After a delayed start to the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A state tennis tournament, the Durango High School boys tennis team lost at the Nos. 3 and 4 doubles positions Thursday night in Pueblo.
The tournament did not start until 2 p.m. because of rain and unplayable courts. As a result, Durango did not take the court until 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
At the No. 3 doubles position, sophomore Aedan Hall and freshman Calan Barnhardt lost in straight sets to Bennett and Konrad Ziegler of Cheyenne Mountain, 6-0, 6-1.
Durango head coach Alan Batiste thought the pair competed well Thursday after it took them awhile to get adjusted to the match.
“It was a great experience for the boys to see that environment,” Batiste said. “It took (Aedan and Calan) a little bit to get acquainted, but they came across a great team in Cheyenne Mountain, and they have an all-around great tennis program. They came across probably the best doubles three team I’ve seen all year. But they picked it up, got a feel for the game and kept competing, and I thought they did well.
At the No. 4 doubles slot, the match was much closer. Sophomore Andy Rodriguez and freshman Carter Ward lost in three sets to Alec and Tommy Cruz of Pueblo West, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
“I think it took both teams to get into the match but, once Andy and Carter got their feet under them, they played an excellent match,” Batiste said. “But all three sets were very close despite the scores. There must have been four our five occasions where they went to deuce six times, so it was a long match. But again, they stuck with it and competed very well today.”
Durango was missing one player, senior Will Lammons, who broke his wrist at Durango soccer practice the night before the tennis team left for state. When Batiste found out, he was shocked.
“I looked at my email to see if I had missed anything, and it was 5:30 a.m. and I saw an email from Will’s mom saying, ‘broken wrist,’ and I was devastated,” Batiste said. “I thought, ‘No way, we leave at 2 o’clock today.’ It was pretty tough to take because I really thought he had a great chance to make a deep run based off of his play this season and his tournament seeding.”
The Demons are still not out of it yet, as both doubles teams can play Friday via the playback brackets. If both Cheyenne Mountain and Pueblo West doubles teams advance to the semifinals in their respective brackets, Durango will play Friday afternoon.
Durango High School junior golfer Ethan Whidden was named to the first team of CHSAA’s all-state list Wednesday. The all-state teams were based upon results at the state championship, which were held at Flying Horse Golf Course in Colorado Springs last week. Whidden finished tied for 10th place at the Class 4A state tournament last week, when he shot 5-over-par 77 in the final round and a career-low 76 the previous day, which brought his final two-round total to 153.
The Durango High School volleyball lost to Fruita Monument Thursday night at DHS, falling in five sets, 19-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 18-16.
The Demons (6-10, 2-4 5A/4A Southwest League) were led by senior middle blocker Taylor Wolf, who had 13 kills, while outside hitters Millie O’Ketter and Lily Chick had 12 kills each.
The teams were tied after two sets, but the Wildcats (13-2, 7-0 SWL) were able to edge Durango 18-16 in a close final set.
Paige Ammerman, a sophomore setter, had 30 assists on the night, while O’Ketter had a team-high 30 digs.
DHS head coach Colleen Vogt was proud of the way her team fought against a talented Wildcats team.
“It was a great match and was so much fun,” Vogt said. “It hurt to lose 16-18 in the final set, but I’m so proud of how we competed and fought tonight. This team is so much fun and they continue to work hard and support each other.”
The Demons will host Grand Junction at 11 a.m. Saturday at Durango High School.
bploen@ durangoherald.com
