Panther tennis finishes fifth at state meet

Powell High School sophomore Aiden Jacobsen returns a shot from a Campbell County oppent during the No. 2 doubles state championship match in Gillette alongside teammate and fellow sophomore Dylan Preator on Saturday. Preator and Jacobsen placed second — making the All-State team.

TRIBUNE PHOTO BY BREANNE THIEL

Posted Tuesday, September 26, 2017 2:44 pm

By Breanne Thiel

Lady Panthers place 11th

Competing at the state tennis tournament last week, the Powell High School boys played their way to fifth while the girls finished 11th. The duo of Dylan Preator and Aiden Jacobsen took second in the No. 2 doubles position — earning All-State honors — while Rhett Pimentel finished fourth in the No. 2 singles position.

State tennis was held Thursday through Saturday in Gillette on courts in four different locations, with all of Wyoming’s 17 tennis programs in the mix.

PHS head coach Joe Asay said that one of the highlights was that every member of his squad advanced to Friday’s competition — each winning at least one match.

Panthers

It was the Panthers’ third straight year taking fifth place. The team earned 23 points — only one point behind Cheyenne Central. Laramie won the tourney with 45 points.

No. 2 Doubles

The No. 2 doubles team of Preator and Aiden Jacobsen entered the tournament as the North Region’s fifth seed before battling to a runner-up finish.

The sophomores won their first game against opponents from Cheyenne East, rallying to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Preator and Jacobsen had a similar second match against Jackson, coming back to win 4-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-3.

In Friday’s semi-finals, Preator and Aiden Jacobsen bested a duo from Thunder Basin 6-3, 7-4.

In Saturday’s championship match, Preator and Aidan Jacobsen won the first set 6-4 but fell to the Laramie team 6-2 in the next two sets for second place.

“It was pretty cool, especially as a sophomore, to actually come out and place as high as we did,” Jacobsen said.

“I just think it’s kind of cool how we came in as a fifth seed and we weren’t really expected to get anywhere,” added Preator. “And we came up as second state champions.”

No. 2 Singles

Senior Rhett Pimentel capped off his Panthers career with a fourth place finish at No. 2 singles.

On Thursday, Pimentel beat Jacob Pacheco of Rawlins 6-1, 6-1, and took down Clay Peterson of Torrington, 6-7(1-7), 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the semi-finals.

Pimentel then lost to Patrick Marchal of Green River (6-2, 6-3) on Friday, which placed him into the consolation bracket. He beat Ryan Stampfli of Cheyenne Central 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the third place match on Saturday. There, he lost to Sheridan’s Ethan Kutz 6-1, 6-0.

Coach Asay described Pimentel, who had only one regular season loss, as a “good scrappy player” and said he “really represented Powell tennis well.”

“It’s been a good experience,” Pimentel said. “All the kids are good people to be around and we’ve had a couple awesome coaches to help us along the way and just been a positive influence on us in tennis and outside of that.”

No. 1 Singles

Sophomore Jesse Brown competed in the No. 1 singles position, finishing 2-2 at the state tournament.

Brown won the No. 2 singles state title last year as a freshman and coach Asay that the No. 1 singles position is a “different speed.” Brown played better tennis as the tournament went on, Asay said.

No. 1 Doubles

At No. 1 doubles, seniors James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen went into the state tournament undefeated with a perfect 8-0 record.

They won the first two games on Thursday — beating opponents from Rock Springs (6-2, 6-3) and Torrington (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) — but then lost to teams from Jackson (6-3, 6-3) and Cheyenne Central, 7-5, 7-6(7-5).

“Not the finish they were looking for, but you know you can’t be too disappointed with the way they played. They were right up there close to the end of things,” said coach Asay.

“We didn’t quite get the finish we wanted, but it’s been worth the four ... years of work,” Sheets said of his “fun” high school tennis career.

Aaron Jacobsen, who also played tennis all four years, said his career had “lots and lots of ups and downs but it’s been fun.”

No. 3 Doubles

Seniors Wade Musso and Nathaniel Whitham competed at No. 3 doubles and went 3-2.

Whitham, who started playing last year after two years of football, said “it’s been kind of wild.”

“I ended up starting out at second doubles [last year], so it’s been quite the experience going from never playing before to playing varsity,” he said.

“It’s been a blast and you just get really close to friends and you bond with team members,” added Musso, who played tennis all four years. “It’s just a fun game to play; it’s a fun sport.”

Lady Panthers

As a team, the Lady Panthers finished 11th.

No.1 Singles

Senior Hattie Pimentel opened her tournament by beating Kryslin Poppie of Rawlins 6-1, 6-3 but then lost to the eventual state champion Grace Dereemer from Cheyenne Central 6-1, 6-0. Pimentel rebounded to beat Emi Glass of Torrington 6-1, 6-0 then lost to Cody’s Tessa Blough, 6-3, 6-3.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Hattie Pimentel of her career. “Practicing always makes you better.”

Coach Asay said that it wasn’t uncommon to see Hattie Pimentel playing tennis on her lunch breaks and competing in tournaments during the summer.

No. 2 Singles

Senior Lauren Asher went 1-2 at the state tournament.

Coach Asay said that both Asher and Hattie Pimentel were players that “worked hard,” and were “real positive.”

Asher, who has been playing since seventh grade, said “tennis is the most fun and relaxed and easy-going sport, best sport to play with your friends and really fun.”

Doubles Teams

Sierra Sanders and Shayla Shoopman played in the No. 1 doubles position and went 1-2; at No. 2 doubles, Sloane Asay and Heidi Barrus also posted a 1-2 record.

Hailee Paul and Ashley Dunkerley went 2-2 in the No. 3 doubles position.

Coach Asay said this varsity group was a “truly a good bunch [who] worked hard.”

“Senior class practiced a lot because they were having fun,” he said, saying it was normal to see a couple seniors playing tennis over lunch.

In all, the PHS tennis team will be losing six seniors — five boys and one girl.

Going forward, coach Asay said he hopes for continued tournament success, but also stressed that the “biggest sell is that tennis is fun.”

“Tennis is a fun game,” he said.

PHS tennis confident heading into conference tournament

Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2017 2:43 pm

By Breanne Thiel

Doubles team of Sheets and Jacobsen caps perfect season

The Powell High School tennis team completed its regular season last week with conference matches against Cody on Thursday and on Saturday against Kelly Walsh and Natrona County.

With the regular season now complete, conference records will determine seeding heading into the regional tournament on Friday. PHS head coach Joe Asay said that, with these last three competitions, he looked at how well his teams were playing and focused on what needs to be worked on.

“For the most part, I think we are really starting to play well and click well, which is perfect as we finish up the regular season,” Asay said.

Panthers 5, Broncs 0,

Fillies 5, Lady Panthers 0

On Thursday, the Cody tennis teams traveled to Powell for the teams’ lone conference matchup this season. The Panthers went 5-0 against the Broncs.

Accounting for those five wins were Jesse Brown in the No. 1 singles position (7-6, 6-2), Rhett Pimentel at No. 2 singles (6-3, 6-4), the No. 1 doubles team of James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen (6-1, 6-2), No. 2 doubles duo of Dylan Preator and Aidan Jacobsen (6-0, 6-1) and the No. 3 doubles comprised of Nathaniel Witham and Grant Dillivan (6-4, 2-6, 6-3).

On the girls side, the Fillies won all five matches.

No. 1 singles Hattie Pimentel, undefeated on the season heading into the match, was beaten in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. The No. 2 singles player Lauren Asher lost 6-2 and 6-0.

For the doubles teams, No. 1 Sierra Sanders and Shayla Shoopman lost 6-2, 6-4, No. 2 Sloane Asay and Heidi Barrus lost 6-2, 6-4 and the No. 3 duo of Hailee Paul and Ashley Dunkerley fell 6-1, 6-1.

Coach Asay said the Cody girls are a “pretty strong team.”

PHS 4, Kelly Walsh 1

Girls - Kelly Walsh 5, PHS 0

On Saturday morning, Powell matched up against Kelly Walsh, with the boys team winning four matches and the girls losing all five.

Brown, at No. 1 singles, lost the first set 7-5 but rebounded in the second to win 7-5, forcing a tiebreaker third set and winning 7-5. Rhett Pimentel in the No. 2 singles position won both sets 6-3 and 6-0.

The No. 1 doubles duo of Sheets and Jacobsen continued their winning ways, taking both sets 6-1, 6-2.

The No. 2 duo of Preator and Aidan Jacobsen won the first set 7-6, but lost the next two, 7-5 and 6-4.

Whitham and Musso also had a three-set match, losing the first set 6-3 but coming back in the second and third 7-5 and 6-3.

The Lady Panthers didn’t fare as well as their male counterparts in being swept.

“Sometimes the losses aren’t the whole story,” Asay said. “I think that the kids ultimately finished well.”

Hattie Pimentel suffered just her second loss of the season 7-5, 6-1 in the No. 1 singles position. At No. 2 singles, Asher lost 6-1, 6-0.

For doubles, the No. 1 duo of Sanders and Shoopman lost 7-5, 6-2, while the No. 2 doubles team of Sloane Asay and Barrus lost 6-0, 6-2. The No. 3 doubles team of Paul and Dunkerley lost 6-4, 7-5.

PHS 5, Natrona Co. Boys 0

Girls - PHS 4, Natrona Co. 1

The Panthers took on Natrona County Saturday afternoon for the last game of the regular season, with the Panthers winning all five games and the girls winning four of the five.

In No. 1 and No. 2 singles play, Brown won 6-3, 6-2 and Rhett Pimentel won 6-2, 6-0.

In doubles for the boys, Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen won the first set 6-3, lost the second 6-4 but came back in the tiebreaker set and won 6-4  — giving them an undefeated record for the season in the No. 1 doubles slot.

The No. 2 doubles match also went to three sets, with the duo of Preator and Aidan Jacobsen losing the first set 6-4 but coming back to win the second set 6-4 and the third 6-2. The No. 3 doubles team of Whitham and Musso won both sets 6-2.

For the Lady Panthers, No.1 singles player Hattie Pimentel lost 6-3, 6-0, while No. 2 singles Asher won 7-5, 6-1.

All three doubles teams won with the No. 1 duo of Sanders and Shoopman winning 6-3, 6-0. The No. 2 doubles of Sloane Asay and Barrus won 6-1, 7-5 and the No. 3 team of Paul and Dunkerley won 6-3, 6-4.

With the regular season completed, the tennis teams will head to Sheridan to play in the North Regional Tournament Friday and Saturday.

Veteran PHS tennis teams start seasons at home Wednesday

Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2017 3:09 pm

By Breanne Thiel

Powell High School’s boys and girls tennis teams will feature many of the same faces this year — with 14 of their 16 varsity players hitting the courts again.

“It’s basically a returning squad,” said PHS head tennis coach Joe Asay. “It was a strong team in a lot of respects and certainly with another year under their belt, I’m excited to see what these kids can do, for both the boys and the girls.”

“So I think that’s a real plus to it all — I’ve got almost all my kids coming back,” said Asay, who’s starting his second year as head coach.

Both the PHS boys’ and girls’ tennis teams will open their seasons at home on Wednesday in non-conference matches against Green River and Rock Springs.

Powell will host Green River at 9 a.m. and Rock Springs at 1 p.m. The varsity squad will play on the tennis courts at Powell High School and the junior varsity squad will play on the tennis courts at Westside Elementary School.

“It’s a non-conference event, so it’s kind of a neat opportunity on a lot of fronts — the ability to kind of see what our varsity team looks like,” Asay said.

After Wednesday’s competition, the PHS tennis players will travel to Sheridan on Friday; on Saturday, they’ll head east to face both Gillette schools — Campbell County and Thunder Basin.

Tennis teams are not divided into classes, meaning Powell plays against some teams that are generally in Class 4A.

Eight boys and eight girls play varsity: two singles players and three doubles teams. Between the two varsity squads last year, PHS lost only two girls to graduation.

The North Regional Tournament is set for Sept. 16-17 in Sheridan, with the State Tournament held in Gillette at Campbell County High School Sept.  21-22.

“I always look forward to it,” Asay said of the upcoming season. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Panther tennis team recognizes members at awards night

Posted Tuesday, November 1, 2016 3:20 pm

By Breanne Thiel

The Powell High School tennis team recently handed out awards to its most improved, most inspirational and most valuable players of the fall season. Letter winners were also recognized at the Oct. 18 event.

Earning most improved for the boys was junior Nathaniel Whitham. After playing through the intrasquad tournament at the start of the season, Whitham did not make the varsity squad.

“But Nathaniel took advantage of the challenge process and ended up earning a spot on the varsity team with another junior, Wade Musso, playing in the No. 2 doubles spot,” said head coach Joe Asay.

Nicole Sanders was voted most improved for the girls team. One of two seniors on the varsity squad, this was Sanders’ first year on the varsity team.

“She played No. 2 doubles with her cousin, sophomore Sierra Sanders,” said Asay. “They were one match away from playing on Saturday in the consolation finals for third and fourth place.”

Most inspirational was awarded to juniors James Sheets and Lauren Asher for the boys and girls team.

Sheets, playing in his second year on the varsity team, wasn’t able to play as much tennis this summer as he would have liked due to a wrist injury, Asay  said.

“One of the biggest goals for these athletes is the opportunity to play in one of the two singles spots,” said Asay. “(Sheets) worked through his injury and, although he did not have a chance to play in one of two singles spots, he and his partner, Aaron Jacobsen, played great tennis this year.”

Last year as a sophomore, Asher and her partner Tessa Eller, played in the consolation final for the No. 2 doubles team. They placed third last year at state after having lost a three set match.

“(Asher) has worked very hard at the game of tennis,” said Asay. “She earned the No. 2 singles position this year and, although she did not have the results she would have liked, she always had the best attitude.”

Most valuable on the boys team went to freshman Jesse Brown. Brown lost only two matches during the regular season. One of those losses was to an undefeated senior from Gillette in the final match of the regular season.

“(Brown) had the perfect opportunity for redemption beating that same kid for the No. 2 singles state title,” said Asay. “(Brown’s) state title gave the boys team enough points for a fifth-place finish out of 16 teams.”

Brown also made all-conference and all-state honors.

Junior Hattie Pimentel was voted most valuable for the girl’s team. Pimentel has played on the varsity tennis team since her freshman year.

As a freshman, Pimentel and her partner Maddie Morrow placed fourth as the No. 3 doubles team. Last year, as a sophomore, Pimentel earned the No. 2 singles spot.

“This year, Pimentel, earned the No. 1 singles spot,” said Asay. “Her record during the season was seven wins out (of) 10 matches.”

The awards for most improved, inspirational and valuable are all voted on by the players.

“The players did a good job recognizing their teammates that set themselves apart within each of the categories,” coach Asay said.

State Tennis 2016

Brown wins state crown

Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2016 2:41 pm

By Dan Hoehne

The tough competition throughout the regular season paid off for the Powell tennis team at the State Championships in Gillette last week.

And it paid off for no one more than freshman phenom Jesse Brown. He only lost one match all season and continued his winning ways by taking four straight matches to claim the No. 2 singles state crown.

Brown cruised past Rawlins Jacob Pacheco in his first match, 6-1, 6-1, and faced just a little more resistance in topping Kelby Kramer of Rock Springs, 6-4, 6-2.

Things got a little dicey in his semifinal match against Ethan Creagar of Torrington when Creagar was dominant in a 6-0, opening-set win.

Brown joined the battle in the second set as the two went at it hard; the Panther prevailed in a tie-breaker with a 7-5 win.

With the positive momentum on his side, Brown took control in the final set and took a 6-3 win to put him into the title match against Garrett Seagmans of Campbell County.

The first set was a barn-burner with the two matching each other swing for swing. Neither gave an inch, with a tie-breaker needed to settle it. Brown came out with the slightest of edges in the 7-6 (7-5) win. He made it hold up — and breathed just a bit easier — in taking the second set 6-4 to win the state title.

“He was a little disappointed at the start of the season as he had his sights set on playing No. 1 singles,” Powell High School head coach Joe Asay said of Brown. “But things worked out well and he got to enjoy it and have fun. It’s quite a way to end a freshman season, going against the No. 1 seed, who is a senior, and beat him for the state title.”

All but two of the other Powell positions won at least one set during their time in the state competition. The No. 1 singles players for the boys and girls, Rhett and Hattie Pimentel, each lost their first match but got a consolation bracket win before being knocked out.

That same format held true for each No. 1 doubles teams: James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen and Jennifer Bonander and Kaylee Meyer.

No. 3 doubles boys Nathan Brown and Dylan Preator, both freshmen, also went loss, win, loss in their first time on the state level of competition.

At the girls No. 2 doubles, cousins Nicole and Sierra Sanders reached the consolation semifinals, having won their first match, losing the second, but winning two more before bowing out.

Also reaching the consolation semis were sophomore Shayla Shoopman and freshman Sloane Asay at No. 3 girls doubles.

The duo picked up an opening-round win, dropped into the consolation bracket with a second-round loss, but won two matches in a row before taking a tournament-ending loss to Laramie.

With Brown’s big finish, the Powell boys wound up fifth out of 16 schools in the team standings, while the Lady Panthers placed 11th.

“That’s how you always hope to finish a season,” coach Asay said. “I always emphasize that success isn’t always measured in wins, but in how you compete. The kids all competed well here and it was a lot of fun to see, especially those No. 2 and 3 girls doubles teams going so far and getting some points for us. It was a good season overall and the kids had a lot of fun.”

PHS comes up short on tennis court

Posted Thursday, September 22, 2016 2:45 pm

By Dan Hoehne

Panther tennis had its last two matches before the regional tournament late last week, and while the results weren’t quite there in the win column, there certainly were reasons.

“This isn’t a good week, or time of the week, with Homecoming being very much a distraction for the kids,” head coach Joe Asay said. “And these are some really strong and experienced programs we’re facing.”

Those two programs, Sheridan and Gillette, showed that ability on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The visiting Broncs swung their way to 4-1 wins against both the Powell boys and girls.

The lone Panther boys win came at No. 2 singles from freshman Jesse Brown, who was looking for a little redemption after taking his first loss of the season a few days earlier at Cody.

Facing Ethan Kutz, Brown took a 6-3, first-set win, but Kutz evened it up with a 6-4 win in the second set.

Brown would then repeat the score of the first set, 6-3, to get the victory.

At No. 1 singles, Rhett Pimentel won three games in his first set loss to Quinton Suska, but couldn’t get into the win column in the second set.

Both the No. 1 doubles (James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen) and No. 2 doubles (Wade Musso and Nathaniel Whitham) picked up some game wins, but lost in straight sets.

The No. 3 doubles team of Nate Brown and Dylan Preator proved a very tough out early, battling to a 6-7, first-set loss, before the Sheridan duo made things a little easier in the second set, winning 6-2.

On the girls side, the Lady Panthers’ win came at No. 1 singles, where it was a match up of Hattie and Maddie, Powell’s Hattie Pimentel and Sheridan’s Maddie Garneau.

But the similar sound of their first names didn’t reflect much resemblance in their games as Pimentel cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win.

Lauren Asher at No. 2 singles and cousins Sierra and Nicole Sanders, at No. 2 doubles, lost in straight sets, while the other two doubles teams stretched their contests to three sets.

The No. 1 doubles team of Jen Bonanader and Kaylee Meyer got a 6-4 win in their first set, but could only muster four more game wins in the next two, falling 1-6 and 3-6.

No. 3 doubles saw Shayla Shoopman and Sloane Asay in an epic back-and-forth, going to tie-breakers in each of the first two sets and splitting 7-6 and 6-7 scores. The Lady Broncs kicked it up a notch in the third set, however, getting a 6-2 win.

In Saturday morning’s contest against the visiting Gillette Camels, the Lady Panthers made it interesting in a 2-3 loss.

Both of Powell’s singles players picked up wins in straight sets, with Pimentel going 6-4, 6-4 over Kayla Sankovich and Asher winning 6-3, 6-2 over Alli Hays.

But none of the Panther doubles teams could come away with a win, tilting the match in Gillette’s favor.

The boys didn’t fare well against their Camel foes, with straight-set losses in all but one match.

Though Jesse Brown took it to three sets at No. 2 singles against Garrett Seamans, he ended up with his second loss of the season, and week, 6-2, 4-6, 5-7.

Coach Asay has said the tough regular season competition is key to preparing for the postseason and those final two opponents certainly fit the mold. They could well have the Panthers prepped for the North Regional Tournament this Friday and Saturday in Cody.

Powell tennis comes up short

Aaron Jacobsen goes airborne to get everything into this forehand shot against Cody in the No. 2 doubles match on Thursday.

TRIBUNE PHOTOS BY DAN HOEHNE

Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2016 2:42 pm

By Dan Hoehne

Boys win two out of five matches against Cody Broncs Thursday

After getting their feet wet in matches against Green River, Rawlins and Rock Springs the weekend of Aug. 26-27, the Panthers of the tennis courts stepped into deeper waters on Thursday against a talented and experienced Cody squad.

And yet the step up in the level of competition saw the Powell High School players rise to the challenge.

The Panther boys picked up two wins in their five matches, both coming in singles play.

At No. 1 singles, Powell’s Rhett Pimentel had to battle back from a 3-6 opening-set loss to Cody’s Zach Ross, and he did that in a big way.

Pimentel turned the corner in the second set for a convincing 6-2 win and he kept things going in the third and deciding set with a 6-3 score.

Freshman Jesse Brown won in straight sets at No. 2 singles over Joe Luedde, surviving a 7-5 first set before taking control and taking the second 6-2.

The Panthers weren’t able to pick up any wins in their doubles matches, but certainly raised their level of play.

James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen stayed with Gaston Osterland and Bailey Lasko in the first set at No. 1 doubles, falling 3-6, and were able to pick up a couple of wins in the second before taking the 6-2 loss.

In the No. 2 doubles match, it looked like Wade Musso and Nathaniel Whitham might have been overmatched after taking a 0-6 loss in the first set to Stan Ogden and Evan Wambeke.

But the Powell duo came together in the second set, winning three games and pushing the Cody pair in the 3-6 loss.

At No. 3 doubles, Panther freshmen Dylan Preator and Nate Brown went up against the Broncs Bailey Ennist and Mark Bullerdick. They were able to grab a few wins in a 2-6, 1-6 loss.

“It’s my first year playing tennis, and they were really good,” Nate Brown said. “Cody was a lot better than the teams we faced last week, so it was good that we could get some wins.”

On the girls side of Thursday’s match, Cody was able to make it a 5-0 sweep, but the Lady Panthers made it more competitive than the overall score might indicate. Each match saw Powell win at least three games in at least one set.

In the No. 1 singles match between Panther Hattie Pimentel and Filly Tessa Blough, Blough earned a 6-3, 6-3 win.

Lauren Asher took her first loss of the season at No. 2 singles, but gave Cody’s Teagan Thompson all she could handle in the first set, forcing extra games in a 5-7 loss.

Thompson then held Asher off a bit better in a 6-3, second-set win.

Jen Bonander and Kaylee Meyer fell at No. 1 doubles, 3-6 and 2-6, to Lucille Sax and Dorothy Shippen while Shayla Shoopman and Sloane Asay rebounded from a 1-6 loss in the first set at No. 3 doubles to pick up three wins against Jessica Morales and Kaylee Arnold in a 3-6 second set loss.

Then there were the Sanders girls, cousins Nicole and Sierra, keeping things extremely close in the first No. 2 doubles set.

Cody’s Simona Wambeke and Zoe Pearson were just able to eke out a 7-6 win, and while the second set wasn’t quite that close, the Sanders girls didn’t make it easy in the 6-4 win for the Fillies.

“Cody has a very strong tradition with tennis and all of their players stay competitive by playing in tournaments over the summer,” Powell head coach Joe Asay said. “We have a few that played in the summer and those are the ones that were more competitive. It’s definitely a higher level of competition than our first few matches.”

That’s a level of competition they will have to get used to and play up to as the season progresses. Weekend matches against Jackson Hole and Riverton were on the immediate docket.

With the Labor Day holiday causing an early press day for this edition of the Powell Tribune, results from the Friday and Saturday matches will be in Thursday’s issue.

A new beginning for Panther tennis team

The 2016 Powell tennis team started its season off on the road this past weekend with matches against Green River and Rock Springs. Making up the varsity squad are, back row (from left): Wade Musso, Rhett Pimentel, Jesse Brown, Aaron Jacobsen, James Sheets, Nathan Brown, Dylan Preator and Derrick Lynn. Front row (from left): Lauren Asher, Shayla Shoopman, Hattie Pimentel, Sloane Asay, Nicole Sanders, Sierra Sanders and Jen Bonander. Not pictured is Kaylee Meyer.

TRIBUNE PHOTO BY DAN HOEHNE

Posted Tuesday, August 30, 2016 2:36 pm

By Dan Hoehne

The Powell tennis program lost a key member of the team when long-time coach Ray Bieber decided to call it a career and retire at the end of last season.

But Bieber had a hand in his replacement, asking Joe Asay, a former stand-out swimmer in Cody, to take over.

“There’s always been a lot of tennis in the area and while I was a swimmer in Cody during the winter seasons, before my senior year I picked up a racket for the fall season and decided it was kind of fun and it kept going from there,” Asay said. “Over time, I got to know Ray Bieber who was coaching swimming for Powell. When my family and I landed here six years ago, I started wandering around and coach Bieber asked me to come out and help. When he retired he ran it by me to see if I’d be interested. I always thought I’d end up coaching on the swim deck, but I just love this game and time-wise, this really works best for me as well.”

As for the team he is taking over, Asay is without the services of graduate Cody Akin who was the singles state champion last season.

Which, while a big loss, creates opportunities.

“We have two strong junior girls (Hattie Pimentel and Lauren Asher) returning and a senior, Jen Bonander, who are at the top,” Asay said. “On the boys side, there’s a strong junior Rhett Pimentel at the number one position, but we have freshman Jesse Brown that is pushing for it. Two other juniors, James Sheets and Aaron Jacobsen, are also back.”

And while the team has its share of upper classmen with talent and experience, there is a youth movement afoot.

“We have three freshmen that have worked their way onto the varsity team, with another four that are right at the top end of the junior varsity,” Asay said. “Having that sort of competition within the team really helps push them and makes us better. After they all competed, I put a bracket together of where I thought people should be to have them in the best position to succeed and compared it with a bracket that (JV coach Brandon) Preator put together, and they pretty much matched up.”

Things didn’t start off, perhaps, in as strong of a way as Asay may have liked as the Panther boys fell by a 4-1 margin at Green River Friday, though the girls played it closer in a 3-2 loss.

Lauren Asher was dominant in her No. 2 singles win, cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Haylen Cordova and the duo of Bonander and Kaylee Meyer went three sets in topping Isabel Leininger and Alex Palmer 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

And even in the losses, the Lady Panthers were competitive as Nicole Sanders and Sierra Sanders stretched their No. 2 doubles match to three sets.

On the boys side, it was that freshman vying for the top spot that got the lone win with Jesse Brown getting past Andrew Halverson 6-4 4-6, 7-5 at No. 2 singles.

Rhett Pimentel put up a good battle against Jacob Lock at No. 1 singles, but fell 6-7 and 4-6.

Wade Musso and Derrick Lynn also proved competitive in defeat at No. 3 doubles, winning three games in each of the two sets.

Saturday saw the team 20 minutes up the road in Rock Springs, where things took a definite turn for the better against Rawlins as both the boys and girls pulled off 5-0 wins.

Rhett Pimental got it started with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Ryan Pfeffer at No. 1 singles and Brown went straight sets in a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Jacob Pacheco at No. 2 singles.

Nate Brown and Dylan Preator lost a hard-fought first set at No. 1 doubles, 7-5, but bounced back with 6-4 and 6-1 wins to take the match going away.

Musso and Lynn got the final Powell win at No. 3 doubles over Sebastian Maes and Alfonso Porea.

For the Lady Panthers, Hattie Pimentel went 6-2, 6-1 over Anne McFarland at No. 1 singles and Asher triumphed 6-2, 6-1 over Kryslin Poppie at No. 2 singles.

The No. 1 doubles team of Bonander and Meyer were slightly tested in a 6-3, first-set win, but slammed their way to a 6-0 clinching set.

Similarly, the Sanders girls held on for a 6-4 win in the opener at No. 2 doubles, but came together to overpower Mackenzie Thompson and Selena Landa in the second set, 6-0.

Shayla Shoopman and Sloane Asay finished off their match quickly with 6-0 and 6-1 wins at No. 3 doubles.

Powell then finished up the busy opening weekend with the girls continuing to roll in a 5-0 win over the hosting Rock Springs Tigers.

Hattie Pimentel and Asher took the two singles matches, 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-3, respectively.

Bonander and Meyer went 6-1, 7-5 at No. 1 doubles while the Sanders’ went straight sets as well, getting a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2.

Shoopman and Asay then had to battle, getting a 7-5 first-set win before Courtney Smith and Amanda Borders of Rock Springs evened the match up with a 6-2 win.

But the Powell pair pulled out a 6-3 victory to complete the sweep.

On the boys side, Rhett Pimentel won the No. 1 singles match, 6-4, 6-3, and Jesse Brown continued to show his strong play by going 6-0, 6-0 over Fletcher Wadsworth.

But the Panthers doubles teams had a tough time, dropping their matches in straight sets as Rock Springs got the 3-2 match win.

The first weekend out of the way, Powell will be at home Thursday with a tough test against visiting Cody, which saw both its boys and girls teams go 3-0 over the weekend against the same trio of Rawlins, Rock Springs and Green River.

The home match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

State Tennis 2015

Akin completes ‘dream season’

Posted Tuesday, October 6, 2015 2:49 pm

By CJ Baker

Boys finish fifth, girls 10th at state

In many ways, it was a perfect year for us. We did the very best we could. We showed up in every match, we competed,” Powell High School head tennis coach Ray Bieber said. “Never had a better group of kids.”

The Powell High School tennis teams played well at the Thursday-Saturday state tournament in Gillette — with PHS boys No. 1 singles player Cody Akin emerging as Wyoming’s high school champion. It’s only the second time that a Powell boy has earned the state singles title.

The Powell boys finished just a handful of points out of second place as a team, but “we played really well, so I can’t complain,” Bieber said.

The Panther boys finished fifth among 16 high schools, putting up 27 points. Gillette won with 42 points.

The Lady Panthers — led by a fourth-place finish from No. 2 doubles players Tessa Eller and Lauren Asher — finished in 10th place with nine points. Cheyenne Central won the girls event with 59 points.

Noting that the girls’ top two players played at the bottom of the varsity lineup a year ago, “we had an unbelievable season,” Bieber said.

The coach called it a “dream season” for Akin.

“He did everything for the right reason — had the right motivation for everything,” Bieber said, adding, “You couldn’t have asked for it to happen to a better person.”

A year ago, Akin entered the state tournament undefeated, but left without a trophy. He said that experience “kind of lit a fire under me.”

“Last year, I played for myself. I played for my own personal glory ... and I think this year I was doing it more for Ray (Bieber), for the town, for my school and for my family and then myself,” Akin said.

Akin said he let other people and God help him this year.

“I wasn’t playing on my own,” he said.

The PHS senior could not have had a more difficult route to the title, beating the runner-up and the third, fourth and fifth-place finishers who were all from typically Class 4A schools. (There are no classes in tennis.)

Akin won his first match 6-3, 6-4 over Joe Froelicher of Cheyenne East and then a “dogfight” over Laramie’s Dalton Bainer, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

In the semi-finals, Akin faced Dawson Miessler of Gillette.

Akin took the first set 6-4, but Miessler swept the second, 6-0. Akin then jumped out to a 5-0, 40-love lead in the third set, but “I got anxious, I lost my focus and he (Miessler) won four games in a row.”

“It was crazy; pretty much almost gave Bieber a heart attack,” he laughed.

Before the match, Akin’s mother had told him he needed to have fun, and at that point, “I actually physically smiled — even though I was very frustrated,” he said.

He smiled and prevailed, 6-4.

Matched up with Chase Anderson of Cheyenne Central in finals, Akin took the first set 6-3. When he got up 5-4 and 40-love in the second, Akin remembered what he’d learned from the battle with Miessler.

“I just took care of business,” Akin said. “I just played my game and I finished it right there.”

He said the match was perhaps even closer than the score reflected.

“I guess maybe I wanted it a little bit more,” he said.

Outside of Toby Laird in 1997, Akin is the only Powell boy to win a state singles title.

As for the PHS boys’ No. 2 singles player, Kristian Stenlund beat Ryan Roybal of Rawlins 6-0, 6-2, before losing 6-4, 6-2 to Matt Moran of Laramie. Stenlund then beat Cooper Thompson of Cody, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 and — avenging an early season loss — Kelby Kramer of Rock Springs, 6-3, 6-2. The PHS senior was ultimately eliminated by third-place finisher Hunter Kuhn of Natrona County, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

“Can’t ask for a better performance than that. He had a wonderful state — just unbelievable,” Bieber said of Stenlund.

Akin also praised Stenlund, crediting his competition as a hitting partner as helping him to the title.

“He pushed me every day in practice. There was never a day I could slack off,” Akin said.

At No. 1 doubles, Rhett Pimentel and James Sheets began with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Rawlins before losing 6-0, 6-4 to the fourth-place finishers from Laramie.

In the consolation bracket, Pimentel and Sheets beat Rock Springs 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 and Sheridan 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. They ultimately lost 6-4, 6-3 to Gillette, the third-place finishers.

After making the jump from the junior varsity squad last year to No. 1 doubles this year, “They won three matches at state — that’s unheard of,” Bieber said.

At No. 2 doubles, seniors Dallin North and Miles Rumbolz began with a 7-5, 7-6(5) win over Laramie. They then lost 6-3, 6-3 to the eventual champions from Green River and 6-2, 6-1 to Cheyenne East.

No. 3 doubles players Tanner Barngrover and Aaron Jacobsen beat Laramie in their opening match 6-3, 6-4, then lost 6-2, 6-1 to the champions from Jackson. Barngrover and Jacobsen beat Cheyenne Central 6-3, 6-1 and Sheridan 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 before losing 7-5, 6-1 to the third-place finishers from Green River.

“I don’t know what they were doing, but that was crazy how well they did,” Bieber said, noting that Barngrover and Jacobsen had only won two matches heading into state. “That was just fantastic play.”

For the PHS girls, No. 1 singles player Madi Morrow lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Bethany Christensen of Rock Springs. In the third set, trailing 5-4 with the score tied at 30-all, Morrow hustled to a ball and — although Christensen didn’t call it — volunteered that the ball had double-bounced before she hit it, Bieber said.

“You’d rather have your integrity than the match,” Bieber said, adding, “All the coaches saw it and that was kind of the talk of the tournament for a while there.”

In a tough draw, Morrow then lost 6-1, 6-2 to Lilly Lower of Natrona County.

Hattie Pimentel, the girls No. 2 singles player, reeled off two straight wins to reach the semi-finals, beating Jade Palmer-Miller of Torrington (2-6, 6-3, 6-1) and Emily Applegate of Casper’s Kelly Walsh (6-4, 6-4). She was then beaten 6-4, 6-0 by runner-up Lea Bergman of Laramie and fourth-place finisher Zoe Baldwin of Rock Springs, 7-5, 6-1.

Bieber said Hattie Pimentel “had a great tournament.”

At No. 1 doubles, Keegan McLain and Maria Kissner lost 6-3, 6-3 to Torrington, before prevailing 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-4 over Rawlins.

“That was very exciting,” said Bieber. “They played really tough.”

McLain and Kissner then lost 6-3, 6-3 to Laramie.

Eller and Asher, the No. 2 doubles players, trumped Torrington 6-0, 6-2 and Kelly Walsh 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semis, where they lost to the eventual champions from Cheyenne Central 6-4, 6-2. In the consolation bracket, Eller and Asher beat Rock Springs before being edged 7-6 (0), 1-6, 6-1 by Jackson to finish in fourth.

At No. 3 doubles, Jen Bonander and Kaylee Meyer were edged 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 by Kelly Walsh in their opening match. In the consolation bracket, they beat Torrington 6-1, 6-2 and Jackson 6-3, 6-2.

Bonander and Meyer then lost to the third-place finishers from Sheridan, 6-2, 7-5.

PHS tennis teams head to regionals

Posted Thursday, September 24, 2015 2:39 pm

By CJ Baker

Powell High School’s tennis teams put together some standout performances during a full week of competition against Cody, Sheridan and Gillette.

Boys No. 1 singles player Cody Akin won his eighth, ninth and 10th straight matches on the year — including beating a previously undefeated player from Gillette on Saturday.

“That was big news,” said PHS head coach Ray Bieber, adding that the boys sweeping Sheridan five matches to none on Friday “was pretty good, too.”

The Panthers’ No. 2 singles players — Kristian Stenlund for the boys and Hattie Pimentel for the girls — joined Akin with winning weeks, taking two of their three matches.

Powell’s boys and girls both showed overall improvement from an earlier match-up with Cody, but each came up short in dropping three of five matches on Sept. 15 at home.

In Sheridan, while the PHS boys earned the sweep, Sheridan’s girls returned the favor. Gillette beat Powell 4-1 in both the boys and girls match-ups on Saturday.

Bieber said his teams seemed to have fallen prey to the idea that the bigger schools, particularly Gillette, are unbeatable.

“You’d like to have a little bit better overall showing, but we played hard and then we saw that if we play well, we can be competitive with them. That was a good thing for us to realize that,” Bieber said.

He’s hoping for different results at this week’s north regional tournament and state next week.

Akin heads to the regional tourney as the top seed, with a 7-0 record in regular season matches. Stenlund, Pimentel and the girls No. 2 doubles team of Tessa Eller and Lauren Asher are all 4-3.

Bieber, however, isn’t only enthused about his players with winning records.

“I’m really actually looking forward to some of our people that have a 3-4 record or a 2-5 record to actually come through and beat much higher seeds,” he said. “We played a lot of teams close, and hopefully we’re going to come in and surprise some people at regionals.”

Results

For the boys, Akin took down Cody’s Zach Ross 6-1, 6-0 on Sept. 15, Sheridan’s Quinton Suska 6-3, 6-2 on Friday and then beat Gillette’s Dawson Miessler 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday. Miessler — who beat Akin at state last year — grabbed an initial 2-0 lead, but Akin “came back and just really dominated play,” Bieber said.

“He (Akin) really played well and hit the ball well, served well, strategically played really well against the kid,” Bieber said.

At No. 2 singles, Stenlund beat Cody’s Cooper Thompson 6-1, 6-2. Bieber noted that was a near-reversal of their match earlier in the season and said “we were really excited about his (Stenlund’s) play.”

The PHS senior later took down Sheridan’s Jaxon Porterfield 6-3, 6-1, then lost 6-3, 6-1 to Aaron Swan of Gillette.

At No. 1 doubles, Rhett Pimentel and James Sheets lost 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-0 to Brad Sankey and Joe Luedde of Cody, came back to beat Sheridan’s Noah Gustafson and Scott Rogaczewski 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, and lost 6-1, 6-4 to Cory Myers and Logan Myers of Gillette, though “they hustled quite a bit,” Bieber said.

No. 2 doubles players Dallin North and Miles Rumbolz lost 6-4, 6-3 to Bailey Lasko and Evan Wambeke of Cody, “really played well” to beat Sheridan’s Tom Terry and Liam Brown 6-1, 6-1, then lost 6-0, 6-1 to Garrett Seamans and Tim Hays of Gillette, Bieber said.

“That’s a team (North and Rumbolz) we’re really expecting to do well at state, hopefully,” the coach said.

No. 3 doubles players Aaron Jacobsen and Tanner Barngrover lost 6-4, 6-2 to Paavo Saukkonen and Gaston Osterland of Cody, rebounded to beat Sheridan’s Logan Jensen and Kellen Mentock 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 and lost 6-3, 6-4 to Jackson King and Colton Larson of Gillette, despite playing “really well.”

“They’re improving quite a bit,” Bieber said.

On the girls side, No. 1 singles player Madi Morrow lost 6-1, 6-1 to Meg Dickerman of Cody, 6-0, 6-0 to three-time state champion Julia Fenn of Sheridan and 6-3, 6-1 to Kelsie Sanders of Gillette. Bieber said Morrow played well against tough competition.

At No. 2 singles, Hattie Pimentel came back to beat Cody’s Elisha Smith 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, lost 6-1, 6-3 to Katelynn Brooks of Sheridan, then made an unlikely comeback to take down Gillette’s Grace Gordon 0-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Bieber said it’s easy to get demoralized after dropping an opening set 6-0.

“Just hang in there and do the best you can and see what can happen — and that’s what she (Pimentel) does,” Bieber said. “It’s kind of amazing, really.”

No. 1 doubles players Maria Kissner and Keegan McLain lost 6-0, 6-2 to Shaylee Schutzman and Tessa Blough of Cody, 6-3, 6-2 to Sammy Hamilton and Delainy Szmyd of Sheridan and 6-2, 6-3 to Brynn Holland and Sarah Bridges of Gillette.

No. 2 doubles players Tessa Eller and Lauren Asher beat Cody’s Lucille Sax and Zoe Pearson 6-4, 6-4 in what Bieber called “one of their best matches of the year.” Junior varsity substitute Georgi Kisgen joined Eller for the weekend’s matches, and they lost 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to Sheridan’s Jillian Stalker and Anna Crabb and 6-3, 6-1 to Jessica Brennan and Kayla Sankovich of Gillette.

At No. 3 doubles, Kaylee Meyer and Jen Bonander lost 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to Cody’s Dorothy Shippen and Jessica Morales, though “they improved quite a bit from the first time they played,” Bieber said.

Michaela Kousoulos came up from the JV to partner with Bonander in a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Lennon Dregoiw and Libby Standish of Sheridan and lost 6-2, 6-2 to Grace Wiley and Tatum Barstad of Gillette

Kisgen and Kousoulos “stepped up and did well, and yet we were missing our varsity players, too.”

Play at regionals begins at 8 a.m. Friday in Casper and continues through Saturday. Brackets and full schedules are available at www.whsaa.org.

PHS tennis teams go 1-2 on road trip

Posted Thursday, September 10, 2015 2:40 pm

By CJ Baker

Powell High School’s tennis teams saw some mixed success over some 550 miles and three matches in Cody, Jackson and Riverton last week.

Several PHS players fared well.

Boys No. 1 singles player Cody Akin won his three matches to run his record to 5-0 on the season. Girls No. 2 singles player Hattie Pimentel and boys No. 1 doubles players Rhett Pimentel and James Sheets also put together winning weekends, each going 2-1.

As a team, Powell’s boys won two of five matches against Cody on Thursday, while the girls picked up just one of five.

On Friday afternoon in Jackson, the hosts bested Powell’s boys four matches to one and swept the girls 5-0.

The Panther boys and girls rebounded by each sweeping Riverton 5-0 on Saturday.

“We just need to continue to improve and continue to work hard and continue to have a good attitude and get help where we need it and see what can happen,” said PHS head coach Ray Bieber. “Because ... even though the scores don’t necessarily indicate it, like against Jackson, we’re right in there.”

Particularly on the girls side, players have made big jumps from their positions last year and Bieber thinks some worried about getting “creamed.”

“They’re not getting creamed. Now they need to decide to take the next step and get some wins under their belt,” Bieber said.

He added later “we have such good kids, I think they’re going to come around.

“It’s going to be fun to see what they do at the end,” he said.

At No. 1 singles, Akin beat Zach Ross of Cody 6-1, 6-1, Jackson Livingood of Jackson 6-2, 6-4, and a “real good” David Gard of Riverton 6-3, 6-2, Bieber said. The coach noted Akin has yet to lose a set.

Kristian Stenlund, playing at No. 2 singles, lost 6-1, 6-2 to Cody’s Cooper Thompson before being edged 7-5, 7-5 by Jackson’s Brooks Bradford. Stenlund then took down Evan White of Riverton 6-3, 6-1 in what was “a really good win for him,” Bieber said.

At No. 1 doubles, Rhett Pimentel and Sheets beat Brad Sankey and Joe Luedde of Cody, 6-2, 7-5. They lost 6-3, 6-1 to Jackson’s Peter Frank and Nate Fairbanks, though Bieber said they played “pretty tough” against what he considers one of the best duos in the state. Continuing to play well, they beat Devon Harper and Alfred Glad of Riverton 6-1, 6-0 on Saturday, Bieber said.

In a couple close matches at No. 2 doubles, Dalin North and Miles Rumbolz lost 7-5, 6-3 to Cody’s Evan Wambeke and Bailey Lasko and “had a really good chance to win” before losing 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 to Ryan Levy and Trevor Rizzotti of Jackson, Bieber said. North and Rumbolz swept Riverton’s Matteo Depopti and Tanner Selvig on Saturday, 6-0, 6-0.

No. 3 doubles players Aaron Jacobsen and Tanner Barngrover lost 6-3, 6-1 to Cody’s Gaston Osterland and Paavo Saukkonen and 6-2, 6-4 to Ryland Sauter and Jack Van Holland of Jackson. Jacobsen and Barngrover won by forfeit on Saturday as Riverton didn’t have a team.

On the girls side, No. 1 singles player Madi Morrow lost to Cody’s Meg Dickerman 6-1, 6-1 on Thursday and 6-4, 6-2 to Jackson’s Ellie Kucera, although playing “really well” against Kucera, Bieber said.

Morrow closed out the weekend with a win, stomping Faelyn Richmond 6-0, 6-0 on Saturday in “a really good match,” the coach said.

“Madi continues to get better, so we’re excited to see her progress,” Bieber said.

At No. 2 singles, Hattie Pimentel took down Cody’s Elisha Smith by rebounding from a 5-7 loss in the first set to win the next two 6-3, 6-3. The improving Pimentel lost to Jackson’s Kristina French 6-2, 6-4 before beating Alyssa McDonald of Riverton 6-0, 6-2 in “a really good match,” Bieber said.

No. 1 doubles players Maria Kissner and Keegan McLain lost 7-6(7), 6-2 to Cody’s Shaylee Schutzman and Tessa Blough and 7-6(4), 6-3 to Claire Radda and Ann Shea of Jackson, then beat Becca Branson and Bianca Koetuelyessy of Riverton 6-0, 6-2.

PHS No. 2 doubles players Tessa Eller and Lauren Asher lost 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 to Cody’s Lucille Sax and Zoe Pearson.

“They played them very well and very close,” Bieber said.

Eller and Asher lost 6-2, 6-3 to Alieu Ednie and Elizabeth Perry of Jackson before beating Gabby Cunningham and Gwen Murphy of Riverton, 6-1, 6-3.

It was the Powell duo’s first weekend of competition together and “they’re learning to play better,” Bieber said.

At No. 3 doubles, Kaylee Meyer and Jen Bonander lost 6-4, 6-2 to Dorothy Shippen and Jessica Morales of Cody, 6-4, 6-2 to Nicole Peck and Sara McIntosh of Jackson 6-4, 6-2, before beating Alanna Reid and Keirstan McDonald of Riverton 6-0, 6-3.

PHS will host the two Casper high schools on Saturday: Kelly Walsh at 9 a.m. and Natrona County at 2 p.m.

While formidable opponents, Bieber says PHS should be able to win some matches.

Powell is also hosting a rematch with Cody at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Bieber said the boys and girls have a chance to do a lot better, “so we’re pretty excited.”