Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Brock Smith directs his return to a specific location, away from his opponent. The No. 1 Thatcher senior is unbeaten in doubles with senior Carter Bryce as his partner. Top-ranked Thatcher hosts No. 27 Pima on Thursday, March 30, and heads to the two-day Chandler tourney on Friday, March 31.
Eagles debut as top-ranked team in initial listing
By Raymundo Frasquillo
THATCHER – The top-ranked Thatcher tennis boys hosted the No. 28 Tucson Sabino Sabercats on March 27. The visitors had a 0-9 loss to Tucson Rincon/University (March 9) compared to a 6-0 seeding record and a 13.9076 rating for Thatcher. The Eagles were top-ranked with a 13.2904 rating during the initial listing on March 23.
Also this week (March 27-April 1), Benson visits Morenci, Pima visits Willcox, and Safford visits Duncan on Tuesday, March 28; Benson visits Safford, Morenci visits Willcox, Pima visits Thatcher on Thursday, March 30; Avondale John Paul Catholic visits Morenci on Friday, March 31; and Thatcher is at the 2-day Chandler Invitational beginning on Friday, March 31 and both Pima and Safford are in the Roberds Miami Invitational on Saturday, April 1.
State Rankings
The other Section I ranking has Morenci (4-1 seeding) moving up from No. 12 (4.5706 rating) in the initial listing to No. 11 (4.4743), Safford (3-3) dropping from No. 8 (5.6952) to No. 12 (4.3618), Willcox (2-3) dropping from No. 17 (minus 0.5787) to No. 21 (minus 0.4014), Pima (3-4) dropping from No. 23 (minus 2.6660) to No. 27 (minus 2.9458), Duncan (1-4) dropping from No. 31 (minus 7.0326) to No. 32 (minus 6.8947), and Benson (0-5) dropping from No. 35 (minus 12.8958) to No. 38 (minus 12.7664).
Starting the week ranked No. 2 is Scottsdale Prep (4-0, 10.6923), No. 3 Florence (5-0, 9.4346), No. 4 Chandler Prep (4-0, 8.6044), No. 5 Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (4-1, 7.5257), No. 6 Phoenix Country Day School (4-0, 7.0326), No. 7 Queen Creek San Tan Foothills (3-0, 6.4958), No. 8 Anthem Prep (2-0, 6.1725), No. 9 Glendale Prep (2-0, 4.5233), and No. 10 Tucson Tanque Verde (2-2, 4.5223).
Section I Standings
Midway through the season, the Division III – Section I teams have all played at least five seeding matches. Thatcher is 7-0 overall and in seeding matches, Morenci (8-3, 4-1), Safford (3-6, 3-3), Willcox (2-3, 2-3), Duncan (3-6, 2-4), Pima (3-4, 3-4), and Benson (0-5, 0-5).
There are seven teams in the section and each plays one another once or six pairings to determine section standings. As of March 27, only Safford has six section matches listed. Thatcher has Willcox listed twice, Morenci has Pima listed twice, Duncan has Willcox listed twice, Pima has Benson listed twice, and Willcox has both Duncan and Thatcher listed twice for section matches.
Thatcher Eagles (7-0 overall, 7-0 seeding, 0-0 section)
The Chris Cook-coaches Eagles are 7-0 in seeding matches with wins of 9-0 over Miami (March 2), 5-4 over Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (March 8), 6-3 over Gilbert Classical (March 9), 9-0 over Safford (March 20), 9-0 over Willcox (March 21), 8-1 over Tucson Tanque Verde (March 23), and 8-1 over Tucson Sabino (March 27).
Thatcher has won 83 percent (35-42) of singles and 90 percent (19-21) of doubles pairings.
Individually, junior Brock Smith is 3-4 overall, senior Hunter Sellers is 7-0, junior Blake Kartchner is 7-0, junior Gene Huish is 5-2, senior Austin Haynie is 7-0, freshman Braden Huish 4-0, senior Carter Bryce 1-0, and sophomore Bryson Scores 1-1.
The Sellers – Haynie duo is 5-2, Kartchner – Huish 7-0, and Smith – Bryce 7-0.
Morenci Wildcats (8-3, 4-1, 0-0)
The Brenda Street-coaches Wildcats (8-3 overall, 4-1 seeding) have seeding match wins of 7-2 over Pima (March 1), 5-4 over Miami (March 9), 8-1 over Willcox (March 16), and 9-0 over Duncan (March 23). The loss was 2-7 to Safford (March 7).
Six non-seeding matches were played during the Duncan tourney on March 4 and Safford tourney on March 10. Morenci defeated both Duncan and Tombstone by identical 8-1 scores and fell 2-7 to Saint David in Duncan. The Wildcats defeated both Safford and Miami by identical 6-3 scores and were edged 4-5 by Florence in Safford.
Morenci has won 65 percent (41-63) of head-to-head singles and 60 percent (18-30) of head-to-head doubles pairings. The Wildcats also have three singles forfeits and three doubles forfeits.
Individually, senior Jarel Diaz is 5-6 overall and 2-3 in head-to-head seeding matches, senior Quinton Wiltbank (5-2, 3-1), senior Joshua Biggs (8-4, 4-1), junior Andrew McCallum (6-4, 3-1), junior Derik Jones (6-2, 1-2), junior Jakob Camacho (5-5, 2-2), sophomore Tristan Burke (5-0, 2-0), and junior Ryan Biggs (1-0, 1-0).
The Diaz – Josh Biggs duo is 7-4 and 4-1, Wiltbank – Jones (4-2, 2-1), McCallum – Camacho (4-2, 1-1), Jones – Burke (1-3, 1-0), Camacho – Ryan Biggs (1-0, 1-0), Wiltbank – McCallum (1-0, 1-0) and Camacho – Burke (0-1, 0-1).
Safford Bulldogs (3-6, 3-3, 1-0)
The Katie Jones-coaches Bulldogs (3-6 overall, 3-3 seeding, 1-0 section) have seeding match wins of 8-1 over Willcox (Feb. 28), 7-2 over Morenci (March 7), and 9-0 over Tombstone (March 21). The losses were 3-6 to Florence (Feb. 23), 0-9 to Thatcher (March 20), and 0-9 to Pusch Ridge (March 23).
Safford succumbed 3-6 to both Morenci and Miami, and 2-7 to Florence during tourney matches played on March 10.
Section pairings are in Duncan (March 28), versus Benson (March 30), at Pima (April 6), at Morenci (April 11), versus Willcox (April 13), and versus Thatcher (April 18).
The Bulldogs have won 41 percent (22-54) of singles and 48 percent (13-27) of doubles pairings. The singles mark includes a forfeit win.
Sophomore Camden Montierth and junior Kody Gluyas are both 3-2 overall and seeding, junior Brayden Bowman (1-8, 1-5), junior Thomas Biggs (3-6, 2-4), sophomore Bo Bowman (7-2, 4-2), junior Xavier Owens (3-6, 3-3), senior Zach Montierith (1-0, 1-0), junior Kyle Lines (1-3, 0-1), and freshman Owen Price (0-3, 0-0).
The Camden Montierth – Gluyas duo is 3-2, Brayden Bowman – Biggs (4-5, 4-2), Owens – Bo Bowman (6-2, 3-2), Lines – Price (0-3, 0-0), Owens – Lines (0-1, 0-1), and Bo Bowman – sophomore Bronson Hatch (0-1, 0-1).
Willcox Cowboys (2-3, 2-3, 0-0)
The Mike Kauffman-coached Cowboys (2-3, 2-3, 0-0) have seeding match wins of 9-0 over Tombstone (March 7) and 5-4 over Duncan (March 9). The losses were 1-8 to Safford (Feb. 28), 1-8 to Morenci (March 16), and 0-9 to Thatcher (March 21).
The Cowboys have won 33 percent (10-30) of singles and 47 percent (7-15) of doubles pairings. The singles and doubles records include one forfeit win apiece.
Sophomore Nathaniel Aguilar is 1-4, sophomore Keanu Ramil 2-3, sophomore Jovani Rodriguez 2-3, sophomore Andres Osornio 1-3, sophomore Elijah Bhasme 1-4, senior Michael Martinez 2-3, and sophomore Kyle McClain 1-0.
The Aguilar – Ramil duo is 2-3, Rodriguez – Osornio 0-3, Rodriguez – Martinez 2-0, Bhasme – McClain 2-2, and Osornio – Bhasme 1-0.
Duncan Wildkats (3-6, 2-4, 0-1)
The Shannon Kempton-coached Wildkats (3-6, 2-4, 0-1) have seeding match wins of 6-1 over Patagonia (March 7) and 6-0 (March 24) along with losses of 2-7 to Pima (Feb. 28), 4-5 to Willcox (March 9), 2-7 to Pima (March 22), and 0-9 to Morenci (March 23). The losses were 3-6 to Florence (Feb. 23), 0-9 to Thatcher (March 20), and 0-9 to Pusch Ridge (March 23).
Duncan defeated Tombstone 6-3 and fell 2-7 to Morenci and 1-8 to Saint David during tourney matches played in Duncan on March 4.
The 5-member Wildkats’ squad has won 50 percent (22-40) of singles and 31 percent (7-18) of doubles pairings. The marks include three singles forfeit wins and one in doubles.
Senior Logan Basteen is 5-4 overall and 3-3 seeding, senior Bryant Rapier (3-8, 3-3), junior Cutter Scarsella (5-4, 4-2), junior Ezekiel Cauthen (3-6, 2-4), and senior Artie Lemons (6-0, 3-0).
The Basteen – Rapier duo is 4-5 overall and 3-3 seeding, Lemons – Scarsella (2-2, 1-0), Scarsella – Cauthen (1-3, 1-3), and Lemons – Cauthen (0-1, 0-1).
Pima Roughriders (3-4, 3-4, 1-0)
The Brandon Udall-coached Roughriders (3-4 overall, 3-4 seeding) have seeding match wins of 7-2 over Duncan (Feb. 28), 9-0 over Benson (March 20), and 7-2 over Duncan (March 22). The losses were 2-7 to Morenci (March 1), 2-7 to Miami (March 7), 0-9 to Tucson’s The Gregory School (March 9), 0-9 to Saint David (March 21),
The Roughriders have won 40 percent (17-42) of singles and 43 percent (9-21) of doubles pairings. The singles marks include forfeits for six singles and four doubles pairings.
Senior Logan Thompson is 5-2 overall and seeding, senior Dillon McCray (2-5, 2-5), senior Ryan Taylor (2-5, 2-5), senior Cooper Reed (3-4, 3-4), sophomore Mac Bryce (3-4, 3-4), freshman Garth Lunt (1-3, 1-3), and freshman Jackson Paull (1-2, 1-2).
The Thompson – Taylor duo is 3-4, McCray – Reed (3-4, 3-4), Bryce – Lunt (2-2, 2-2), and Bryce – Paull (1-2, 1-2).
Benson Bobcats (0-5, 0-5, 0-0)
The Julie Christensen-coached Bobcats (0-5, 0-5, 0-0) have seeding match losses of 0-9 to Saint David (Feb. 28), 2-7 to Tucson Amphitheater (March 3), 0-9 to Pusch Ridge (March 9), 1-8 to Tombstone (March 14), and 0-9 to Pima (March 20).
The Bobcats have won 10 percent (1-10) of head-to-head singles and 40 percent (2-5) of head-to-head doubles pairings.
Sophomores Matt Volker and Jonathon Woodward comprise the team. Volker is 1-4 and Woodward 0-5 in singles while the Volker – Woodward duo is 2-3.
