Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: The Duncan tennis boys’ team took home first place in its host tournament.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
DUNCAN – Duncan’s tennis boys captured the three-team 2018 H.T. Clothier Invitational Tournament on Saturday, March 3.
The Wildkats slipped past the Saint David Tigers 5-4 and defeated the Tombstone Yellow Jackets 6-3, winning 11 of 18 matches for 11 points; Saint David downed Tombstone 6-3 and totaled 10 points, and Tombstone had six points.
Elfrida Valley Union, the other scheduled participant, cancelled at the last minute.
Last season, Morenci was first, Saint David second, Tombstone third, and Duncan.
Individual singles winners were Duncan No. 3 senior Chase Carnes, No. 4 sophomore Lucas Basteen, and No. 5 junior Jay Garner; Saint David No. 1 Federico Niccachi and No. 2 Joel Samuelsson; and Tombstone No. 6 Jon Thomas.
Earning medals in doubles were Duncan No. 3 Garner and junior Weston Skinner along with Saint David No. 1 Niccachi and Thomas Haynie and No. 2 Samuelsson and Kaleb Watts.
Last season, Basteen won the No. 6 slot and along with junior Nate Rapier, the No. 3 doubles title.
Duncan – 5, Saint David – 4
The teams split singles and doubles, each winning two singles and a doubles pairing. However, the Tigers forfeited the No. 5 and No. 6 singles as well as the No. 3 doubles to account for the difference in team scoring.
Carnes and Basteen defeated Haynie 8-1 and Watts 8-0, respectively, and Garner and Skinner along with the Garner – Skinner duo received forfeits.
For Saint David, Niccachi defeated Rapier 8-1 and Samuelsson blanked freshman Nathan Kempton 8-0.
The Niccachi – Haynie duo defeated Rapier – Basteen 8-4 and the Samuelsson – Watts duo blanked Kempton – Carnes 8-0.
Duncan – 6, Tombstone – 3
The Wildkats won four singles and two doubles against the Yellow Jackets.
Kempton defeated Bobby Phillips 8-2, and Carnes, Basteen, and Garner downed James Bastian, Simon Bastian, and Dean Leaply by identical 8-1 scores.
In doubles, No. 2 Rapier and Carnes shutout Bastian and Bastian 8-0, and Garner and Skinner slipped Leaply and Thomas 8-6.
For Tombstone, Nathan Snider and Thomas prevailed over Rapier 8-3 and Skinner 8-1, respectively in singles, and Snider and Phillips 8-2 over Rapier and Basteen in doubles.
Saint David – 6, Tombstone – 3
The Tigers won each of their head-to-head matches over the Yellow Jackets, the losses were forfeits.
In singles, Niccachi blanked Snider 8-0, Samuelsson downed Phillips 8-1, Haynie defeated James Bastian 8-2, and Watts shutout Simon Bastian 8-0.
The Niccachi – Haynie duo defeated Snider – Phillips 8-5 and the Samuelsson – Watts duo shutout Bastian – Bastian 8-0.
