The Kansas 4A boys state tennis meet was in Topeka on Friday and Saturday. Independence, Parsons, and Chanute high schools all competed.

 

IHS finished third in the overall team scores with 29 points, behind only McPherson (31) and Hesston (43).

 

Parsons was fourth with 25 points, and Chanute ended 15th with seven points.

 

Independence

Senior Matthew McLenon and sophomore Brodie Small from IHS went on to win the doubles bracket.

 

As the #1 seed, they defeated a McPherson pair in round one, 6-0, 6-1. In round two, McLenon and Small took down a Buhler team in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, and 10-7.

 

That lifted them to the semifinal, where they downed Hesston 6-2 and 6-3. In the final, they needed just two sets to defeat another Hesston pairing 6-2 and 6-4.

 

Parsons

Parsons sent one singles player to Topeka, senior Wyatt Shultz, and he won it all.

 

As the top-seed in the bracket, he used two sets, 6-0 and 6-1, to get past Kemper Manly of Chanute. In round two, Shultz mowed down Brody Cooley of Independence in two 6-0 sets.

 

In the semifinal, Shultz defeated an Iola player in two 6-2 sets. In the championship, he breezed past a Hesston player 6-2 and 6-0 to win the title.

 

Chanute

The Comets had one top-10 finish in Topeka; their doubles team of senior Ayden Cummings and junior Logan Bilby finished ninth.

 

Neodesha

Neodesha competed at the 3-1A meet in Prairie Village, and the BlueStreaks finished 15th in the team scores with five points.

 

Their highlight was singles player Jackson Delong, who finished 10th in the bracket.

 

Photo Courtesy: Independence Bulldog Tennis Facebook