INDEPENDENCE — Trapper Boren’s second-place finish highlighted a wind-swept day on the tennis courts for Iola High.
The Mustangs took fifth as a team in their season-opener.
Boren, in No. 2 singles play, defeated Draven Anderson of Independence, 8-6, and Bryson Hiebsch of Indy, 8-0, in pool play. He fell, 8-0, to Neodesha’s Kylan Turner in the finals.
In No. 1 singles action, Iola’s Payton Kern dropped an 8-5 match to Heston Smith of Independence and an 8-3 matchup with Labette County’s Kendall Green. He took Neodesha’s Landon Howell into a tiebreaker in the finals before falling 8-7 (2).
Iola’s No. 1 doubles team of Ethan Riebel and Brody Thompson fell, 8-6, to Independence’s Logan Holmes and Tyson Martinez before rebounding to defeat Neodesha’s Kenny Kelly and J’Vonte White, 8-6.
The duo dropped an 8-3 match to the Parsons duo of Joe Cervantez and Parker Ray in the final round.
In No. 2 doubles, Iola’s Konner Larney and Donovan Nee fell, 8-5, to Independence’s Logan Peschka and JD Woodburn, and 8-2 to the Parsons pair of Davis Clark and Landon Swafford. Larney and Nee ended the day on a high note, defeating Neodesha’s Lauklon Robuck and Alexander Marroquin, 8-2.
Conditions were less than ideal, IHS head coach Chris Belknap noted, with a gusty wind accompanying temperatures in the low 40s by the time action concluded.
“Hypothermia set in very early on, but we made it,” he joked.
