tennis team was the lone Demon to advance to the championship round of the Class 4A Region 8 tournament in Grand Junction.

Edwards earned a bye in the first round as the bracket’s top seed. Late Thursday morning, he took on a player from Vail Mountain and cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win.

“He’s in good shape going into the final,” DHS head coach Dave Weisfeldt said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “He hadn’t faced Vail before, but it was only a matter of making sure he’d warmed up by the time the match started two hours after everyone else.

“He showed no signs of slowing down or having any problems. Fred was overpowering.”

The rest of the team wasn’t as solid.

Alijah Konikowski fell 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 against Vail Mountain, and his fate is up in the air. He will await the result of a Friday morning match to see if he came come around in the play-back bracket.

Durango’s No. 3 singles player, junior Jake Beekman, was eliminated after a 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 6-1 loss to Vail Mountain.

“Momentum totally shifted between the second and third set with a 10-minute break,” Weisfeldt said. “That took the wind out of Jake’s sails.”

Durango’s No. 1 doubles team of Will Downs and Micah Hwang and the No. 2 doubles team of Amon Ledger-Swenson and Nick Chaney-Roberts defeated Montezuma-Cortez in opening matches, but the No. 1 team fell 6-2, 6-2 to Aspen with the No. 2 team falling 6-0, 6-1 to Aspen. Both teams are alive in the play-backs.

The No. 3 doubles team of Ian Osby and Tommy Rodgers was one of only two teams forced to play a first-round match in a smaller bracket. The beat Paonia 6-1, 6-1 before falling to Steamboat Springs 6-1, 6-3.

An even more shallow bracket at No. 4 doubles saw Durango’s Luke Meyer and Eno Ulshafer fall 6-1, 6-1 to Steamboat Springs.

Only the top-two placers from each position will qualify for the state meet.

“Jake is the only one we know for sure is eliminated. As far as state berths, I’m not sure there are any chances for anyone but Fred,” Weisfeldt said. “We will have some strange alliances brewing with these play-backs to try to get third and then be able to challenge for second. We might be cheering for Aspen in one match and Steamboat in another. Them’s the breaks. It’s a waiting game with fingers crossed.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com

Oct 8, 2015
No. 6 Durango takes unblemished record into Liberty


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