By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The Mike Kauffman-coached Willcox Tennis Cowboys visit Morenci on Thursday, March 13.
Also this week (March 11-15), Benson visits Duncan, Willcox hosts Saint David, and Globe hosts Miami on March 11; Duncan visits Patagonia, Thatcher visits Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian, and Benson hosts Saint David on Thursday, March 13; and Pima hosts Patagonia on Friday, March 14.
Pima defeated Duncan 7-2 on March 10.
Around the section last week (March 3-8), Thatcher shutout Safford 9-0, and Duncan tied Patagonia 3-3 on March 3; Willcox shutout Duncan 9-0, Miami shutout Apache Junction 9-0, and Avondale Saint John Paul II Catholic blanked Morenci 9-0 on March 4; Thatcher defeated Tucson Sabino 8-1 on March 5; and Benson shutout Tucson Andrada Polytechnic 9-0, Eloy Santa Cruz downed Globe 7-2, and Thatcher downed Chandler Prep 8-1 on March 6.
Safford’s round-robin tourney on March 7 was called off because the court resurfacing was incomplete. It is in the process of being rescheduled. Saint David placed first with 15 points in the 5-team H.T. Clothier Invitational on March 8. Duncan was second (11), Benson third (10), Globe fourth (4), and Tombstone did not score.
There is a week-long pause in competition from March 17-22.
Division III – Section I standings
The section standings as of March 8 were Thatcher (5-0 seeding, 1-0 section) first, Benson (1-0, 0-0), Pima (1-0, 0-0), Willcox (1-0, 0-0), Miami (1-1, 0-0), and Safford (1-1, 0-0) tied for second, Duncan (0-2-1, 0-0) seventh, and Globe (0-1, 0-1) and Morenci (0-2, 0-0) tied for eighth.
Saint John Paul II – 9, Morenci – 0
The visiting Lions shutout the Wildcats, winning four singles and two doubles as well as receiving forfeits for the other three pairings.
Sophomore Aleksander Piatek, junior Vincent Grabiec, sophomore Stephen Kane, and junior Josemaria Estreller defeated senior Tristan Burke (6-1, 6-0), junior Jaydon Cueto (6-0, 6-1), senior Manuel Grijalva (6-0 twice), and freshman Ryan Sullivan (6-0 twice), respectively.
In doubles, Piatek – Kane and Grabiec – Estreller topped Burke – Cueto (8-2) and Grijalva – Sullivan (8-0), respectively.
Junior Viktor Lassek and freshman Kayson James received forfeit wins both in singles and doubles.
