Cornejo wins 3rd regional championship… Wellington gets 3 entries to state… Crusader finish 2nd in Winfield
Wellington takes second place at Winfield Regional.
Sumner Newscow report — Yesterday afternoon, the Wellington boys’ tennis team placed second at the Class 4A Winfield Regional. The host Vikings won the event with 20 points. Wellington placed 16 for second place. Circle had 8, Pratt 7, Augusta 6, and Ulysses 2.
Wellington got three of its four entries to state. This year’s Class 4A state tournament will be played at Pratt, May 12-13.
Jax Cornejo, a Wellington senior, won the regional championship in singles. He is now a three-time champion, accounting for three of the five singles championships. He won in 2021 and 2022. Mark Erickson in 1990 and Evan Keller in 2010 were the other two tennis champions.
Jack Wright and Hunter Worley placed second with a 2-1 record.
Nate Farmer at 2-2 finished sixth and qualified for state.
The only entry that didn’t make it was senior Banks Hinshaw and freshman Maverick Peterson, who lost in the state qualifying doubles match.
Wellington now heads to state hoping to break a streak of finishing in fourth place, just outside the state trophy. Wellington head coach Chad Whaley said a state championship may not be likely but getting into the top three is.
Jax Cornejo.
Cornejo was a dominating force in the tournament. After receiving a bye in the first round he defeated Garrick Wright of Circle 6-0, 6-0. He then blanked the other Circle playing in the semifinals 6-0, 6-0. In the singles championship, he defeated Lane Dobbs of Winfield 6-2, 6-0. He scored a cumulative 36 points and gave up two.
He will be hoping to place for the third consecutive after finishing sixth in 2021 and fourth in 2022.
Wright/Worley also received a bye. They then defeated Bleich/Foes of Circle 7-5, 6-2, moving them to the semifinals. They defeated Norton/Palmer of Winfield 7-6 (7-5), 6-3. They were then defeated by Davis/Everett of Winfield 6-3, 6-4.
Nate Farmer, a sixth seed, got off to a good start, defeating Kabren Wetzel of Augusta 6-0, 6-2. He then lost to Jack Bushnell of Pratt 6-2, 6-3. On the consolation side, Farmer defeated Jackson Keeler of Ulysses in the critical state-qualifying match 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. In the fifth-place match, he lost to Josh Moore of Winfield 6-4, 6-2.
For Hinshaw/Peterson they received a by in the first round as the No. 3 seed. They lost to third seed Norton/Palmer in an upset 6-3, 6-4. That put them in the consolation brack where they fell to Bleich/Foes of Circle 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
