THREE RIVERS — The Sturgis boys tennis team went to Three Rivers last week, and picked up an 8-0 victory over the Wildcats. At No. 1 singles, Simon Phillips beat Alex Nowak, 6-2, 6-1, while at second singles, Carter Oswald dropped Ebin Perkins, 6-1, 6-2. Brody Currier at No. 3 singles, knocked off Carter Fuller 6-0, 6-0, while at No. 4, Cooper Barkby defeated Brady Stratton, 6-0, 6-2.
In doubles play, Easton Barkby and Andrew Scheske, playing at number one singles, came out on top by the scores of 7-6 (6), 6-2, while Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer (No. 2 doubles), were victorious over Frederico DeGody and Collin McIntyre 4-6, 6-2 and 6-2. Playing at No. 3 doubles, Dominic Brown and Andrew Cypher downed Derek Patch and Henry Bobell, 6-1, 6-1. Number four doubles had Brayden Bibb and Kellen Meyer winning over Keagan Boring and Drew Perez, 6-0, 6-2.
Coach George Earl gave a shout out to the No. 1 doubles pair of Barkby and Scheske, saying that “After winning their first set on a tiebreak, they were able to gain the confidence and strategy to win the second, 6-2. They got the win needed to turn the tide in their season.” He also stated that “A hearty congratulations goes out to Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer, who, after losing their first set, were able to win their next two sets convincingly. The maturity of both flights will set them up for the conference tournament next week.”
The team took on East Grand Rapids and Haslett in a duals match over the weekend, with the Trojans losing to East Grand Rapids 8-0, and against Haslett, Sturgis lost 7-1. In the first match against EGR, Simon Phillips lost at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-1, while at No. 2 singles, Carter Oswald was defeated 6-2, 6-3. No. 3 singles had Brody Currier losing 7-6, 4-6, 0-10, while Cooper Barkby fell at No. 4 singles, 6-1, 6-0.
Easton Barkby and Andrew Scheske got stopped in No. 1 doubles, 6-1, 6-1, while at No. 2, Alex Cypher and Seth Larimer lost their match, 6-1, 6-1. Number three doubles saw Dominic Brown and Andrew Cypher lose their match by the scores of 6-1, 6-2, and at No. 4 doubles, Brayden Bibb and Kellen Meyer lost, 6-3, 6-3.
In the Haslett match, No. 1 singles player Phillips fell 6-1, 6-2, while at No. 2, Oswald, in a hard-fought match, came up with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win. Brody Currier lost at No. 3 singles, 6-4, 6-4, while Cooper Barkby lost his match at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-0. Sturgis’ No. 1 doubles team of Scheske and Easton Barkby fell 6-0, 6-0, followed by the No. 2 team of Alex Cypher and Larimer losing 5-7, 6-3, 1-6. Brown and Andrew Cypher, playing at No. 3, also lost 6-2, 6-0. Bibb and Meyer, competing at No. 4 doubles, lost by the scores of 7-5, 6-4.
“The Trojans, in many ways, elevated their play to meet the strength of their competition,” Earl said. “In particular, co-captain Carter Oswald, at number two singles, who, after losing his opening set against Haslett, was able to outlast his opponent to win in three sets.” He also added that “We were looking to work on and improve certain parts of our game in preparation for the conference tournament on Wednesday, and they did just that.”
TR upended by Otsego, Buchanan
THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers’ boys’ tennis team lost both of their other two matches over the past week.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, the Wildcats lost to Otsego 7-1. The lone win for the ‘Cats came at No. 1 singles, with Nowak defeating Maddox Haak of Otsego 6-4, 6-3. Only one other match went to three sets, as Ebin Perkins lost to Connor Taylor of Otsego in No, 2 singles 6-3, 2-6, 0-6.
Against Buchanan Monday, the Wildcats lost 5-3 to the visiting Bucks. Wins for Three Rivers came from Carter Fuller at No. 3 singles, defeating Jaret Seddon of Buchanan 7-5, 6-0; Brady Stratton at No. 4 singles, defeating Tyler Frame 6-4, 6-4; and Collin McInyre/Frederico De Godoy Barreto at No. 2 doubles, defeating Chase Mitchell/Holden Carrington of Buchanan 6-4, 6-4.
