GILLETTE – The Torrington High School tennis teams wrapped up the season at the state tournament in Gillette. As a team, the Blazers won four matches over the course of the weekend.
In the boys’ division, the No. 2 doubles team of Ben Firminhac and Adam Bartlett scored the team’s only win in the first round. They defeated Natrona County 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinal final round.
In the second round, the Blazer duo won the first set 6-4 before falling to Kelly Walsh in the second and third sets 6-3, 6-2. The Kelly Walsh doubles team went on to win the bracket’s state championship.
Meanwhile, Firminhac and Bartlett fell to Powell in the second round of the consolation bracket to Powell. Again, the THS pair won the first set 6-4 but dropped the next two sets 6-3, 6-1.
In the No. 1 singles bracket, Aidyn Saucedo went 1-2. He lost in the opening round 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 to Jason Fink of Campbell County.
Saucedo bounced back with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the first round of the consolation bracket to Rock Springs’ Khristian Sanarez. In the next round, Saucedo fell to Laramie’s Samuel Johnson-Noya 6-1, 6-3 to end his season.
The only other win of the weekend went to the No. 1 doubles team of Cody Clayton and Gabe Russell. They fell to Cody in the opening round 6-3, 6-1 but defeated Thunder Basin 6-0, 6-1 to advance to the second round of the consolation bracket.
Clayton and Russell dropped the match to the Camels, 6-2, 6-1.
As a team, the Blazers finished 11th with three points. Kelly Walsh won the team title with 58 points, while Jackson was second with 40.
In the girls’ division, the lone win went to No. 2 singles player Jaycee Shields, who fell to Ali Ligocki of Sheridan in the opening round 6-1, 6-3 but battled back to defeat Thunder Basin’s Ali Morgan 6-4, 6-4 to advance in the consolation bracket.
Shields’ season came to a close in the following round to Laramie’s Mia Wallhead 6-0-6-1.
Shields’ win was the only point for the Lady Blazers in the team standings. The Lady Blazers placed 13th. Kelly Walsh dominated the team title race with 69 points, while Natrona County was second with 29.
