Wellington dominates El Dorado Regional; all four tennis entrees advances to state tournament
Wellington tennis regionals winners, coaches and supporters. (Click to enlarge).
Sumner Newscow report — The Wellington varsity boys tennis team rose to high expectations, winning the Class 4A Regional in El Dorado Saturday.
The Crusaders qualified all four entries to the Kansas 4A State Tournament at Kossover Tennis Center in Topeka on Friday and Saturday.
Wellington also swept the singles and double categories.
• Jax Cornejo (28-4) won the regional singles championship with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Drake Lowe of Winfield.
• Hunter Worley (21-10) finished sixth in singles, securing the final spot.
• Kade Adams/Carson Rademacher (28-4) won the double championship, defeating Allison/Middleton of Circle 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the finals.
•Justin Norris/Jack Wright (22-6) won third place in doubles defeating Ferley/Foulkes of El Dorado 6-3, 6-3 in the consolation title.
Wellington won the regional championship with 22 points, annihilating the competition. Winfield was second with 12, El Dorado 11, Circle 6, Iola 5, Augusta 0.
The Crusaders came into the tournament as a favorite as there were no Kansas Tennis Coaches Association ranked teams in this region. Wellington has won a plethora of tournament victories during the regular season.
But it exceeded even its own expectations. Wellington had a 13-3 tournament record and only two losses were to other teams.
In the singles division, Cornejo got a bye; defeated Bleich of Circle 6-0, 6-0 in the second round; Barbarosso of Iola, 6-0, 6-2 in the semifinals; and Lowe in the championship. Worley also received a bye; fell to Barbarosso 6-0, 6-2 in the second round. He then qualified for state by beating Bleich of Circle 6-1, 6-0. He lost the fifth-place game to McKibbon of El Dorado 6-4, 4-6 (7-2).
In the doubles division, Adams/Rademacher received a bye in the first round, and then dominated Carson/Weaver of Iola 6-2, 6-2. They then defeated teammates Norris/Wright 6-0, 6-2, before defeating Allison/Middleton.
Norris/Wright, a sixth seed going on, exceeded everyone’s expectations. They got a bye in the first round, defeated Morris/Davis of Winfield 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, and Farley/Foulkes of El Dorado.
Wellington will now have all six starters in state which is significant as far as points are concerned. There will be 24 singles and 24 doubles in the state.
