Trenton High School sent Gabe Swann, Nick Shields, and Jacob Davis to individual competition in Class 1, Section 8 boys tennis on Monday afternoon, with Swann in singles competition, and Shields and Davis combining for doubles.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, THS was unable to advance either entry to state, with Swann falling 6-1, 6-4 against Bishop LeBlond’s John Lierz, while Shields and Davis lost 6-4, 6-3 to Gian Lombardino and Caleb Lombardino of LeBlond.
Elsewhere from District 8, Bostyn Scott Horn of St. Joseph Benton beat Manuel Lopez of Richmond 6-1, 6-1, while the Excelsior Springs doubles team of Seth Forstner and Lane Rogers beat Chance Hermelink and Corby Roush of Maryville in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Trenton tennis coach Dave Sager told KTTN Sports, “I want to say congrats to my players for getting this far into the postseason. I know it wasn’t the finish that my players wanted, but I’m still proud of what they have accomplished. Gabe held his own against a player (Lierz) that has made his way to state in the past. This was great experience for Gabe that I know he’ll use to make him a better player in the years to come. Nick and Jacob started out their match (vs. the Lombardino’s) with an early lead, but soon they had a hard time avoiding errors that put them into a hole. They started a second set comeback, before being bitten again by the error bug. We still have more tennis to play in team sectionals, so the boys need to put today’s matches behind them and focus on playing LeBlond in the first round.”