Blue Jays down to Watne

Jamestown High School junior Nick Watne will play at 9 a.m. this morning in Bismarck with his Class A state boys tennis meet hopes still alive.

Watne will be squaring off against Mandan’s Brandon Schaner during the final day of the WDA individual tennis tournament, with the winner qualifying for state singles play and the other going home.

Watne first took down Bismarck’s T.J. Irey 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 on Friday, before falling to Bismarck Century’s Casey Beck 6-4, 6-2, to set up today’s meeting with Schaner.

Schaner eliminated Jamestown’s Declan O’Higgins from reaching the state tourney, as Schaner defeated O’Higgins 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of the loser’s bracket on Friday. O’Higgins started the tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mandan’s Austin Tweet, but fell to Bismarck’s Jared Spooner 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.

Jamestown’s other singles player in the tournament, Ben Harris, fell to Minot’s Jordin Gardner 6-1, 6-1 and, ironically, Schaner 6-1, 6-0 to end his state tournament hopes.

Jamestown was unable to qualify a doubles team for state on Friday.

The Blue Jays’ Nick Fuchs and Ashton Johnson fell in a pair of matches to Minot’s Landon Klein and Dustin Foster, and to Mandan’s Nathan Berger and Jackson Wenstrom, 6-0, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.

Jamestown’s duo of Braydon Love and Nathan Soulis were able to reach the WDA doubles quarterfinals, but ultimately fell to Minot’s Landon Klein and Dustin Foster 6-0, 6-0.

Love and Soulis began the day falling to Williston’s Trace Overland and Adam Kemp 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, before rebounding to defeat Dickinson’s Tyus Praus and Jakob Schmidt 6-2, 6-0.

West Region tournament

Bismarck

Singles

First round

Jordin Gardner, Minot, def. Ben Harris, Jamestown, 6-1, 6-1. TJ Irey, Bismarck, def. Kevin Schwab, Dickinson, 6-1, 6-2. Tate Barbot, Williston, def. Johnathon Griffith, Dickinson, 6-0, 6-0. Declan O’Higgins, Jamestown, def. Austin Tweet, Mandan, 6-3, 6-3. Travis Kuhn, Williston, def. Tanner Anderson, Century, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Second round

Gardner, Minot, def. Brian Swanberg, Century, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Nick Watne, Jamestown, def. Irey, Bismarck, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. Casey Beck Century, def. Barbot, Williston, 6-1, 6-1. Jared Spooner, Bismarck, def. O’Higgins, Jamestown, 6-2, 6-4. Ben Wanner, Mandan, def. Brandon Schaner, Mandan, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. Isaac Massey, Minot, def. Travis Kuhn, Williston, 6-1, 6-4. Willi Ulness, Bismarck, def. Chase Olson, Williston, 6-1, 6-1.

Quarterfinals

Hunter Oothoudt, Minot, def. Gardner, Minot, 6-0, 6-1. Beck, Century, def. Watne, Jamestown, 6-4, 6-2. Wanner, Mandan, def. Spooner, Bismarck, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. Ulness, Bismarck, def. Massey, Minot, 6-1, 6-1.

Losers’ bracket

Second round

Schaner, Mandan, def. Harris, Jamestown, 6-1, 6-0. Kuhn, Williston, def. Schwab, Dickinson, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Olson, Williston, def. Griffith, Dickinson, 6-0, 6-1. Anderson, Century, def. Irey, Bismarck, 6-2, 6-4.

Quarterfinals

Schaner, Mandan, def. O’Higgins, Jamestown, 6-1, 6-1. Kuhn, Williston, def. Olson, Williston, 6-2, 6-4. Swanberg, Century, def. Tweet, Mandan, 6-2, 6-4. Anderson, Century, def. Barbot, Williston, 6-1, 6-2.

Today’s pairings

At Capital Racquet

Winners’ bracket

Semifinals: Oothoudt, Minot, vs. Beck, Century, 11 a.m. Wanner, Mandan vs. Ulness, Bismarck, 11 a.m.

Losers’ bracket

Quarterfinals: Watne, Jamestown, vs. Schaner, Mandan, 9 a.m. Gardner, Minot, vs. Kuhn, Williston, 9 a.m. Massey, Minot, vs. Swanberg, Century, 9 a.m. Anderson, Century vs. Spooner, Bismarck, 9 a.m.

Doubles

First round

Lane Vendsel-Peter Wilson, Minot, def. Hunter Jerome-Alex Priebe, 6-1, 6-2. Landon Klein-Dustin Foster, Minot, def. Ashton Johnson-Nickolaus Fuchs, Jamestown, 6-0, 6-0. Andrew Krecklau-David Keys, Bismarck, def. Nathan Berger-Jackson Wenstrom, Mandan, 6-1, 6-4. Erik Porter-Kyler Vogel, Mandan, def. Tyus Praus-Jakob Schmidt, Dickinson, 6-0, 6-0. Tracer Overland-Adam Kemp, Williston, def. Braydon Love-Nathan Soulis, Jamestown, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. Evan Warren-Grant Ehli, Century, def. Austin Semenko Tyler Hermanson, Williston, 6-3, 6-2.

Quarterfinals

Jaden Wirrenga-Austin Meuchel, Bismarck, 6-4, 6-2. Krecklau-Keys, Bismarck, def. Klein-Foster, Minot, 6-4, 6-4. Porter-Vogel, Mandan, def. Overland-Kemp, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Joe Janes-Sam Mastel, Century, def. Warren-Ehli, Century, 6-1, 6-3.

Losers’ bracket

Second round

Berger-Wenstrom, Mandan def. Johnson-Fuchs, Jamestown, 6-0, 6-1. Love-Soulis, Jamestown, def. Praus-Schmidt, Dickinson, 6-2, 6-0.

Quarterfinals

Warren-Ehli, Century def. Jerome-Priebe, Dickinson, 6-2, 6-0. Berger-Wenstrom, Mandan, def. Overland-Kemp, Williston, 6-2, 6-2. Klein-Foster, Minot, def. Love-Soulis, Jamestown, 6-0, 6-0. Vendsel-Wilson, Minot, def. Semenko-Hermanson, Williston, 6-1, 6-1.

Today’s pairings

At Capital Racquet

Winners’ bracket

Semifinals: Wirrenga-Meuchel, Bismarck, vs. Krecklau-Keys, Bismarck, 11 a.m. Porter-Vogel, Mandan, vs. Janes-Mastel, Century, 11 a.m.

Losers’ bracket

Semifinals: Warren-Ehli, Century vs. Berger-Wenstrom, Mandan, 11 a.m. Klein-Foster, Minot, vs. Vendsel-Wilson, Minot, 11 a.m.

Tags: sports, jays, tennis