TODD WEDDLE/NPG NEWSPAPERSKearney High’s Brad Kitterman returns a volley as teammate Phil Thorngate looks on during their district doubles match Friday, May 9, at Noyes Tennis Complex in St. Joseph.
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Tigers edge Kearney for district tennis trophy
Bulldogs still finish third, advance to postseason play
By Chris Geinosky
For a short time late Friday night, the Kearney-Excelsior Springs rivalry reared its head on the tennis courts, one of the only places it usually doesn’t happen.
With the Bulldogs relegated to watching the final matches of the night, they had to settle for third place after coming up on the short end of a tiebreaker at the Class 1 District 8 boys tennis tournament Friday, May 9, at Noyes Tennis Complex in St. Joseph.
“We’re big rivals, but it’s different in tennis,” Kearney coach Darla Yakle said. “Tennis is just a different kind of community. We needed Excelsior Springs to lose one of those last matches, but it was hard to cheer against them because a lot of those guys are friends.
“We’ve played the whole season to prepare for districts, and when it comes down to a tiebreaker, that’s tough. The guys were pretty bummed. They had high expectations. When we were in first and second place all day and then ended up third, it was an anticlimactic end to our day.”
With a district plaque at stake, Kearney held a slim lead in the team standings, but the Tigers responded under pressure. Excelsior Springs finished the tournament with Thilo Mehlin and Eric Dailey teaming up to capture the doubles championship, and Richard Dailey winning the consolation singles match.
Those two victories gave the Tigers just enough to tie Kearney with 23 team points. Excelsior Springs’ doubles championship made the Tigers district runner-up, three and a half points behind St. Joseph Benton, which claimed its first district title in 15 years.
“We were upset with the way the tiebreaker worked out, but we can take a lot of consolation in how well we played,” Kearney junior Brad Kitterman said. “This is the best we’ve done in who knows how long.”
To be exact, the Bulldogs’ third-place team finish marks the program’s best district showing since the early 1990s. Last year Kearney placed fourth.
By finishing among the top four teams at district, Kearney qualified as a team for postseason play and earned the right to meet Excelsior Springs in regionals, which were scheduled for Tuesday after press time.
The Bulldogs also nearly snapped their state tournament drought.
Paul Nurse played to his seeding and took third in the singles division. Kitterman and Phillip Thorngate pulled off a couple upsets and placed third in doubles. Had they been able to win their semifinal matches, they would have qualified for the state championships.
“The guys did a great job,” Yakle said. “Paul lost a tough tiebreaker in the first set of his semifinal match, and that’s always tough to come back from. Phil and Brad played the best they have all season. The guys were really disappointed they didn’t finish in the top two and bring home a trophy, but they don’t have any reason to hang their heads.”
Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or cgeinosky@npgco.com.
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With the Bulldogs relegated to watching the final matches of the night, they had to settle for third place after coming up on the short end of a tiebreaker at the Class 1 District 8 boys tennis tournament Friday, May 9, at Noyes Tennis Complex in St. Joseph.
“We’re big rivals, but it’s different in tennis,” Kearney coach Darla Yakle said. “Tennis is just a different kind of community. We needed Excelsior Springs to lose one of those last matches, but it was hard to cheer against them because a lot of those guys are friends.
“We’ve played the whole season to prepare for districts, and when it comes down to a tiebreaker, that’s tough. The guys were pretty bummed. They had high expectations. When we were in first and second place all day and then ended up third, it was an anticlimactic end to our day.”
With a district plaque at stake, Kearney held a slim lead in the team standings, but the Tigers responded under pressure. Excelsior Springs finished the tournament with Thilo Mehlin and Eric Dailey teaming up to capture the doubles championship, and Richard Dailey winning the consolation singles match.
Those two victories gave the Tigers just enough to tie Kearney with 23 team points. Excelsior Springs’ doubles championship made the Tigers district runner-up, three and a half points behind St. Joseph Benton, which claimed its first district title in 15 years.
“We were upset with the way the tiebreaker worked out, but we can take a lot of consolation in how well we played,” Kearney junior Brad Kitterman said. “This is the best we’ve done in who knows how long.”
To be exact, the Bulldogs’ third-place team finish marks the program’s best district showing since the early 1990s. Last year Kearney placed fourth.
By finishing among the top four teams at district, Kearney qualified as a team for postseason play and earned the right to meet Excelsior Springs in regionals, which were scheduled for Tuesday after press time.
The Bulldogs also nearly snapped their state tournament drought.
Paul Nurse played to his seeding and took third in the singles division. Kitterman and Phillip Thorngate pulled off a couple upsets and placed third in doubles. Had they been able to win their semifinal matches, they would have qualified for the state championships.
“The guys did a great job,” Yakle said. “Paul lost a tough tiebreaker in the first set of his semifinal match, and that’s always tough to come back from. Phil and Brad played the best they have all season. The guys were really disappointed they didn’t finish in the top two and bring home a trophy, but they don’t have any reason to hang their heads.”
Sports writer Chris Geinosky can be reached at 389-6654 or cgeinosky@npgco.com.