Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Duncan sophomore Bryant Rapier returns the ball against Owen Lunt. The Pima junior won 6-2 and 6-1 as the Roughriders posted an 8-1 section win over the Wildkats. Pima hosts Duncan on Tuesday, April 6, and Safford on Thursday, April 8, and is at Miami on Friday, April 9. Duncan welcomes Willcox on Thursday.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
DUNCAN – They once had dozens of students out for the program, whose foundation and prominence was nurtured by the late Hall of Fame inductee and high school commerce instructor H.T. Clothier.
Now, playing in a facility named in his honor, with declining enrollment and changing student attitudes, the program struggles to field a full team with only four participants this season. It is the second straight season of only four members. Scheduled matches have three forfeits built-in, two in singles and one in doubles.
The 2019 Wildkats (1-11 section, 1-11 seeding) were 18-54 in singles and 11-25 in doubles, including nine forfeits, four singles (1-3), and five doubles (1-4) with a full team, four seniors, a junior, and a sophomore.
In the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Duncan (1-3 section, 2-3 seeding) was 9-19 in singles and 4-10 in doubles, including 15 forfeits, 10 in singles (2-8), and five in doubles (1-4).
The 2020 season Division III – Section I standings were Benson first (4-0 section, 4-0 seeding), Thatcher second (3-0, 3-0), Safford third (3-2, 3-3), Willcox fourth (2-3, 2-3), Pima fifth (1-2, 1-2), Duncan sixth (1-3, 2-3), and Morenci seventh (0-4, 0-4).
This season, the Wildkats have been shut out by the Saint David Tigers (March 26) and the Benson Bobcats (March 30) plus have succumbed 8-1 to the Safford Bulldogs (April 1) and 7-2 to the Pima Roughriders (April 2).
Duncan is 2-22 in singles and 1-11 in doubles, including forfeits in eight singles and four doubles. Senior Nathan Kempton is 2-2, sophomore Logan Basteen 0-4, sophomore Bryant Rapier 0-4, and freshman Cutter Scarsella 0-4.
In doubles, the Kempton – Basteen duo is 1-3 and Rapier – Scarsella 0-4.
This week, Duncan is at Pima on Tuesday, April 6 and hosts Willcox on Thursday, April 8.
Roughriders – 7, Wildkats – 2
Kempton’s triumph (6-0, 6-3) over Keanu Hansen along with the Kempton – Basteen duo’s victory (10-6) over the Hansen – Leland Thompson duo accounted for Duncan’s two points.
For Pima, Thompson, Owen Lunt, and Calin Paull topped Basteen (6-2, 6-3), Rapier (6-2, 6-1), and Scarsella (6-0, 6-1), respectively, in singles and Lunt – Dallin Preston prevailed 10-3 over Rapier – Scarsella in doubles.
Carter Bryce and Preston in singles plus the Paull – Bryce duo received forfeits.
Bulldogs – 8, Wildkats – 1
The lone win for Duncan was by Kempton over Grant Smith (6-2, 6-0).
For Safford, senior Emanuel Torres, senior Jacob Curtis, and sophomore Doyle Cluff defeated Basteen (6-3, 6-0), Rapier (6-2, 7-6), and Scarsella (6-1, 6-3), respectively, in singles and Smith – Torres and Cluff – senior Joseph Pace downed Kempton – Basteen and Rapier – Scarsella 10-7 and 10-1, respectively, in doubles.
Freshmen Kody Guylas and Thomas Biggs plus the Guylas – Biggs duo received forfeits.
Bobcats – 9, Wildkats – 0
Benson swept the Wildkats, posting wins all pairings.
Senior Liam Galloway-Sprietsma, senior Camden Waite, sophomore Scott Lutz, and sophomore Conner Curtis defeated Kempton (8-6), Basteen (8-1), Rapier (8-2), and Scarsella (8-0), respectively, in singles.
In doubles, Sprietsma – Waite and Lutz – Curtis downed Kempton – Basteen and Rapier – Scarsella 9-7 and 8-1, respectively.
Freshman Aubry Harris and senior Adam McBride plus the Harris – McBride duo received forfeits.
Tigers – 9, Wildkats – 0
The initial season pairing for the Duncan quartet resulted in losses and a shutout for the visiting Tigers.
Saint David senior Jordan Merrill, junior Kaden Watts, and sophomore Brayten Trejo each bested Kempton, Basteen, and Rapier by identical 6-1 and 6-0 scores, respectively, in singles. Sophomore Merek Haynie also prevailed over Scarsella (6-0, 6-0) and Merrill – Watts and Trejo – Haynie defeated Kempton – Basteen and Rapier – Scarsella 8-3 and 8-0, respectively, in doubles.
Sophomores Kaydin Richardson and Regan Young as well as Richardson – Young were awarded forfeits.
2021 Season Results
Halfway through the second global health crisis affected season, Division III – Section I member standings are Willcox first (3-0 section, 5-0 overall), Thatcher second (2-0, 4-1), Pima third (2-2, 3-3), Benson fourth (1-1, 2-3), Safford fifth (1-1, 2-3), Morenci sixth (0-2, 0-3), and Duncan seventh (0-3, 0-4).
Willcox has defeated Benson 9-0 (March 16), Saint David 7-2 (March 23), Safford 8-1 (March 25), Pima 8-1 (March 26), and Morenci 9-0 (March 30).
Thatcher’s wins are each 9-0 over Safford (March 26), Pima (March 30), Miami (March 31), and Benson (April 1). The loss was 2-7 to Gilbert-North American Leadership (March 29).
Wins for Pima have been 8-1 over Tombstone (March 25), 9-0 over Morenci (April 1), and 7-2 over Duncan (April 2); for Benson, 6-3 over Safford (March 29) and 9-0 over Duncan (March 30); and for Safford, 9-0 over Morenci (March 23) and 8-1 over Duncan (April 1).
Non-section losses have been 1-8 for Pima to Saint David (March 22), 0-3 for Benson to Tucson Desert Christian (March 18), and 0-9 by Duncan to Saint David (March 26).
