Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Andrew McCallum backhands a return during a recent match. The Morenci junior is 5-4 overall and 2-1 in seeding pairings. Morenci (7-3 overall, 3-1 seeding) hosts Duncan (2-4, 1-2) on Thursday, March 23.
By Raymundo Frasquillo
THATCHER – The Thatcher tennis boys welcome Safford for a non-section pairing on Monday, March 20. The section match is in Safford on April 18.
Also this week (March 20-25), Benson visits Pima on Monday, March 20; Pima visits Saint David, Thatcher visits Willcox, and Tombstone visits Safford on Tuesday, March 21; Duncan visits Pima on Wednesday, March 22; Duncan visits Morenci, Rio Rico visits Benson, Thatcher visits Tucson Tanque Verde, and Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian visits Safford on Thursday, March 23; Duncan visits Patagonia on Friday, March 24.
Last week (March 13-18), Morenci defeated Willcox 8-1 (March 16). The Benson at Tombstone (March 14) and Morenci at Miami (March 15) pairings were not played.
The Division III – Section I teams have all played at least three matches thus far. Thatcher is 3-0 overall and in seeding matches, Morenci (7-3, 3-1), Safford (2-4, 2-1), Willcox (2-2, 2-2), Duncan (2-4, 1-2), Pima (1-3, 1-3), and Benson (0-3, 0-3).
Safford Bulldogs (2-4)
Safford fell 3-8 to Florence (Feb. 23) and defeated Willcox 8-1 (Feb. 28) and Morenci 7-2 (March 7) in seeding matches and fell 3-6 to both Morenci and Miami, and 2-7 to Florence during tourney matches played on March 10.
The Bulldogs have won 44 percent (16-36) of singles and 56 percent (10-18) of doubles pairings.
Sophomore Camden Montierth is 2-0, junior Kody Gluyas 2-0, junior Brayden Bowman 0-6, junior Thomas Biggs 2-4, sophomore Bo Bowman 6-0, junior Xavier Owens 2-4, senior Zach Montierith 1-0, junior Kyle Lines 1-3, and freshman Owen Price 0-3.
The Camden Montierth – Gluyas duo is 2-0, Brayden Bowman – Biggs (3-0), Owens – Bo Bowman 5-0, Biggs – Bo Bowman 0-3, Lines – Price 0-3, Owens – Lines 0-1, and Bo Bowman – sophomore Bronson Hatch 0-1.
Five other section pairings are in Duncan (March 28), with Benson (March 30), in Pima (April 6), in Morenci (April 11), and with Willcox (April 13).
Thatcher Eagles (3-0)
Thatcher is 3-0 in seeding matches with wins of 9-0 over Miami (March 2), 5-4 over Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (March 8), and 6-3 over Gilbert Classical (March 9).
The Eagles have won 72 percent (13-18) of singles and 78 percent (7-9) of doubles pairings.
Junior Brock Smith is 1-2 overall, senior Hunter Sellers (3-0), junior Blake Kartchner (3-0), junior Gene Huish (1-2), senior Austin Haynie (3-0), sophomore Bryson Scores (1-1), and freshman Braden Huish (1-0).
The Sellers – Gene duo is 1-2, Kartchner – Huish Haynie 3-0, and Scores – senior Carter Bryce 3-0.
Morenci – 8, Willcox – 1
The Wildcats won six singles and two doubles while the Cowboys won a doubles.
Senior Jarel Diaz (4-6), senior Quinton Wiltbank (4-2), senior Joshua Biggs (7-3), junior Andrew McCallum (5-4), junior Jakob Camacho (5-5), and sophomore Tristan Burke (5-0) defeated sophomore Nathaniel Aguilar (6-3, 6-2), sophomore Keanu Ramil (6-1, 6-3), sophomore Jovani Rodriguez (6-0, 0-6, 13-11), sophomore Andres Osornio (6-1, 9-7), sophomore Elijah Bhasme (7-6, 7-5), and senior Michael Martinez (6-2, 6-1), respectively.
In doubles, Diaz – Biggs (6-4) and Wiltbank – McCallum (1-0) defeated Aguilar – Ramil 8-4 and Rodriguez – Osornio 11-9, respectively.
For Willcox, the Bhasme – sophomore Kyle McClain duo prevailed 8-6 over Camacho – Burke (0-1).
