Great Bend Post
Rain did not stop a small but talented group of tennis players Tuesday in Emporia. Great Bend scored 35 points in the field of six teams for fourth overall. St. Thomas Aquinas won the meet with 54 points, followed by Mill Valley with 50 points.
The tournament again put all singles and doubles players into single brackets. Great Bend's Brendyn Schroeder entered the singles bracket as the No. 3 seed, advancing with a bye and an 8-0 win against the No. 7seed from Manhattan. Schroeder defeated the No. 2 seed from Mill Valley 8-4 in the semifinals.
Things got a lot more difficult after that. St. Thomas Aquinas' two-time defending 5A champion Russell Lokko, who went unbeaten last year and will attend the University of Louisville next year, surrendered just one game on the day. He defeated Schroeder 8-0 for the title.
Aaron Ramirez entered the singles bracket as the No. 9 seed with an 8-0 loss to the eventual eighth-place finisher from Mill Valley. He defeated a player from Liberal (Mo.) 8-2 before losing his final three matches.
In the doubles bracket, Jordan Manning and Jacob Parks entered as the No. 4 seed, dropping their first match to the No. 5 seed from Manhattan 8-4. The pair went on to finish eighth in the bracket. Kaden Deines and Cameron Harbaugh, playing as the No. 10 seed, lost their first match 8-1 to the eventual seventh-place finishers from Manhattan. Deines and Harbaugh finished 11th in the bracket.
The Panthers return home Monday to host the Western Athletic Conference tournament that will include some special activities. Great Bend heads to regional action in Salina on Friday.