The Chillicothe Hornets and Cameron Dragons are playing in the Class 1, District 15 team tennis final against one another this (Wednesday) afternoon at 4 o’clock, after the two schools won semifinal tests on Tuesday.
Trenton High School, entering the tournament as a #4 seed, took care of business in the first-round against #5 seed Carrollton, winning by a score of 5-1. The victory, the Bulldogs 7th of the spring, saw a 6-3, 6-3 win for Jacob Davis (over Jackson Barry), a 6-2, 6-3 triumph for Nick Shields (over Bryce Fitzpatrick), and a 6-2, 6-3 decision for Kade Ockenfels over Michael Greer. Three other singles matches never reached completion, after Trenton clinched the duel with 5 wins.
In doubles play, Trenton’s victories came from Davis and Shields (8-2 over Jackson Barry and Jenkins) and Whitney and Ockenfels, 8-6 over Fitzpatrick and Greer. The only Trojan triumph came in doubles play, as Noland Glenn and Payton Barry slipped by Creed Houghton and Wyatt Neal, 9-8.
The matchup between Carrollton and Trenton was originally scheduled for Monday afternoon at Trenton High School, but moved to Tuesday at Chillicothe due to poor weather conditions.
The win over Carrollton moved Trenton into the semifinals against the #1 seeded Chillicothe Hornets. Chillicothe dominated play, moving to 11-5 on the season with a 5-0 shutout of the rival Bulldogs.
In singles play, Brandon Lamp beat Nick Shields 6-1, 6-1, while Cody Evans swept Kade Ockenfels 6-love, 6-love. In doubles, Nate McKiddy and Brandon Lamp downed Jacob Davis and Nick Shields 8-2, Lane Bonderer combined with Cody Evans for an 8-1 win over Whitney and Ockenfels, while Max Anderson and Colton Webb got a good challenge from Houghton and Neal of Trenton, before emerging with the 8-5 win.
Cameron’s advancement to the championship match came as a mild surprise, as the Dragons entered play as a #3 seed. In the opening round, Cameron swept Richmond 5-0, and then sprung the upset over #2 seed Excelsior Springs 5-1. The Chillicothe-Cameron winner will advance into the Class 1 boy’s tennis state playoffs, and a meeting with District 16 champion Bishop LeBlond in the opening round.
District 15 tennis players, including those from Trenton, Chillicothe, and Cameron, will travel to Excelsior Springs for individual district play.
