(Atlantic) Atlantic finished runner-up to Clarinda in the Hawkeye Ten Conference Tennis Tournament at Denison last Wednesday, led by the double’s teams of Dylin Ball and Jacobi Harter and Taryn O’Brien and Sophie Rose. Both teams worked their way through the brackets and earned Conference titles in the No. #1 and No. #2 fields, respectively. For their performances the two doubles teams have been awarded this week’s KS95.7 F.M. Armour Insurance Trojan Athletes of the Week.
Ball and Harter defeated Jepsen and Olsen of Denison-Schleswig, 8-5, to win the No. 1 doubles title while O’Brien and Rose topped Collins and Schulte of Denison-Schleswig, 8-4, to win the No. 2 championship.
Atlantic Head Coach Mike McDermott says they tried to get the two teams seeded; however, they didn’t get enough seeding votes, mainly because they were new pairings. He said that is a chance you take. McDermott told both groups, “You could be fighting for your lives all day, and that is exactly what happened.” McDermott said it was unbelievable play by both duos, especially since they didn’t play together much throughout the season.
McDermott says Ball and Harter took down all three seeded doubles teams to earn the title.
Coach McDermott says O’Brien and Rose set the tone early in the No. 2 Division. The duo defeated Pearce and Ryan of St. Albert, and the team they lost to at a dual match the previous day. The pair then took out Hesse and Shepard from Clarinda, and capped it off with a victory in the title match over Collins and Schulte of Denison-Schleswig.
The Trojans ended the regular season with a 9-1 record.
Other notable performances this past week.
*Lily Willrich’s fourth-place finish in No. 1 singles, and Hope Hammontree’s sixth-place finish in No. 2 singles at the Hawkeye Ten Conference Tennis Tournament
*Mason Betts ‘ second-place finish in the Class A Division at the Ballard Cross Country Meet last week.
*Ethan McNeal’s 18 carries for 269 yards and four touchdowns in Friday’s win over Storm Lake.
