Duncan tennis boys shy of .500 in singles and doubles

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Junior Nate Rapier looks the ball into his racket for a return.

By Raymundo Frasquillo

DUNCAN – One of the questions for Duncan’s tennis boys is who will represent the school as the number one player. The answer is either returning junior Nate Rapier or freshman Nathan Kempton. Thus far, Kempton is 1-2 and Rapier 0-4 against their opponents’ top player. Kempton is 2-2 and Rapier 1-2 as the number two player.

Duncan opened the season with a 5-4 win over Willcox Feb. 27 and a 0-9 loss to Thatcher March 1, before ending the week with the H.T. Clothier Invitational Tournament title March 3. The Wildkats defeated the Saint David Tigers 5-4 and the Tombstone Yellow Jackets 6-3 in the home tourney.

Week two had a pair of road meets, a 9-0 win in Superior March 6 and a 2-7 loss in Pima March 8, followed by a 2-7 loss in Morenci March 13.

The Wildkats are at Safford Tuesday, March 20, before hosting Superior Thursday, March 22, and Saint David Friday, March 23.

Through seven duels, Duncan (4-3) is 20-22 in singles and 10-11 in doubles.

Individually in singles, No. 1 junior Nate Rapier is (1-6), No. 2 freshman Nathan Kempton (3-4), No. 3 senior Chase Carnes (3-4), No. 4 sophomore Lucas Basteen (4-3), No. 5 senior Braden Basteen (3-2), No. 6 junior Jay Garner (5-2), and junior Weston Skinner (1-1).

In doubles, No. 1 Rapier – Lucas Basteen (2-5), No. 2 Kempton – Braden Basteen (2-2), No. 3 Carnes – Garner (3-1), Kempton – Carnes (1-2), Garner – Skinner (2-0), and Braden Basteen – Garner (0-1).

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Freshman Nathan Kempton is just under .500 in the top two singles slots.

Morenci – 7, Wildkats – 2

The Wildkats went 1-5 in singles and 1-2 in doubles in Morenci March 12.

Duncan’s wins were 10-5 by Kempton over Hudman in singles and Kempton – Braden Basteen 8-6 over Vigil – Tejada in doubles.

For Morenci, Matthew Garcia (10-3 over Rapier), Andrew Vigil (10-6 over Carnes), Luis Tejada (10-7 over Lucas Basteen), Ryan Williams (10-2 over Braden Basteen), and Shaun Espinoza (10-1 over Garner) recorded singles wins.

In doubles, Garcia – Hudman prevailed 8-2 over Rapier – Lucas Basteen and Williams – Espinoza 8-1 over Carnes – Garner.

Pima – 7, Wildkats – 2

The Wildkats won a lone singles and doubles pairings from the Roughriders. Garner defeated Dallin Preston 6-1 and 7-5 plus Carnes – Garner downed Talley – Preston 8-4.

For Pima, Andrew Taylor (6-2, 6-1 over Kempton), Jeb Schysm (6-1 twice over Rapier), Mac Talley (6-1, 6-4 over Carnes), Daniel Medlin (6-3 twice over Lucas Basteen), and a 10-6 tie-breaker by Niklas Reider (6-1 first set) over Braden Basteen (6-2 second set) recorded singles wins.

In doubles, Taylor – Schysm (8-1 over Kempton – Braden Basteen) and Talley – Reider (8-5 over Rapier – Lucas Basteen) got the wins.

Duncan – 9, Superior – 0

The Panthers fielded a 2-man team, forfeiting four singles and two doubles to the Wildkats.

Kempton and Rapier defeated Brandon Martinez 10-5 and Matthew Hernandez 10-1, respectively, in singles and Kempton – Braden Basteen downed Hernandez – Martinez 8-1 in doubles.

Rapier, Carnes, Lucas Basteen, Braden Basteen, and Garner along with Rapier – Lucas Basteen and Carnes – Garner were awarded forfeits.

Photo By Raymundo Frasquillo: Sophomore Lucas Basteen serves the ball during a recent home match. He is 4-3 after seven matches.

Thatcher – 9, Wildkats – 0

Thatcher shutout Duncan, winning each of the singles and doubles pairings.

Amon Hatch (6-0, 6-3 over Rapier), Tyler Bierman (6-0 twice over Kempton), Brandon Udall (6-0 twice over Carnes), Michael Greer (6-0 twice over Lucas Basteen), Aaron Hatch (6-4, 6-0 over Braden Basteen), and Carson Turley (6-0, 6-1 over Garner) notched singles wins.

In doubles, Bierman – Greer (10-0 over Rapier – Lucas Basteen), Udall – Aaron Hatch 10-2 over Kempton – Carnes), and Amon Hatch – Turley (10-0 over Braden Basteen – Garner) posted wins.

Wildkats – 5, Willcox – 4

Two doubles wins decided the meet outcome as each team won three singles pairings.

Rapier – Lucas Basteen defeated Oliver Rodriguez – Edward Vega 10-5 and Carnes – Garner slipped past Marcus Barba – Nicolas Ortiz 10-8.

Lucas Basteen (8-2 over Vega), Braden Basteen (8-3 over Barba), and Garner (8-5 over Ortiz) accounted for Duncan’s singles wins.

For Willcox, a 7-4 tie-breaker yielded Javier Garcia a 9-8 win over Rapier. The other three wins were by Chase Childress (8-5 over Kempton), Oliver Rodriguez (8-3 over Carnes), and Childress – Garcia (10-6 over Kempton – Braden Basteen)