Duncan tennis boys open 0-3

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Senior Wesley Conyer follows the ball into his racket for a return. Conyer is 1-2 through three matches.

By Raymundo Frasquillo

Duncan opened the season with a pair of 9-0 losses to Thatcher on Feb. 26 and to Benson on Feb. 28, and followed them with a 6-3 loss to Morenci on March 7, all in section matches.

The Wildkats are 2-16 in singles and 1-8 in doubles, including seven forfeits, four in singles (1-3) and three in doubles (1-2).

Individually in head to-head singles matches, No. 1 sophomore Nathan Kempton, No. 2 senior Nate Rapier, and No. 3 junior Lucas Basteen are 0-3 apiece, No. 4 senior Wesley Conyer 1-2, and No. 5 senior Weston Skinner and No. 6 senior Jay Garner 0-1.

In doubles, No. 1 Kempton – Basteen and No. 2 Rapier – Conyer are both 0-3. The No. 3 duo of Garner – Skinner has a forfeit win.

Duncan (0-3) is at Willcox Tuesday, March 19.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Duncan junior Lucas Basteen concentrates on meeting the ball for a return against Morenci’s No. 1 doubles team.

Wildcats – 6Wildkats – 3

The Wildkats went 2-4 in singles and 1-2 in doubles, including two forfeits wins.

Duncan’s wins were 10-3 by No. 5 Conyer over junior Shaun Espinoza and a forfeit for No. 6 Skinner in singles plus a doubles forfeit win for No. 3 doubles Garner – Skinner.

For Morenci, seniors Tanner Hudman (11-9 over Kempton), Andrew Vigil (10-6 over Rapier), Ryan Williams (10-4 over Garner), and Mario Garcia (10-7 over Basteen) each posted singles wins.

In doubles, both Hudman – Vigil (over Kempton – Basteen) and Williams – Garcia (over Rapier – Conyer) both prevailed 8-5.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Duncan No. 1 Nathan Kempton checks where to place a serve. The sophomore is one of three Wildkats with a 0-3 record.

Eagles – 9Wildkats – 0

Thatcher posted wins in each of the singles and doubles pairings.

Junior Grant Richardson (6-1, 6-2 over Kempton), sophomore Michael Greer (6-0 twice over Rapier), junior Aaron Hatch (6-0 twice over Basteen), and junior Tyler Bierman (6-0 twice over Conyer) had head-to-head singles wins. Juniors Brandon Udall and Amon Hatch both received forfeit wins.

In doubles, Greer – Bierman (8-0 over Kempton – Basteen) and Aaron Hatch – Udall (8-1 over Rapier – Conyer) posted head-to-head wins. Richardson – Amon Hatch received a forfeit.

Bobcats – 9, Wildkats – 0

The visiting Bobcats prevailed over the Wildkats in all nine pairings.

Sophomore Jordan Merrill (8-3 over Kempton), junior Joseph Lutz (8-0 over Rapier), sophomore Cole Massey (8-2 over Basteen), sophomore Liam Sprietsma (8-1 over Conyer), and senior Nathan Morris (8-5 over Skinner) each had head-to-head singles wins. Sophomore Camden Waite received a forfeit.

In doubles, Merrill – Lutz (8-0 over Kempton – Basteen) and Massey – Sprietsma (9-7 over Rapier – Conyer) both had wins. The Morris – Waite duo received a forfeit.